Juliette:
The cold was the first thing I felt.
Not the sharp kind that bites, but the deep, bone-level chill that sinks into your skin and settles in your chest. I blinked, the dull headache behind my eyes made me fully aware all of this was real. Not a dream, not a nightmare, my real life. My body protested as I shifted, stiff from being curled up all night in the front seat of my car.
For a second, I didn’t remember why I was here.
And then I did.
Everything came rushing back—the party, the posters, the voice on the speakers. The kiss.
The betrayal.
I didn’t cry. Not this time.
I just felt… empty.
Like someone had scooped out all my insides and left behind a hollow shell. A girl in a car. A girl who had once believed she could matter.
Then I heard it—soft, rhythmic tapping on t
