Jessa

The classroom clock ticked so loud it felt like a countdown.

Every second stretched thin, echoing in the quiet while I stared blankly at the whiteboard.

Mr. Bennett was mid-lecture, pacing like he was trying to burn holes into the tile, but none of it was landing. The words on the board might as well have been in another language. All I could think about was Noah.

More specifically, how weird he’d been this morning.

He’d still walked me to class, same as always now. ...