The library was nearly empty. Desiree sat at the far corner, surrounded by open notebooks and borrowed textbooks, her pen tapping absently against the table. Her eyes had glazed over half an hour ago, but she kept pretending to study, forcing herself to stay focused.

She hadn’t been to class in over two weeks, but she refused to fall behind completely. Lucas had dropped off his notes earlier that day, a gesture she appreciated more than she could say, and she had promised herself she would ...