{Elira}
~**^**~
Still, something about the way Erica looked at me, so unsurprised, left a strange feeling behind.
Like she had already known this meeting would happen, and had decided long before how it would end.
I exhaled slowly, forcing the tension out of my shoulders. There was no point holding on to hurt that didn't change anything.
I wasn't the little girl who used to trail behind Regina anymore, hoping someone would choose her. So, I let it go.
Whatever reasons Erica had for keeping her distance, I couldn't hate her for them. Perhaps she had her own battles and scars.
I turned and kept walking down the hall.
I didn't tell anyone about seeing her that day, not even the brothers.
***
The next day, being Wednesday, passed faster than I expected, and before I could blink, my friends and I were sitting in the auditorium alongside the remaining students, waiting for the names to be called for today's duel.
