Monday morning dawned brighter than I felt inside. As I walked through the familiar walkway to school, my thoughts churned, replaying every moment of the weekend. That strange mix of cold teasing from Damon, the tension that lingered like a charged current between us, and the quiet weight of being in his world even just for a little while was hard to shake. It was nothing like the chaos Julian had brought into my life, yet it unsettled me just the same.

I tried to focus on the rhythm of my footsteps, but my mind wandered to the things I wanted to say to Lana, the way I wanted to...