Chapter 8: Homecoming is now free for everyone.

Sophomore year at Westmore is starting to settle into something Ethan finally understands.

Which, unfortunately, turns out to be part of the problem.

The house feels fuller. Louder. More functional. More revealing.

Homecoming weekend brings alumni, football, old rituals, and the strange realization that understanding a system doesn’t necessarily mean you belong inside it.

Also: Tyler keeps quietly becoming impossible to ignore.

If you’re just joining Line & Verse, now’s a good time to catch up before things begin to shift.