Juliette:
The alarm blared like always at 5:00 a.m., but nothing about this morning felt the same.
My eyes barely opened, lashes stuck together with sleep and tears, and when I finally dragged myself upright, the light from the window only confirmed what I already knew.
My face was a mess.
Red. Puffy. Splotchy from crying myself to sleep.
I didn’t bother trying to fix it.
No makeup. No hairbrush. No pretending.
I pulled on a pair of leggings and an old oversized t-shirt, not bothering to check the mirror. I wasn’t going to the gym. Not today. Not to see him.
Not Mr. All-American football God with his easy smile and perfect timing. Not the guy who was probably still asleep in his dorm room while the rest of campus laughed at me in their group chats.
I needed to move. I needed to ru
