JUNIPER
I forced myself to stand tall, despite Ethan’s fury threatening to crush me. I had been so worried about Axel discovering my plans before I was able to execute them that I forgot that Ethan was technically a staff member at the school. I shouldn’t have been surprised he found out about my request for a leave of absence, especially since I ran into him right after making the request.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” I said, surprised my voice sounded as confident as it did.
Ethan pushed past me into my dorm. “Don’t give me that, Juniper. School is your life, and you are just throwing that away, like it doesn’t even matter. I have been fighting to keep you at this school, and now you’re walking away without even discussing it with me.”
“I don’t need to discuss my life dec
