That was just fate.
Or obsession.
Maybe both.
But either way, I was going.
I needed to see her again.
Just a glimpse.
Or maybe... just enough to survive until the next time.
———
The second floor hallway smelled like disinfectant and burnt coffee.
I walked slow. Deliberate. I knew exactly where I was going—and exactly how long it would take for her to step out of her office after checking on the injured student.
I’d timed it in my head.
Five minutes, tops.
So I waited near the nurses’ station, pretending to read the injury report, keeping one ear tuned for her voice.
And then I heard it.
Soft, low, a little tired. But still somehow bright. Like someone had wrapped a sunrise in a white coat and called it Kathleen.
I turned the corner just as she stepped out of her office, clip
