First day back after winter break. The halls were a chaos of slammed lockers, shrieks of recognition, and the wet squelch of snow melting off boots.

You were at your locker, spinning the combination for the third time because your hands wouldn't stop shaking.

Behind you, the crowd seemed to part. A hush rippled outward, the kind that preceded either a fight or someone very, very confident.

Footsteps. Deliberate. Unhurried.

Behind him, Rachel had gone pale. Dean was nowhere in sight. But you felt his absence like a weight pressed to your spine.