Riaya’s POV
The next morning, the weight of yesterday’s encounter still clung to me like a heavy fog. I replayed every word, every glance, over and over in my mind, trying to make sense of it. I told myself I didn’t care what Angel thought. I told myself I’d moved on. But the truth was, my heart hadn’t fully caught up to my head yet.
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at my reflection. My eyes were a little puffy from the tears I cried last night, but I wasn’t going to let that get to me. Today, I would walk into school like nothing had happened. I wouldn’t let him see me break. He didn’t deserve that satisfaction.
As I grabbed my backpack and headed out the door, I heard my mom call from the kitchen, “Riaya, don’t forget to grab something to eat!”
“I’m good, Mom,” I cal
