The morning had actually started out completely normal.
I sat in AP History during first period wishing I had gone to bed earlier.
My best friend since middle school, Sam, wasn't looking at me much that day.
We had gotten into a weird argument the night before over a group project.
She sat two rows ahead of me and kept whispering with Chloe instead of turning around to talk to me.
I told myself I was just being paranoid and overthinking things like I always do.
By the time the lunch bell rang, my stomach felt a little hollow.
I rushed to the cafeteria and bought a turkey sandwich and a milk carton.
Halfway through eating, my phone buzzed with a text from my mom asking if I remembered my dentist appointment.
I patted my pockets and realized I had left my bright yellow retainer case sitting right on the lunch tray.
I stood up in a hurry to go back and grab it.
I walked all the way back to the empty table, but the tray had already been cleared away by the janitor.
My heart did a tiny flip in my chest.
I figured someone must have turned it into the lost and found in the main office.
I started walking down the third-floor corridor toward the office lockers.
That was when I saw Chloe standing by my locker with her friends.
She was holding the exact yellow plastic case in her right hand.
The overhead fluorescent lights flickered slightly, casting a harsh white glare on the linoleum floor.
The sound of clanging locker doors echoed loudly down the concrete walls.
Everyone around us seemed to be moving in slow motion.
Chloe spun the little plastic box around between her fingers like it was nothing.
Her expression was completely blank, almost bored.
"Looking for this?" she asked, before I even reached her locker.
I stopped walking about three feet away from her.
I could feel my pulse throbbing in my throat.
"Yeah, I left it in the cafeteria," I said, trying to force a weak smile.
"The lunch ladies were about to throw it out," Chloe said smoothly.
Harper let out a short, high-pitched laugh behind her.
I reached out my hand, expecting her to just drop it into my palm.
"Thanks for saving it," I muttered, looking down at her white sneakers.
Chloe slowly lifted her arm higher, keeping the case just out of reach.
"You're welcome, Maya," she whispered.
Then she popped the small plastic latch open with her thumbnail.
The green silicone retainer inside was clearly visible for a second.
