Hazel was bent over her textbooks, lost in the complexities of her latest assignment. The numbers and equations blurred together as her mind drifted, weighed down by the recent events surrounding her Aunt Sophie. Every now and then, she’d catch herself thinking about Ace, her closest friend, and how she still hadn’t fully opened up to him about what she had witnessed. She knew she had to, but the thought of putting it into words felt overwhelming.
The sudden ring of her phone jolted her out of her thoughts. Hazel reached for it, grateful for the distraction. Ace’s name flashed on the screen, and she felt a familiar warmth spread through her. She hadn’t seen him in a few days, and hearing his voice was always a comfort.
“Hey, Ace,” she answered, trying to sound more cheerful than she felt
