Riley's POV
Two weeks away from school felt like both an eternity and a blink of an eye. The days in the hospital blurred together, followed by endless hours of sleep once Caleb assigned Jace and Silas as my bodyguards. My doctor cleared me for return, though he warned me to protect my head since the skull fracture hadn't fully mended. The cast still encased my arm like armor, my ribs had stopped screaming with every breath, and the bruises had faded to that sickly green-yellow shade that meant healing was happening.
Part of me wanted to finish everything from home, but I knew Mom would insist on staying with me, and financially she couldn't afford that luxury. Tomorrow meant returning to the battlefield that was high school.
Maybe my unwanted protection detail would finally realize I was capable of taking care of myself and disappear from my life.
