Ariana’s POV
Mornings at school always began the same way.
The front gates creaked when pushed open, the courtyard filled with overlapping voices, and someone inevitably ran past as if the bell were seconds from ringing—even when it wasn’t. I used to walk through those gates with my shoulders tight and my eyes lowered, bracing for whatever version of the day waited for me.
Now, I just walked.
Not confidently. Not boldly.
Just… normally.
Leah spotted me before I reached the steps and waved with exaggerated enthusiasm, nearly smacking a passing student with her notebook in the process.
“You’re late,” she called.
I checked the sky. “The bell hasn’t rung.”
“That’s not the point.”
Ethan appeared beside her, hair slightly messy, grin already in place. “She’s been waiting here dramatica
