Echos of him

Growing up in a small town was supposed to be peaceful. For a long time, it was-quiet streets, familiar faces, the kind of place where nothing ever really changed. Until it did. Until Angelica started hearing tapping at her window in the middle of the night. Until a bike began trailing her every move. Until she realized a shadow was always close behind her-silent, patient, watching.

It was the summer after senior year, and Angelica was finally on the verge of living life on her own terms. No more cliques, no more crowded hallways where she was invisible. Being shy had made her an easy target-used, overlooked, taken for granted. But she was used to being alone. She even liked it, most of the time.

But something was different now. And being alone no longer felt so safe.