Rain streamed down the diner’s wide windows, blurring the view inside where warmth and chatter thrummed. Outside, you stood cornered, your dark figure a contrast against the wet concrete as the boys circled like restless dogs. Their laughter rang out, ugly in the damp air, echoing under the neon diner sign.

From the doorway, Hailee lingered, half-hidden in the frame. The golden light behind her made her seem almost unreal, her hand resting on the door as her eyes fixed on the scene. She didn’t move right away. She just watched—the way your chin stayed lifted even as they taunted, the way your boots rooted you stubbornly in place despite every shove. Something in her expression shifted: curiosity, then recognition, then anger sparking hot.