VIOLET
The funny thing about attention is that you never notice you're missing it until you finally get it.
For years, I was just a fixture in the background of other people's lives. A shadow on the bleachers. The quiet sister. But standing in the brightly lit lobby with Ethan Blake’s phone slid toward me, the sheer weight of someone’s undivided focus felt completely dizzying.
"Coffee?" I stammered, my fingers tightening nervously around the strap of my blue binder.
"Yeah, coffee," Ethan smiled, his bright blue eyes crinkling at the corners. He had this easy, effortless confidence that practically radiated off him. "Unless you’re a strictly tea person, which I can also adapt to. What do you say, Violet? Just a casual break from chemistry."
Beside him, Mia was practically vibrating wit
