Jessa

By the time the final bell rang at Ridgeville High, my head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. The whole day had been one long blur—Noah catching me at my locker, his words about wanting to talk, Mariah’s knowing smirk when she practically shoved me toward him at lunch.

And then actually talking to Noah—if that’s what it could be called.

I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling. Confused? Angry? A little bit hopeful? Probably all three, with a generous side of ...