Professor Reed turned, setting the marker down with a soft click. He studied me for a beat too long, and I had the wild thought that maybe he could hear my heart pounding like a drum solo.
"Anything else, Miss Sinclair?"
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My mind was blank. White noise. "Uh, no. That's… that's it."
He nodded once. "I see. Sit."
I sat. Hard. My knees were trembling, my face hot enough to fry an egg.
Valeria Devereaux stood next, gliding forward in her designer boots like the floor belonged to her. Her gaze skimmed me as she passed, the corners of her lips curving in a smile that wasn't a smile.
She launched into her presentation, every word rolling off her tongue like honey and venom. barely heard her. My mind was still stuck on the heat in my face, the whispers behind me, and the way my hands couldn't stop shaking.
