EVE
The second I stepped outside the faculty office, the first person I saw was Emma pacing near the parking lot, looking like she was ready to stage a protest if I didn't show up soon. Her eyes widened when she spotted me, and she practically ran toward me.
"What happened?" she asked immediately, her voice sharp with worry. "You've been gone forever. Did they say something bad? What's going on?"
I exhaled, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease a little just from seeing her. "They advised me to take the year off."
Her mouth fell open. "Wait—what? Take the year off?"
I nodded, trying to sound calm about it. "Yeah. Apparently, I've had 'too much going on' and need to focus on myself or whatever. But I'm not leaving. I already had a late start, and I'm not ready to stop ag
