The next morning, Crescent High felt smaller. The halls, once just corridors filled with lockers and chatter, now seemed like arenas with every eye following me. I had barely made it through the cafeteria before I felt it—a sharp, prickling awareness of whispers, glances sliding over me like ice. The notebook Luca had given me was safely tucked into my bag, but even that didn’t shield me from the sudden, suffocating sensation of exposure.
“Did you see Aria and Damian yesterday?”
“Yeah… what was that about?”
I froze mid-step, my tray trembling slightly in my hands. Every word cut sharper than I expected, sharper than anything Damian could have said himself. I looked around, and I could feel the collective stare of my classmates, a mixture of curiosity, judgment, and something that made m
