COLEEN

It started with whispers.

On Monday morning, walking into class felt different. I could feel the weight of eyes tracking me from the moment I stepped through the door.

Normally, I was the kind of person who could slip into a seat unnoticed, vanish into the rows like background noise. But that day, it was like someone had put a spotlight over me and turned the brightness all the way up.

I pulled my hoodie tighter around me, clutching my notebook against my chest as if it might shield ...