(Michelle Lui's POV)
THE DRIVE — A QUIET CAR, A FULL MIND
Girls and boys split into different vans again.
Probably safer emotionally.
Kate slept on my shoulder five minutes after we left the building.
Jasmine scrolled through her phone.
Lara stared steadily out the window, jaw tense.
I glanced at her.
She wasn't glaring at me.
She wasn't glaring at anyone.
She just looked… tired.
Heart-tired.
Mind-tired.
Soul-tired.
And honestly?
I understood that.
Maybe for the first time, I didn't see her as an obstacle or rival or antagonist.
I saw her as a girl trying desperately to hold on to the life she built with someone she loved.
Even if he wasn't standing on the same foundation anymore.
Even if he didn't understand why it was cracking.
Even if she couldn't force him to.
And god… that kind of pain wasn't pretty.
It was quiet and aching and almost invisible unless you looked closely.
"Are you okay?" I asked softly.
Lara blinked, surprised. "Me?"
"Yeah."
