Chapter 20: New Beginning?
The morning sun filtered through the windows of the classroom, casting warm rays across the wooden desks. The atmosphere felt lighter than usual, and as Maxine walked into the room, she felt a subtle shift in the air. For the first time in months, she wasn't weighed down by the pressure of her secrets or the uncertainties of her past. She smiled as she entered, a genuine smile, one that reached her eyes. Her friends immediately noticed. "Max?" Bea, who had been sitting with Ashley and Lianne, glanced up from her phone, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "What's going on with you?" Maxine's smile widened, and she sat down at her usual spot. Her eyes sparkled with an energy they hadn't seen in her before, and the change was so sudden, it almost felt... foreign. Lianne squinted
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