Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 5

Julian’s Point of ViewIf there was one thing I hated more than unpredictable situations, it was the suffocating noise of Oakridge High.By three o'clock in the afternoon, the main corridor was a chaotic storm of slamming locker doors, squeaking sneakers, and shouting teenagers eager to escape the heat of the first day of senior year. I adjusted the strap of my black gym bag over my shoulder and kept my head down, cutting through the crowded hallway with long, quick strides."Hey, Julian! Track tryouts are on Thursday, right?" someone called out from the varsity bulletin board."Yeah," I replied without slowing down, giving a brief nod. "Four p.m."I didn't mean to sound cold, but my mind was completely elsewhere. My heart was hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird, a sensation so unfamiliar and irritating that I caught myself gritting my teeth to keep my jaw set in a nervous line.I made a sharp left turn, leaving the noisy main hallway behind, and stepped into the quiet shade

Julian’s Point of ViewThe smell of crushed grass, sun-baked rubber, and cheap citrus deodorant always hung heavy in the boys' locker room after track practice, but today my mind wasn't on my split times or my posture.It was four-thirty in the afternoon. Most of the team was still cooling down near the bleachers, shouting across the field about weekend plans and upcoming meets, but I had dragged myself straight to the showers, changed into a clean school shirt, and left through the side exit.My sneakers made no sound against the worn floorboards as I took the creaking wooden stairs two at a time toward the second-floor library archive.The late afternoon light filtered through the tall, dust-covered stained glass at the end of the hall, turning the air a deep, quiet shade of violet. Long, narrow shadows stretched across the disused rows of oak bookcases, broken desks, and forgotten stacks of old encyclopedias. Nobody came up here. It was the only corner of Oakridge High where the co