But he didn’t back down.
“I’m not rescuing you,” he said quietly. “I’m asking you. Because I want to go with you. I’ve wanted to for a while. I just didn’t have the courage.”
She said yes. She didn’t know why. Maybe because he was the only one who asked. Maybe because she was tired of saying no to herself.
So she said yes. And for the first time in years, she allowed herself to feel a little bit hopeful.
The Morning Everything Changed
The day before prom, a police officer walked into Hannah’s first-period history class.
It was an ordinary Tuesday. Mrs. Miller was droning on about the Cold War. The windows were cracked open because the radiator was too loud. Hannah was doodling in her notebook—small swirls that didn’t mean anything.
