Jackson

The bell rang, echoing down the hallway like a buzzer signaling the end of a bad play.

Lunch had been weird. Again.

I wasn’t even sure why we were all still sitting together — maybe out of habit. But the second someone mentioned Homecoming, it felt like the air got sucked right out of the cafeteria. Noah had gone quiet, Jessa had looked like she wanted to disappear, and I’d just sat there trying to pretend I didn’t notice the awkward tension crackling between them.

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