Ximena's POV
For the first time in ages, stepping through the school entrance felt like walking into a place where I actually belonged.
The atmosphere seemed different today - less suffocating, more breathable. Maybe it was because Glenda and I were still giggling about yesterday's adventure at Frederick's. Or perhaps because the usual judgmental stares no longer made my insides churn with dread.
Sure, people were still murmuring among themselves. Phones continued their endless buzzing. But after surviving all the chaos - the theatrical drama, that public kiss, the digital circus that followed - everything else seemed insignificant.
I had stopped running from who I was.
