We walked into campus like it was any other day, except it wasn't. Not for me. My head had been running laps since morning.
Val said she'd try. She said it last night, and I knew she meant it, but knowing and watching are two different things. I didn't want her hurt. I didn't want to lose Marina either. She's been my friend since I was a kid. Both of them mattered, but… not in the same way.
The hallway buzzed the way it always did. Loud. Busy. Everyone shoving books into lockers, laughing too hard, walking too fast.
That's when I saw her.
Marina.
She was leaned against the wall, arms crossed, talking to another girl I didn't know. Probably something normal. Marina stuff. She looked the same as always—smart, sharp, calm in a way Val never bothered to be. A little smile here, a small gesture there. The kind of person who could make sarcasm sound like a love language if she wanted.
Val stopped walking. Just froze.
