I felt Victoria watching me long before I saw her.

It was the kind of stare that crawled up your spine and settled between your shoulders, heavy and sharp, like a blade pressed just close enough to remind you it was there. I stood near the lockers, adjusting the strap of my bag and reminding myself to breathe like Elena would. Quiet. Small. Invisible.

Except I was not invisible anymore.

That was the problem.

Laughter rippled down the hallway as students passed, and I caught pieces of it ...