Aria didn’t open her eyes when she felt the bed shift.
She was already awake.
Had been for a while.
But she stayed still, her breathing slow and even, pretending to be asleep.
She didn’t want to face him.
Not this morning.
Not after yesterday.
Not after everything that happened at school.
Her chest still felt tight when she thought about it. The whispers. The stares. The words that followed her around like she couldn’t escape them.
She didn’t want to go back there today.
She didn’t even want to talk about it.
So she did the easiest thing she could think of.
She hid.
Even if it was just by closing her eyes.
Beside her, Adrian sat on the edge of the bed, adjusting his watch.
He glanced at her once.
Just once.
That was enough.
He knew she wasn’t asleep.
The way her fingers
