Annabel's POV
Two days had never felt so long in my life. They dragged on like weeks, each hour stretching until it hurt. I tried to read, to write, even just to zone out in class notes, but the words never sank in. They floated across the page and blurred, my brain refusing to hold onto anything except the same loop: the board, the charges, the scholarship hanging by a thread.
I didn’t sleep much. Nights were the worst, quiet, no distractions, just me and the thought of what it would mean if I lost everything I had worked for. I’d roll over, stare at the ceiling, and try to breathe slow like I’d practiced, but the ache in my chest never went away.
Justin checked in every day, he spent hours with me and refused to leave until I convinced him that I was fine enough to be on my own. He ev
