The campus felt different today. The air, thick with the electric buzz of students rushing to classes, seemed charged with an undercurrent of tension—one that Daisy and Taura could feel pressing down on them like a storm cloud. After their suspension ended, their return wasn’t marked by celebration but by wary stares, whispered rumors, and the cold weight of judgment.
The two walked side by side down the familiar paths, but each step felt heavy, as if they were treading on fragile ice. Every head that turned their way seemed to harbor a secret thought — some filled with disdain, others with pity.
“Just ignore them,” Taura whispered, her voice tight with frustration. “We’re better than their gossip.”
Daisy didn’t answer, her thoughts a whirlwind of anger and confusion. They had been puni
