Val’s P.O.V

The last paper ended with the shrill ring of the bell, and for the first time in weeks, silence didn’t mean pressure. It meant freedom.

Students spilled into the courtyard like waves breaking free from a dam. Some screamed. Some laughed until they doubled over. Others tore up their rough work notes and tossed them in the air like confetti.

I just stood there, blinking against the sunlight, the pen still in my hand. It didn’t feel real at first. After everything—the fever, ...