Noel
The next day at school, the entire building buzzed with activity. Everywhere I turned, there were students scurrying around, hanging banners, and setting up props. It was chaotic in the best way. I threw myself into the decorations, more for the distraction than anything else. I mean, what else was I supposed to do? Watch the River? That’d be too obvious.
“Hey, Noel! Could you hand me the tape?” one of the juniors called out.
I nodded, passing it to her. “Here you go. Need anything else?”
She smiled, a little shyly. “No, this should be good. Thanks.”
It felt good—normal—to talk to people I didn’t know well. By the end of the afternoon, I’d managed to make a couple of new friends, mostly the ones who seemed just as lost in the chaos as I felt.
Meanwhile, River was pract
