Beth is restless, pacing the length of the dorm corridor just before lights out. Her mind is full of scraps—a flash of Sasha and a senior instructor, the way Riley’s name now sizzles like gossip in the air, Theo’s worried glances. She nearly collides with Theo at the water fountain, her words tumbling out in a half-whisper. “Something’s off. Sasha’s… I heard her with Wilkins.” She searches his face for understanding, the secret too big to hold in her chest alone.

Theo’s jaw tightens, his usually kind eyes shadowed by concern. “Careful with that rumor, Beth,” he says, but his hand rests on her shoulder in a silent promise: if she needs him, truly needs him, he’ll listen. Behind his calm, though, worry for Riley simmers—a worry Elias has stoked, even as their friendship has grown fraught under the strain of academy secrets.

Down the hall, Sasha sits on her bare mattress, legs folded, hands trembling over her phone. The screen is empty. No new messages, no apology, just the fading “read” receipt from Lt. Wilkins hours ago. She scrolls back through earlier messages—lines she could recite by heart—deleting one, then another, as if erasing the words might dull the ache. Anger rises, bright and cold. She remembers the taste of Wilkins’s mouth, his promises, the way she had clutched at him in secret, always wanting more, hating herself for it. The memory burns with humiliation now that he’s gone silent, retreating as the rumors swirl.

In the dim light, Sasha swings her knees to the floor and yanks open the bottom drawer—pulls out a box of letters, torn edges and ink-smudged lines. She strews them across the floor, reading one aloud, voice shaking: “This never leaves this room.” Her laugh is sharp; none of it had ever truly left her heart. She almost wants the world to know, wants everyone to burn for what they’ve hidden. A single candle flame dances as she holds a letter over it, the edges curling black, ashes smearing her fingertips.

In the next room, Riley sits with her knees drawn up, fighting tears. The summons she’s received for “personal conduct evaluation” lies heavy on her desk—she’s been exposed, photos swirling on campus forums, whispers everywhere. Guilt gnaws at her: not just for being found out, but because she knows her secrets are tied to people she loves, and to the one she can’t stay away from. Her phone vibrates—Elias. “Meet me,” the message reads, simple and loaded.

She hurries down the stairs, heart wild, not sure if she’s seeking comfort or risking everything. At the bottom, Elias waits, his posture rigid, face shadowed by worry and exhaustion. He draws her into the empty janitor’s closet, the door closing behind them, their bodies pressed together in the narrow space. For a moment, they just breathe, foreheads touching, their hands seeking one another in the darkness.

Elias’s voice is low, almost pleading: “We’re not safe.” His fingers dig into her hips, drawing her closer. “I can’t lose you. But I don’t know how we survive this.” His restraint snaps like a thread. Their mouths meet, desperate, hungry, his hands fisted in her hair as if letting go means giving her up forever.

She kisses back like she’s drowning, her tears mixing with his breaths. “I’m so scared, Elias. I don’t want to hide anymore.” His lips trail to her neck, and she clings to him as if the world is falling away. Their bodies move in frantic urgency—jeans tugged down, fingers slipping beneath thin cotton, heat and need erasing every careful rule. She gasps as his hand slides along her thighs, his other thumb brushing aside the tears on her cheek, as if promising her a future that never seemed possible before him.

He enters her slowly, holding her gaze. For a moment, they forget the world; nothing exists but their trembling bodies and the sameness of their heartbeats, fast and reckless. “I love you,” he breathes. It’s the first time he says it, and she shatters under the weight, hands flying to his back, nails raking skin, sobbing into his mouth as they move together—fast, aching, raw.

When it’s over, they stay entangled in the dark, her cheek on his chest. The silence between them is thick. She can’t tell if it’s hope or dread pressing in on her ribs.

Above them, Sasha stands by the cracked window, watching the night, the ashes of the burned letter tumbling to the courtyard below. She’s empty—emptier than she’s ever been—but as she stares into the dark, the anger builds again, settling into something colder, sharper. If she goes down, she won’t go alone.

The next day dawns with the campus on edge. Sasha appears at breakfast, her eyes rimmed in red, her voice clear. Riley watches her, an uneasy truce flickering in the air, knowing everything could shatter at Sasha’s whim.

Theo finds Elias between drills. “You can’t save her if you’re drowning too,” he says quietly, a challenge and a kindness both.

As Riley sits waiting for her conduct review, knees bouncing, her phone vibrates once. An anonymous message flashes: “You’re not the only one with secrets. All of them come out in the end.”

She looks up, catching Sasha’s glare from across the room, and knows that the explosion is only just beginning.

To be continued...