Rain hammered against the bus stop roof as Aria Collins hugged her sketchbook tighter against her chest, trying hopelessly to protect it from the wind.The last bus had already left. Of course it had.She let out a tired sigh and rubbed her freezing fingers together before checking her phone again. Two percent battery.Perfect. “Seriously?” she muttered under her breath.Her shift at Valentino’s Restaurant had ended nearly an hour ago, but one of the waitresses had called in sick, forcing Aria to stay late washing dishes and cleaning tables she didn’t even serve. Her entire body ached from exhaustion. She still had an unfinished art project due tomorrow morning, rent overdue by three weeks, and exactly forty-two dollars left in her bank account.Forty-two dollars.The number sat heavily in her chest.At twenty-two, this was not the life she imagined for herself. She looked across the empty street, watching rainwater slide down glowing neon signs while expensive cars sped through puddl
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