Chapter 30: Echoes of Freedom

Noah’s

I sat in class, my pencil tapping repeatedly on the desk, trying hard to erase the image of Dean and Stan in the bathroom. Their faces, their voices, the casual way they had talked about me like I was simply a pawn in their game—it made my skin crawl with discomfort. I just wanted to feel safe again, but nowhere felt safe anymore. Not here at school, not at Enzo’s mansion, not even inside my own head.

My phone buzzed quietly in my pocket, and ...