Wright:
I make it ten whole steps past the lecture hall before stopping.
Not slowing.
Stopping.
Like my body hits an invisible wall, my brain forgot to warn me about. I brace one hand against the cool concrete of the hallway, bow my head, and exhale through my teeth.
Jesus.
I thought keeping my distance would steady me.
I thought being formal—Miss Hart—would reestablish the line I’d already crossed once like a reckless i***t.
Instead, the moment she walked into that room, all of it snapped tight around my throat.
She looked… God, she looked breakable and stubborn and furious at me all at once. Like she’d built a wall overnight and painted it with the prettiest shade of indifference she could manage. And still, still, her eyes found me like a bruise she couldn’t stop pressing.
I f
