Chapter Twenty Six: Under the Lights
The Spring Showcase is louder than it needs to be. Banners hang from the gym rafters. Music pulses between performances. Parents fill the bleachers. Students crowd the floor in clusters of noise and color. It’s the last major event before graduation. Everything feels temporary. Everything feels watched. Nora stands near the entrance with Liam, fingers laced together like habit. He’s talking about the soccer team’s awards segment later in the night. She nods. Smiles. Listens. Across the gym, Eli walks in with Dinah. And the room seems to tilt slightly. Not dramatically. Just enough. Dinah spots Nora first. Of course she does. She waves lightly. Friendly. Unaware of the fault lines beneath the surface. Nora waves back. Equally polite. Equally contained. Liam follows her
- Writer
