VALERIE
I sat in class, my pen tapping against the notebook absentmindedly as I struggled to make sense of the topic I was reading - photosynthesis. The words didn’t really make it past the fog in my head. My mind kept drifting back to the Conclave, to the garden, to Chris. I could still feel the weight of his gaze on me, the way his hand had gently held mine as he led me into the pool. It was all so surreal—after everything that had happened, it felt like things were finally starting to make sense between us.
But even that thought wasn’t enough to pull me away from the knot in my stomach. There were still so many unresolved issues. Kyle, for one. We had not said a word to each other since the ball. For some weird reason, he was the one angry at me.
I snapped out of my thoughts when I
