Zee’s POV.
The strange thing about life is how quickly you can slip back into normal, even when nothing about it feels normal.
School felt… steady. Predictable. Like the same song on repeat. The bell rang, teachers droned, papers piled on my desk, and I scribbled answers until my hand cramped.
Everyone laughed at the same stupid jokes in the hallway, whispered about the upcoming exams, prom, and rolled their eyes at cafeteria food.
And yet, for me, everything was tilted.
It was Lawrence.
Or rather, it was the absence of him.
He sat two rows in front of me in math class, shoulders slouched, head bent over his notebook like he didn’t have a care in the world.
He never turned. Never smirked at me across the room. Never lingered by my locker or cornered me with that poisonous smile.
I
