CYNTHIA's P O V

‘‘Thank you…’’ I waved goodbye to Julian as soon as he dropped me off at school the next morning. He nodded, and as I turned to go through the school gate, I could still feel his gaze watching me intently.

My heart was restless when I walked across the hallway of my school. As I held the straps of my backpack, I could feel people’s eyes on me. I could hear whispers, faint and frantic, emanating from all directions.

They were all talking about me. In a bikini. God… With a hula skirt.

But the thing that tore at me the most was the fact that...