Luppy's heart raced as she used the key Maria had given her freshman year to unlock the dorm room door. The victory high from the cheerleading competition still coursed through her veins, but it was nothing compared to the adrenaline of what she was about to do.

The dorm room smelled like Maria's vanilla lotion and the faint scent of coffee. Books were scattered across the desk, and sunlight streamed through the window, casting warm patterns on the carpet. There was no sound except for the soft hum of the radiator and her own pounding heartbeat.

She found Maria at her desk, hunched over what looked like a completed project. The way her hair fell forward, the concentration on her face, the slight furrow between her brows—Luppy had memorized every detail of that face over their years of friendship.

Now or never, she thought to herself, swallowing hard as she stepped further into the room. The confession she'd been practicing all afternoon suddenly vanished from her mind.

"Maria," she managed to say, her voice sounding foreign even to her own ears. "Are you busy right now?"

When Maria looked up, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her best friend, Luppy felt her stomach flip. This was the girl she'd protected since childhood. The girl who knew all her secrets. The girl she was in love with.