I didn’t respond.
Just tried to step around her.
She moved with me, her body shifting just enough to keep me blocked in. The crowd behind her leaned in like they were watching a play.
“You always come in late, Selene. Trying to get special treatment?” she asked, mock-sweet. “Or maybe you just enjoy the attention.”
Her voice was syrupy and poisonous. Fake as hell. I stayed silent.
She reached for my hair—fingers lightly tugging on a loose strand that had fallen from my braid.
I stepped back instinctively.
The others laughed.
“Aw, don’t be shy,” Ava said, still toying with my hair. “Is this the part where you cry and run away like always? I love that part. It's so—”
“Get out of my way,” I said.
The words were low.
But they silenced her for a second.
Just a second.
She blinked, a
