Kendra’s POV
I sank into Daniel’s bed with a heavy sigh, the mattress giving way beneath me like it knew how tired I was. Not the kind of tiredness that came from doing too much, but the kind that lived in your bones when you hadn’t done enough of the right things.
He looked up from his desk chair, where his laptop screen still glowed faintly. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
I ran my fingers through my hair and dropped my hand to my lap. “I’m fine. Just… overwhelmed.”
He nodded slowly, like he expected that answer. Maybe he did. Maybe everyone here did.
I looked around his room; quiet, dim, a little more lived-in than mine. A bookshelf lined the far wall, overflowing with texts I couldn’t name. His world was quiet and insulated, like a library no one else visited.
“So what do you guys
