Every day after school, I did my homework and then went to the studio, throwing myself into routines until my muscles burned, until sweat dripped down my back, until the ache in my chest became easier to ignore, and I was too exhausted to think about the way he used to just be with me.

And just like that, time moved.

Before I even realized how much time had passed, it was the end of the year—the last day of class before winter break. The class was buzzing with excitement, everyone eager to escape for two weeks of freedom.

And that’s when it happened.

At first, I didn’t even realize what was going on. It started with a dull ache in my lower stomach during third period. Annoying, but manageable. I ignored it, focused on the teacher’s voice, and told myself it was nothing.

By lunch, it wasn’t nothing anymore.

The ache had turned into a deep, twisting, clawing pain that made it hard to sit still. I could barely focus on the food in front of me, my thoughts consumed by the pain that rolled through me in waves, tightening and pulling, like someone had reached inside me and was wringing my insides out.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, my arms crossed over my stomach as I fought the urge to curl into myself.

“Hey, you okay?” Tiffany’s voice cut through the fog of discomfort. She was sitting across from me, her eyes narrowing as she leaned forward. “What’s wrong, Bev?”

I tried to wave her off with a half-hearted smile, but the pain was too much. “Just a stomachache,” I muttered, though even to me it didn’t sound convincing.

Tiffany raised a thin, freshly plucked eyebrow, clearly not buying it. “Are you sure? You look like you’re about to pass out.”

I was so distracted by the pain, I almost missed it. The way Blake’s eyes flicked toward me from across the cafeteria. The way his brows furrowed, his grip on his book tightening.

I would’ve been annoyed at the fact that he was suddenly paying attention after months of pretending I was invisible, but I was too focused on trying not to die.

Then the bell rang. I stood up.

That’s when I felt it.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

“Uh, Beverly—” Tiffany started, staring at me with wide eyes, her expression a mix of shock and something else I couldn’t place. “You…”

Confused, I shifted my weight, but then I paused, my stomach flipping as a strange, sticky sensation settled between my legs. Something was⁠—

Blake appeared so fast beside me I barely had time to react. I didn’t even see him move. One second, I was standing, dazed, and the next, his hand was wrapping tight around my wrist.

“Bathroom, B. Now.”

I blinked up at him, still confused. “Huh?”