CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: LEO

After dropping Shane off at school, Austin and I proceeded to register for the new semester. Despite my apprehension about returning to the place where I was shot and nearly died, I knew it was something I had to face eventually.

"Are you sure about this?" Austin asked as we pulled into the school parking lot.

"I don't have much of a choice. Today's the deadline, and unlike Athena, we don't have an excuse not to register for our courses," I replied, mustering a small sigh. "But if I feel uncomfortable in any way, I'll let you know."

"Alright, just keep your promise, and we'll bail if it gets too much," Austin said, his concern evident in his tone as he stared at me with a worried expression.

"I promise to let you know, Austin. Let's just get this done so we can go see Sophia. She must've had the surgery by now," I said, trying to shift the focus.

After leaving the truck, we made our way to the administration office to collect the necessary forms and course information. Reflecting on t