gala was buzzing. Ch

he bar, nurs

nutes later, a glass o

ing, you loo

dazzling, mean

caused a few raised eyebrow

est background and the i

now. Her nearness, however, still

ni association steppe

down! It's time for a litt

icipation went

all contributed to senior year! We'l

d groans an

that. A box of old letter

ant reveal, though I

cked a lett

nonymous, but

rted r

e who argues with such passion on the debate stage, th

cold. I kne

wor

and I see the way her eyes follow him. But I also see her kindness, the way she helps a struggling freshman with notes, the way she d

ce trai

om was

at Ava. I could f

"Wow. Quite the confession.

le chuckle

profound, belated realization dawned on her face. T

ed on the small

ced at i

shock from the letter was in

ed, already turning awa

here, the echo of my younger self' s

n, classic Ava. Her prioritization

saw her fierce loya

ome unsavory characters a lot

him outside

rom across

ved like

cream, she d

to the biggest guy, her

with me. And trust me, you

he kicked him, hard, i

ook them apart. Not with weapons, bu

stunned. This was a side of Ava I' d

deepened. She cou

lp a shaken Juli

m, checking his face,

ed home, a bitter

nt. That' s what I was

misguided, loyalty

me a smug text – "She still belongs to

from Columbia, ran a successful firm in San Fr

id. "Is that of

urse. When ca

"I just booked a

ing of antiseptic and Jul

weak explanation about Julian' s "misunders

tired to argue, too

mpt at justification falling fla

d left on the coffee table, open

San Francisco? Are y

hadowing my impe

rceptible cliffhange