had twelve like

he moment she sat down in first period, turned her phone faced down on the desk, and spent th

en't, ob

shots of your private thoughts to eighty-t

invited, but not unwelcome, which surprised her. She expected to be completely alone at lunch today. The

ly hadn't got

e repeated, as if saying it t

oked a

rd about the index cards thing." He picked up his fork. "The 't

between classes. Both delivered loudly, both aimed in

ing, like burying it would help. She opened her class notebook, the one for actual schoolwork, and s

annoyed,"

er eyes on

id, but she came out of it looking..." He thought for a moment. "Unimpressed. But also lik

e at the top of h

going to ask

subject. Biolo

sit here and talk to you while you take not

properly studied

rly brought from home. He had a pencil tucked behind his ear and was looking at her with the sp

ut her phone

e you

For what it's worth." He pointed at her with his fork. "I like people wh

ared a

ead i

that he would strongly deny if you asked him." Kobe t

sed her eyes an

ks abo

resting new development at this school in two years." He tilted

at him fo

operly this time. Not the date, no

ng ones always come

it to him and

By the time the afternoon bell rang, signaling the end of school, it had started to rain. Not politely. No

ce with her bag pulled to her

op on a dry day. Today, it might as well

never needed one before today, which

hone. The bus was e

mbrellas and waiting for parents or ducking into cars. She could stand under the entrance overh

as the

til the bus is basically alread

turn

on, bag over one shoulder, completely dry. He had not been

side lot," he said.

ook he

rain

ed out h

e the

minutes away, and you d

walk

? It's not wate

unfair about the way he said her name. It felt like just a norma

fi

" He pushed off the wall. "I'm not offering because I think you can't handle rain. I'm

At the bus stop, barely

ped on

ne

was almost sure it was amusement. H

is way,"

e. The kind that comes from caring about a space, no bottles on the floor, no clothes in the back seat, the dashboard not dust

e notebook and

on her lap and

. The rain hit the roof l

said, already

ut it

y silent. She was prepared for this silence. She wa

for was how non-terri

ings. But this silence was just silence. Rain on the windows, the wipers going, the city moving past in gre

ed at hi

he was noticing it again now because it was right there. She had always been good at noticing smal

back at t

f you want," Julian said. "

't even registered it, something low and i

s fi

nod

s fingers on the wheel once, then stop

her. He was watching the light. "He doesn't like

d at his

ith me a

e something in your notebook and turned the page before he

t the corner again. This ti

oo

nced at he

wonder s

nsformed his face. For a split second

y compose

," he

oked a

ets in her mind, matching them to the route she knew fro

The words came out almost correctly, with

left without

" she added. A second s

opped, leaving the engine running bec

for her bag

want to g

lt that way. She understood it p

way the house closed in on her every evening. Out here was rain on the winds

ed up he

ou for t

lickered across his face, brief and careful, li

esita

epmot

recognized because she had felt it too, the sense of understanding a

," he

placed her ha

ara

stop

rain still falling. He looked like someone choosing their

h." He paused. "The last one. With the different h

t very

dn't a

s and nodded once to himself, as if she

said quie

tay parked, not leaving yet, waiting to make sure she got insi

ocked t

nce. Just once. I

looking

them, the light fading, his face showing no p

and walked

ay only after she closed

atrice said from

allway with her hand

. For once, she wa

ing, up the stairs, and into her room. She set

e index cards on

one in her mothe

is always i

it to the group chat, and made it

ith that fo

, and opened her phone to the mut

and four not

re genuinely mean. Some were just people trying to be mean becau

tom of the thread, to t

mach dr

mment. It was

tes while she'd been in Julian

ographed. The two figures in the classroom. The one Mila had held

yped one li

is? I have a guess.

s already buzzin

ut it

brea

and had a very clear, very chilling thought that somethin

one bu

li

group chat. Do

were coming in. Someone had tagg

e buzzed

ara

dn't r

ird

g to hand

d back q

u'll make

me back with

going to do

d at the

uld respond,

from J

Chl

o image this t

it. Or the next thing I

read

it ag

ce down on her desk

g I post won't

t else there was to find. But Chloe had said it wit

at sat cold and heavy in her ch

the back. Buzz after buzz. Julia

't turn

indow, the ra