CARA'S POV
As I stepped away from the podium, the air in the hall buzzed with scandal and stunned whispers. Eyes followed me, nig. I kept my head high, heart pounding like thunder beneath my chest.
I barely had a moment to breathe before Kyle and Layla tiptoed towards me. I almost missed them, but they managed to corner me near the corridor arch, their polished smiles cracking under tension as Kyle held my hand and pushed inside through the corridor, heading towards Maya's room.
The air was thick with murmurs and shifting bodies, but I ignored it, the crowd pressing from every side as I tried to make my way through unnoticed. But I felt it before I even saw it.
That familiar weight, that burning heat of disapproval. I turned my head slightly, and there he was. I caught a glimpse of my
