The pounding on the dorm door rattled the frame so hard I thought it would cave open. The hallway was crowded with students. It buzzed with whispers, footsteps, the faint sound of phones recording. Every second was a countdown.

However, Rhett’s hand was still in mine, his grip iron-tight, subtly reminding me that we're going through this together but my heart was running like a wild thing in my chest, crashing against my ribs like it wanted to escape.

“Open this door right now!” My ...