TESSA.
The halls buzzed with voices and lockers slamming. I shifted my bag higher on my shoulder, yawning into my sleeve. Mornings like this always dragged. I hated waking up early, hated dragging myself out of bed when all I wanted was another hour of sleep.
Coffee did not even fix it.
I was halfway down the hall when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I fished it out, expecting maybe a text from Nova or one of the guys. But the screen lit up with a name I hadn’t seen in weeks.
Mom.
I slowed, chewing on the inside of my cheek. My thumb hovered. We hadn’t spoken since I left home, not after the fight. Not after she told me bikes weren’t for girls, that riding was reckless, that I’d end up just like my dad. That was the last thing I heard before I slammed the door behind me. Neither of us e
