Val's P.O.V

The posters were everywhere. A Night of Stars and Midnight. The End of the Year Ball. It was the only thing anyone at Northwood High could talk about, a glittering antidote to the grim hangover of test week. And I, Val, intended to be the brightest star in that midnight sky.

Selling tickets wasn't a chore; it was a performance. I’d set up my table in the main atrium during lunch, right in the heart of the school’s traffic. It wasn’t just a table; it was a production. I had a ...