***BLAKE***

I didn’t even remember leaving my seat.

One moment I was staring at the broken window.

The next—my legs moved on their own. Fast. Desperate. I heard my parents calling my name, voices sharp, voices rising, but none of it reached me enough to slow me down.

I couldn’t answer them. I couldn’t think enough to form words. I just stormed out the front door like the entire world was collapsing behind me.

Outside, the air felt colder than it should’ve. I looked down at the ...