The kind of heavy, rolling thunder that rattles the windows and makes the hallways hum with nervous energy. Rain lashes against the glass in sheets, turning the gray afternoon into something darker, closer to evening.

Lena keeps her head down as she slips through the auditorium doors, her sketchbook pressed tight against her chest. The smell of old wood and dust settles around her. It’s the only place in the school where no one bothers her. The only place where she can breathe.

She doesn’t notice him until the door thuds shut behind her.

Aiden Cole is sitting on the edge of the stage, elbows on his knees, head bowed like he’s trying to hold the world together with his bare hands. His varsity jacket lies crumpled beside him, the fabric dark at the shoulders from the rain.

He looks nothing like the boy who owns the hallways.

No smile. No swagger. No audience.

Just a boy who looks tired.

Lena freezes.

Aiden lifts his head.

For a long, stretched moment, neither of them speaks. His eyes meet hers — warm brown, catching what little light filters through the high windows. There’s no recognition in them, not really. Just surprise. Like she’s the last person he expected to find here.

Then the lights flicker.

Once.

The entire auditorium drops into darkness.