“Hanna?” she said softly, her voice barely carrying over the quiet murmur of the library.
Hanna looked up, her eyes flickering with surprise before her expression turned guarded. “Ciara. What’s up?”
Ciara took a seat across from her, folding her hands in front of her and looking down for a moment. This wasn’t easy for her—apologies had never come naturally. But she owed Hanna this one.
“I wanted to apologize,” she began, her voice low. “For… everything. I know I was horrible to you. I made things difficult, and I hurt you.” She swallowed, looking up to meet Hanna’s wary gaze. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I wanted you to know that I’m trying to be different. For Jacob, and… for myself.”
Hanna studied her for a long moment, her face a mixture of surprise and suspicion. Finally, she sighed, nodding slowly. “I appreciate that, Ciara. Really. But let’s be clear—I can’t just pretend everything’s okay. It’s going to take time.”
Ciara’s shoulders relaxed slightly, her gaze softening. “I understand. I know I have to earn it.”
They sat in a quiet, tentative truce, the weight of the past still between them but softened by the possibility of something new. Ciara glanced at her, her voice dropping to a murmur.
“For what it’s worth, I didn’t have anything to do with that paint prank. I swear.”
Hanna nodded, considering her words. “If it wasn’t you, then we still need to figure out who did it. This whole thing feels… targeted.”
Ciara’s eyes darkened, and she nodded. “Then maybe we figure it out together.”
She added, “I was thinking… maybe we should try to hang out more. Get past, you know, all the drama.” Hanna raised an eyebrow, skeptical, but Ciara continued, undeterred.
“Look, Jacob and I have been trying to work things out, and I know you’re with Marco… so, what if we went on a double date?” She paused, gauging Hanna’s reaction. “It could be, like, a way to reset things. No pressure. Just… maybe we could all start fresh?”