Oh, by the way. Trent and I made it official.

After school, those words hit like a punch to the gut, delivered without warning or context. The hallway stretched empty around them, just Guest and Audrey in the fading afternoon light, and she spoke so casually it might as well have been about the weather.

Audrey stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall, her gaze fixed on something beyond the window. She didn't even glance at Guest, her voice completely flat and detached.

I haven't told anyone else yet, but I thought... you should probably know first.

Her words trailed off with a hollow laugh that held no warmth. It didn't sound like consideration for Guest's feelings—more like going through the motions, a perfunctory gesture to avoid making things even more awkward than they already were.

But now... we can't go back to how things used to be.