y had cornered Chelsea in the hallway outside t

af of papers int

ercoming Adversity.' I need it to so

the hardest thing you've ever had to do was choose between

actually really stressful, Chels

ulation was so clumsy, so obvious.

e prompt. She could write a Pulitzer-worthy essay in her sleep. And maybe s

blew her a kiss and strutt

ned toward the auditor

ax hung in the air. A few students from the stage crew were up

lfway down the center aisl

he quintessential nerd-thick glasses, suspenders, the whole package. Chelsea remembered him. He became a tech billionai

Scccr

etal. It was a sound she knew intimately from years

tlight was swinging loose. A safety cable wasn't

meone yelled fr

ts. He stumbled back, tripping over his own feet

The light fixture detached completely. It plummeted, a f

ught in every

didn't

he had learned to access during her stunt training. She calcula

d herself f

own the aisle. She vaulted over the orchestra pit railin

es wide behind his glasses, w

sea

rapping her arms around his waist. Momentum carried them both s

AS

Rory's head had been a second ago. Glass shattered, spray

owed up i

Absolut

breathing hard. Her heart wa

okay?"

were askew. He looked like he was

ink so," h

s off her blazer. She checked him quickly-pupil

ow, scrambling down ladders. The doors to t

ealized h

a movie set, not in a high school auditorium. Th

d to her chest and forced her breathing to becom

ory up. "I just... I saw it fallin

hed light, then at Chelsea. There was a calculat

he whispered. "The distan

efit of the approaching teacher. "My mom says

smile. "I'm just gl

furious red. "Thanks, Chels

d. "Literally. Please don't

ve before the int

lt a prickle on the back of her ne

e balcony level, where t

there. Tall.

ut she saw the glint of eye

cold. She hurried out of the