Chapter 13
Ema's
I sat at my desk in the very back row of the classroom. My notebook was open in front of me, and I held a pen in my hand, but the pages remained completely empty. I didn't write a single word.
The classroom was filled with the usual noise and energy of a Monday morning. It buzzed with the sound of students who were happy to see each other again. I heard loud laughter from the front of the room. I heard the sharp, screeching sound of wooden chairs scraping across the linoleum floor. Someone a few rows over was talking much too loudly about a party they went to over the weekend. Normally, I would have been a part of that world. I would have been leaning toward Lia, whispering about our own plans or pretending to care about the latest school gossip. I would have been watching the clock, waiting for lunch, just like everyone else.
But those days felt like they belonged to another person in another life.
