”Oh my god, Stacy, I feel really cold now,” Sam said with a shiver as she climbed out of the pool, her soaked bikini clinging to her curves. The moonlight danced on the rippling water, and the air had begun to carry that crisp, late-night chill.

We'd been splashing around for over an hour—laughing, racing laps, and pretending we were Olympic swimmers in a pool that barely passed for standard size. It was our well-earned break after a week of brutal exams.

Sam and I had clicked from the moment we met—two nervous freshmen fumbling our way through the chaos of college. We’d clung to each other like lifelines through...