Aria’s POV

The snow outside had gotten heavier, but in a soft, pretty way—none of yesterday’s slush and chaos. I stood by my bedroom window, holding the curtain open just a crack, watching the flakes drift down in lazy spirals. The world looked quieter when it snowed. Like everything was on mute, and I kind of wished my nerves were too.

Today was my first official tutoring session with Jason Monroe.

I closed the curtain with a sigh and grabbed my tote bag. I’d packed it earlier ...