SofiaI guided her to the stall and opened the shower door. She stepped inside and just… stood, arms at her sides, chin down.I watched the water run over her, flatten her hair, trail down her skin in streaks that pooled at the ridges of her collarbone and then dripped in a rhythm I started counting
SofiaThe girls’ bathroom on this floor always smelled like one of those dollar store air fresheners that was supposed to cover up something much worse and only made it more noticeable, like a perfume-laced corpse.I guided Ava there with a hand under her elbow. She didn’t resist, but she didn’t wal
“But I’ve been calling and calling, texting. I thought—I don’t know what I thought.”All of this came in a rush, one word tripping over the next, and I had to step forward, hands up, to break his momentum.“Hey, hey. Calm down.” I tried to sound friendly, like this wasn’t the disaster it clearly was
SofiaI crossed the room before I even knew I was moving, stopped right in front of her, crowding her space on purpose. “No,” I said, voice sharp enough to cut. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”Ava looked up, startled, and for the first time in days I saw her react to something in real time. S
SofiaI stood there, staring at the closed door, feeling the weight of the next six hours settle on my shoulders. She could turn again. Both you and Maya could be in danger.I let my head tip back, stared at the water stain on the ceiling, and let out a breath so long it emptied me out.“I miss Pari
SofiaReed was still there when we got back. The moment I saw him, a relief so sharp and deep ran through me I almost had to sit down.He was in the desk chair, legs crossed, one hand scrolling through something on his phone. The other rested on Maya’s bed rail, not even gripping—just there, calm, l