Ella Sullivan is an 18-year-old high school senior with a sharp wit and a penchant for sarcasm. Her life revolves around her close-knit group of friends and the love for her dog. But her world is thrown into disarray when she encounters Ms. Catherin...
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———༺✵༻——— POV Ella ———༺✵༻———
The moment I step into the cafeteria, which has been transformed into an exam hall yet again, a mixture of anticipation and relief floods over me. It's strange, knowing this is my last high school exam ever. Everything about this room feels magnified—the buzzing hum of fluorescent lights, the scuff marks on the tables, even the faint smell of marker ink lingering in the air. It's as if all these details are pressing into my memory, becoming part of the last page of this chapter.
I find my seat and settle in, feeling the familiar tension in my muscles. A week of finals behind me, one last hurdle ahead: biology. Not my worst subject, but after the long week, every nerve in me wants this to go well.
The exam begins, and I take a deep breath, eyes on the first question. Immediately, I recognize it—something we covered in depth a month back. I smile to myself, the information coming easily, and I feel my pencil move across the page, each answer flowing naturally. Page after page, question after question—it all just fits, almost like the content is spilling out of my mind as soon as I see the prompts.
When I finish, I double-check my answers, careful with each detail, but there's an ease to it I wasn't expecting. I don't know if it's because I studied so hard or if it's just that I'm ready to close this chapter, but everything feels right.
I hand in my paper with a feeling of satisfaction so deep it's almost surreal. The nervousness dissolves, replaced by a rush of excitement. I step out of the cafeteria, blinking against the sunlight spilling through the hallway windows, and see Amori leaning against the wall, waiting with a grin.
"How'd it go?" he asks, tilting his head with a familiar, easygoing smile.
I let out a breath and smile. "Better than I thought. I actually got every question." I can't help the pride in my voice.
He nods, his grin widening. "That's my girl," he teases, nudging me lightly. "I knew you'd crush it."
We wait together, watching students trickle out of the cafeteria with the same looks of relief and exhaustion. I turn to him, curiosity getting the best of me. "So, what's your summer looking like?"
Amori shrugs, trying for nonchalance. "Oh, you know, the usual. It'll be great."
I study him for a second. There's a flicker of something in his eyes that I've seen before, and I know "great" isn't the whole story. "For real," I say, softer. "What's it really going to look like? Will... he be around?"
He hesitates, then sighs, his gaze fixed on some distant point across the hall. "Honestly? I don't know. He's been in and out. Gone for long stretches and then... just shows up again. Like clockwork."
I nod, feeling a familiar pang of worry on his behalf. He doesn't need to say more; I can imagine the tension he's carrying. "Hey, listen. If you ever need a place to crash, you know my door's always open."
