Hailey's POV.
I woke up before my alarm.
No surprise there.
Sleep had been... impossible. My mind had played reruns of that moment in the convenience store like a TV stuck on one channel. The way Zayn had looked at me. The slight smirk in his voice. His name. His actual name. I must’ve whispered it into the pillow at least twelve times before finally passing out.
Now it was morning. And Brown Lights Academy wasn’t going to wait for me to get my act together.
I dressed slowly, nervously. The school uniform surprisingly fit more than I had expected. I stood in front of the mirror longer than I should’ve, trying to decide if I looked effortlessly cool or like I was trying way too hard.
Mom drove me in silence, occasionally glancing at me like she wanted to say something but didn’t want to ruin the mood. I appreciated that.
Brown Lights looked different in the daylight. Less intimidating. But still full of expensive cars, polished students, and girls who walked like they were born to run
