Ariana’s POV
The final exam ended quietly, but the meaning behind it was anything but quiet.
When the instructor announced that time was up, the room shifted with a kind of relief that only comes after something long and exhausting is finally over. Papers were handed in, chairs moved, and conversations slowly started to rise again as people stepped out into the hallway.
For most of them, this was the end of high school.
For me, it was more than that.
It was the end of the life I had built here.
I walked out of the hall at my own pace, letting the noise of others pass around me without really listening. Some students were already celebrating, talking about their next steps, their plans, their future. Others looked uncertain, like they were not sure what came next.
I understood that f
