Jasmine's POV
The words hit me like a physical blow, stealing the breath from my lungs.
"What did you just say?"
The question erupted from my throat, raw and demanding. Inside me, Judy and Atlas stirred with matching fury, their rage bleeding into mine until I could barely contain it.
Jayden's head snapped toward me, his eyes wide with shock. The group of boys surrounding him froze like deer caught in headlights.
Our gazes locked across the hallway, and something passed between us. A silent communication that made his friends shift uncomfortably. Without a word, he jerked his chin toward the exit, and one by one, they melted away into the crowd. The last one to leave shot me a look of pure sympathy before vanishing around the corner.
My legs trembled as I stepped out from my hiding spot behind the metal lockers. Each step felt like walking through quicksand, my heart hammering so violently against my ribs I thought it might shatter them. Shame burned through my chest like acid.
