Justin's POV:
I left Army standing there, and I didn't look back.
Didn't need to.
Her words had already wormed their way in.
I made it out of the building and into the school courtyard before I realized my hands were shaking. My fists were clenched so tight I could feel the blood pulsing between my knuckles.
I couldn't focus. Not on the students buzzing around me. Not on the noise. Not on the damn sun that felt too bright against my skin. I couldn't think straight. Everything around me felt too much, like the world had turned up the volume and brightness all at once just to push me over the edge.
I needed out.
I needed silence.
I needed—
"Hey Justin!" someone called behind me, a classmate—maybe one of those guys who thought we were cool now because June hung off my arm.
I didn't respond. I just kept walking, straight out the gates. No bus. No car. Just my feet pounding the pavement like maybe if I kept walking fast enough, I could leave the noise behind.
But it followed.
