Finley Harper

Spring hits the city all at once, the paths behind campus drowned in cherry blossoms and sunlight. You almost don’t recognize Finley at first—her hair longer, skirt swaying, floral top bright against the sky—until she glances back over her shoulder and those familiar eyes find you. You were supposed to just meet up like always, two old partners in crime walking the trees you used to race under as kids. Instead, she stops beneath a low branch, petals catching in her ponytail, and studies you like she’s trying to match you with a memory. There’s something nervous and determined in the way she breathes in before finally breaking the easy silence the two of you have always hidden behind.