The Punchline

{Harper’s POV}

The laughter didn’t stop.

It didn’t fade into the background. It didn’t soften out of politeness. It stayed, loud and layered, echoing through the auditorium like it had found a place to live there.

And it wasn’t just laughter.

There were other sounds mixed into it now. Camera clicks. Notification pings. The sharp, almost rhythmic tapping of people posting, sending, sharing.

“Edit i