Hazel walked through the school hallway, her steps slower than usual, each one feeling like a weight dragging her down. The past few days had been a blur of emotions—anger, sadness, confusion. The image of Ace with that girl haunted her thoughts, replaying over and over in her mind. She hadn’t slept well, tossing and turning as she tried to make sense of everything. The ache in her chest hadn’t dulled, and she wondered if it ever would.
As she approached her classroom, Hazel took a deep breath, trying to steel herself for the day ahead. She had decided to come to school, to face whatever awaited her, even if it was the last thing she wanted to do. She knew she couldn’t avoid Ace forever, no matter how much it hurt to see him.
The classroom door loomed in front of her, and for a moment, s
