bAurora’s /bAv

The next day at school, I was prepared for the worst. I had braced myself for whispers, for pointed fingers, for Ratedmercieen in this talkin my name would slip through their lips like a scandal waiting to explode. But when I stepped onto campos, there was reching.

No rumors. No knowing nces. Noughter hidden behind cupped hands. It was as if yesterday had never happened, and fat–makar ASKE

unnerving than the alternative.

I kept expecting someone to pull me aside, someone to hint at the things they had overheard, but the only thing I got were the usual morning indifferentR the same casual conversations about homework and pop quizzes, the same meaningless chatter that suddenly felt for normalt in a way that went dill den my spine. It wasn’t until I reached my locker that I realized something was off, truly off.

“Hey, Aurora, a girl from my English ss called out, her voice hesitant, almost careful. ‘Principal wants to see you.”

My stomach dropped. “Now?”

She nodded, already walking past me, as if delivering the message had been something she was told to do and she wanted no part in it beyond that. I swallowed hard, shutting my locker with more force than bnecessary /bbefore heading toward the office, my heartbeat thundering in my ears. There was only one reason the principal would call me in, and I didn’t need anyone to confirm it.

This was about Mr. Hemming. It had to be.

The moment I stepped inside, I was met with a sight I wasn’t expecting–Caleb was already there, seated across from Principal Scott, his posture rxed in a way that seemed deliberately casual, like he had been expecting me. His bgaze /bflickered toward me the moment bI /bwalked in, but he didn’t say anything, just studied me in that way he always did, like he already knew what was going through my head before I even spoke a word.

“Aurora, Principal Scott greeted, motioning toward the empty chair beside Caleb. “Please, bhave /bba /bseat.”

I hesitated, my fingers curling into fists at my sides before I forced myself to moveb, /blowering myself into the chair, my entire body tense with an unease i couldn’t quite name. “Is this about Mr. Hemming?” I asked, my voice steady despite the anxiety coiling in my bgut/bb. /b

Principal Scott exhaled, adjusting the sses perched on the bridge of his nose. “bMr. /bHemming bwas /bin an identst night,” he said carefully, his words deliberate, measured. “A bad one. He’ll be in the hospital for quite some time, so he won’t be able to oversee your progress anymore. You don’t have to wait

after ss for tutoring sessions.”

An ident.

The words rang in my head, hollow and heavy at the same time. It should have been a relief I felt, knowing I wouldn’t have to face the consequences of what happened yesterday anymore, but it wasn’t. It was something else. Something colder.

My mind immediately snapped to Caleb, to the way he had looked at Mr. Hemming yesterday, to the tension that had thickened the air between them, and suddenly, the absence of rumors made sense. People weren’t talking because there was nothing to talk about. Something–someone–had made sure of that.

I forced myself to nod, schooling my expression into something neutral. “That’sb…/bunfortunate,” I murmured, my fingers tightening around the hem of my

sweater.

Principal Scott studied me for a long moment before nodding. “If you need anything, my door is always open.”

“Thank you,” I nodded, but I could feel Caleb’s eyes on me, unwavering, unreadable. But before I could rise from my seat, thinking that the conversation was over… Mr. Scott spoke again, halting me.

“Aurora…we have a proposition for you.” He told me, his smile widening as he slid a stack bof /bpapers in my direction. “A position for a full schrship just opened up, and I would like you to have that opportunity. After all, you deserve it.”

I sat there, my hands clenched together on myp as I listened to the principal’s voiceb, /bsmooth yet firm, carrying an air of bfinality /bbas /bhe bpresented /bme with the offer that should have been a dreame true.

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A full schrship.

bChapter /bb44 /b

No more bwanying /babout school feet:

No more sleepless nights wondering if I’d bhave /bto drop it. No more working extra shifts just to scrape together shangh ( ka na dáv pl should have been everything I ever wanted. But instead, it felt like a trap.

A heavy weight settled on my chest as I kept my gaze on the polished worden desk between us, my mind already plecing together the feat lund seks this sudden bgenerosity/b.

Caleb. It had to be him. There was no other exnation.

He was the one who had arranged this schrship for me…even though I had done nothing to deserve it. And that was something I coulder’s acept

bChapter /bComments

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