Mariah

By third period, I knew.

Not because someone said it to my face.

Not because I overheard the whole story.

But because Ridgeville has a very specific kind of silence.

The kind where people stop talking the second you walk by.

The kind where girls smile too sweetly.

The kind where boys suddenly find the ceiling fascinating.

That kind of silence?

Means you’re the topic.

I slammed my locker shut harder than necessary.

Jessa flinched beside me.

...