Amanda Wheeler was sitting on the low stone wall outside the school library, legs swinging slightly, phone in her lap. The late-afternoon sun had turned everything golden, and for once the hallway chaos had quieted down to a low hum. She was waiting for Damian. He'd texted her "We need to talk" after last period, but he was taking longer than usual.
She didn't mind. The quiet gave her space to think.
Her thumb hovered over Ethan's last message from two days ago:
Ethan: Hey. Can we talk sometime this week? No pressure. Just… whenever you're free.
She hadn't replied yet. Not because she didn't want to. Because she was terrified of what might happen if she did.
Footsteps approached and Amanda looked up. She expected to see Damian, but instead she locked eyes with the trouble she'd been trying to avoid for days now.
Ethan stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, shoulders slightly hunched like he was bracing for rejection before he'd even spoken.
