NATHAN
The door clicks shut, and the conference room goes dead quiet.
Sophie, River, and Avery left five seconds ago, Chloe right behind them. I sit with my palms flat against the fake wood, every easy excuse I've leaned on since freshman year—that it was just teasing, that everyone roasts each other, that it didn't mean anything—sounding completely hollow now.
"Nathan."
Ms. Albright taps her pen against the edge of a manila folder.
"The restorative contract has been signed," she says. "Copies go into your permanent file, to Coach Reyes, and to your parents this afternoon. Your formal disciplinary probation stays active for the remainder of the semester. You have mandatory weekly check-ins with guidance every Tuesday morning, your remaining community service hours at Riverside, and ze
