Zoe's POV
I pushed through the back door so hard it nearly slammed against the wall. The burst of sunlight hit me in the face—bright, warm—but I barely noticed. My eyes swept across the yard, searching for one person.
Brandon.
It had been maybe twenty minutes since the chaos in the hallway, but it felt like hours. That scene was on repeat in my head—him taking that punch without so much as lifting a hand to defend himself. He had just… frozen. Was it because I was there? I knew he'd seen me; I was certain of it. Our eyes had met in that split second before it happened. The way he'd looked at me—expression unreadable—still made my chest tighten.
And the guilt. God, the guilt. He hadn't seen the punch coming because he'd been looking at me.
My phone vibrated in my palm, jolting me back to reality.
It was a text from Seth.
Got caught up with something, can you wait for me, please? There's something I want to show you. I promise I'll be quick. Meet you out back. ~Seth
