West went to school the next day.
It was Friday.
He hadn't stepped foot on campus all week, and in a place where gossip moved faster than the morning bell, that absence alone would've been enough to stir rumors. Unfortunately—or fortunately—the reason for his absence wasn't just some mundane sickness or family issue.
It was a ruin.
A residential ruin.
One that had swallowed an entire neighborhood.
By the time West stepped through the school gates, the place was already buzzing.
The moment he walked in, conversations died mid-sentence. Heads turned. Phones came out. Whispers spread like wildfire.
And the fact that he wasn't in uniform only made things worse.
He wore fitted black jeans, clean white sneakers, and a dark long-sleeved shirt rolled just slightly at the forearms. Nothing extravagant... but it clung to him in a way that highlighted his build. His posture was straighter. His steps carried a calm confidence he didn't have before.
