EMERY
Stepping out of my car, I find myself standing in front of the university that was once my second home. The familiar buildings, the bustling students—it's all so strangely normal, starkly contrasting the chaos and darkness I've recently emerged from. Returning to this place after everything that's happened feels like stepping into an alternate reality, one that's disconnected from the trauma I've endured.
I take a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. The lie I told to the principal about my absence hangs over me like a weight, a secret I'm forced to keep in order to protect myself from the prying eyes of judgment. It shouldn't affect my future—I've made sure of that—but the unease lingers nonetheless.
