CHAPTER 16
Grief doesn’t always come with sirens.
Sometimes, it’s a stillness so deep it feels like suffocating underwater—arms too heavy to swim, mouth too tired to scream. That’s what Monday felt like.
I moved through the day like a ghost—dressing, brushing my teeth, walking to class—watching myself from somewhere far away. People spoke to me and I replied, but I couldn’t recall what I said. I didn’t feel angry anymore. Just… hollow.
Steph hovered, of course. She didn’t push, but her presence was a constant. I caught her watching me when she thought I wasn’t looking, eyes tight with worry.
“I’m fine,” I said once.
“You’re not,” she replied, “but I’ll pretend you are until you’re ready not to be.”
God, I loved her for that.
—
During Criminal Law, I caught myself staring at the co
