Edge

Riley hated new schools.

Not because she didn't know how to blend in, she did. She would rather disappear better than most. She kept her head down, stuck to empty hallways, and never made eye contact too long.

But blending in was exhausting, when all you wanted to do was breathe.

She adjusted her hoodie as she walked, headphones on but nothing playing. Just enough to make people not talk to her. Just enough to keep herself shield up.

This school was louder than the last one. More students, More hallways, More questions, but no one had asked her yet, but she could feel them simmering. Her file probably had some generic story, a transfer, new guardian, blah blah blah. No one ever asked the real questions as if they don't care why she's here and she liked that. And that was the whole point. She slipped into the bathroom and locked herself in the farthest stall. Leaned her head back against the metal door and let herself breathe deep. Just once.

There was a tension building in her chest. She'd felt it before. Like pressure under her skin, slowly but insistent. Like her instinct are charged. It happened sometimes, usually before something changed, Or broke.and she never liked such. She opened her eyes and stared at the faint writing on the wall. J+K 4ever. Don't trust Ms. Leonard. A fading sharp sketch of something with wings.

Her fingers twitched, She closed her eyes again. No one here knew who she was, well Not yet. And that was how it needed to stay. The last time someone figured it out…...well, she left that place behind. Along with the memories. She waited until the bell rang before stepping back out. The halls were emptier now. She liked that. Except someone was still there. She caught him from the corner of her eye. Tall, dark hoodie, standing still in the middle of the corridor like he forgot where he was going. His gaze flicked toward her. Just once.

It wasn't curiosity. Or even judgment. It felt like recognition. Except they'd never met. Riley didn't flinch oor bother. She didn't even pause. Just walked past him like he was part of the background. Like nothing in the world felt off. Even though it absolutely did. The static was there again. That strange tension humming underneath her skin. And for the first time in a long while, Riley wondered.....really wondered...if she wasn't the only one trying to hide something.