CHAPTER FORTY - THE FIRST KISS

    "Okay, spill," Helia said, breaking the comfortable silence. "What's going on in that head of yours?" Nia sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I just can't shake the feeling that we're in over our heads, Hel. This document... it's big. It proves that Darry and who knows who else were planning these cuts long before they told us anything." Helia nodded, her expression serious. "It's definitely a smoking gun. But the question is, what do we do with it?" They paused at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. A group of friends stumbled past, laughing loudly about some shared joke. The normalcy of the scene felt surreal after their eventful subway ride. "That's just it," Nia said as they crossed the street. "If we expose this, it could blow up in our faces. We'd have to explain how we got the document, which could lead back to the USB drive. And then there's Leon..." Helia raised an eyebrow. "What about Leon?" Nia hesitated, trying to put her swirling thoughts into w