Sienna

My heart was hammering. Jaxon’s mom stood in the doorway, looking at me with that soft, motherly concern — the kind that could see through anything if I made one wrong move.

“Hey, sweetheart,” she said gently. “You’re still awake?”

“Yeah,” I blurted out too quickly. My mind raced for an excuse. “I was just, uh… trying to pick something to wear for tomorrow. Can’t sleep.”

I raised my voice slightly — not enough to sound odd, but loud enough that Jaxon, ...