Chapter 40 I Quit

• Aurora’s P.O.V
• I swallowed hard, forcing a breath through my nose as I raised my head to meet the principal’s expectant gaze. He was smiling, as if he truly believed he was changing my life for the better, as if this was some great act of kindness that I should be grateful for. And maybe, in another reality, I would have been.
• But not this one. Not when I knew that accepting this meant becoming a charity case, a burden, a responsibility that someone else had decided to take on without my consent. My jaw tightened as I forced a small, polite smile, one that didn’t reach my eyes.