Evaline:
Friday came like a storm.
The kind that sits on your chest the moment you open your eyes and doesn't let you breathe.
I had barely slept as my thoughts spiraled into all the ways things could go wrong - into every reaction I feared from Oscar and Draven. Into every word I didn't know how to say.
By the time dawn painted the Academy halls with its pale gold light, my stomach was already churning.
I still got out of bed. Still dressed. Still tied my hair back with trembling fingers and forced myself to walk into the day.
But I wasn't okay.
And it didn't take long for my friends to realize it.
Kyros noticed first. One look at me in the hallway and his usual smile faded into quiet understanding. Rowan joined us moments later, falling into step beside me with a silent glance and a nod. They knew what today was. They knew I was barely holding it together.
And they stayed close.
