AMBER
The next morning came too quickly. I had barely slept, tossing and turning through most of the night. Every time I closed my eyes, yesterday came rushing back—the argument, the look on Ethan’s face, the way Zac clenched his jaw like he wanted to say something but didn’t, and how all of them eventually turned away from me. I told myself I didn’t care, but the truth was that I did. It burned me in ways I couldn’t put into words.
By the time I finally gave up on sleep and sat up, my body felt heavy, like someone had strapped weights to my chest. The house was quiet. Stephanie had already left early for a school meeting, and I was left alone with my restless thoughts.
Getting dressed for school felt harder than it should have. Every outfit I touched felt wrong, and by the time I final
