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The morning air nipped at my cheeks as I stood still on the wide stone steps of Brookstone High, the huge brick building towering over me like it had somehow grown taller overnight.
Students rushed by in noisy waves, laughter bouncing off the columns, backpacks thumping against shoulders, car doors slamming in the lot but everything felt muted, distant, like I was underwater.
Like I was drowning once again.
Every breath tightened my chest, and a familiar panic crept up my spine, my mind racing through every worst-case scenario. Vanessa and her crew could be lurking anywhere, ready to sneer, shove, or whisper just loud enough for me to catch it.
And, even worse, Patrick, Jace, and Liam could be lurking inside some dark hallway, having recovered enough from Adrien's beating to finish what they had started at the party.
