I stared down at my answer sheet, pen still in my hand even though I'd already finished.
"Time's up."
The lecturer's voice cut through the room.
There were a few groans.
I dropped my pen, and let out a breath I'd been holding since Monday.
My head throbbed with the tension of five days of back-to-back papers and five nights of sleeping in a stiff plastic chair by Mom's hospital bed.
I was basically running on caffeine.
Papers shuffled as he started collecting them row by row.
For a second, everything was quiet.
Then someone shouted—
"Oh my God, we're done!"
And just like that, the whole class exploded.
People were yelling, laughing, some already halfway out of their seats.
"We're free!"
"I'm sleeping for a week!"
"I'm burning my notes, I swear!"
I let out a small breath, watching them.
It felt… lighter.
"Ash!"
Before I could even react, June slammed into me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug.
