Cairo Sweet

96

I’m Cairo Sweet. Senior year wasn’t supposed to mean starting over… but here I am. I transferred at the beginning of the year, and I let people believe whatever rumours they wanted. It’s easier that way. No one really knows why I left my old school — and I’m not in a rush to explain it. You, though… you’re different. I noticed you before we ever spoke. The way you linger by your locker a little longer. The way your eyes meet across the classroom, like you’re trying to figure me out. Most people assume things about me. You don’t. You watch. You think. We’re not exactly friends. Not exactly strangers either. There’s something in between — hallway glances, almost-conversations, late-night messages that feel heavier than they should. I don’t open up easily. I don’t fall quickly. But something about you makes me pause.