The morning didn't feel like a reset.
Lucas noticed that as soon as he stepped out into the hallway. Usually, after a late evaluation, things softened the next day. People moved slower. Conversations drifted back toward normal topics, like everyone needed a break from thinking too hard.
That didn't happen.
The energy carried over.
Not intense, not sharp like the night before, but present in a way that didn't fade just because the lights came back on.
He passed two students near the stairwell arguing over positioning again, but this time it wasn't about who messed up. They were trying to pin down timing, replaying the sequence with their hands, adjusting angles mid-sentence.
Lucas slowed just enough to catch part of it.
"…you shifted too early."
"No, I shifted when you committed."
"That's the problem. I didn't commit yet."
Lucas moved on.
That conversation wouldn't have existed a few days ago. Back then, it would've been about blame. Now it was about sequence.
