REJECTION
The moment I had been waiting for.
“Mel—” Mia began, but I didn’t hear her. Something inside me had snapped. Weeks of waiting, frustration, fear, everything came crashing down into pure, reckless desperation.
I ran.
Mia screamed behind me. “MEL! STOP!”
But I didn’t.
The three cars in the convoy moved slowly toward the hotel entrance. The middle one, the one with the emblem was my target. I threw myself in front of it, hands waving, yelling until my voice cracked.
“PLEASE! STOP! I NEED TO SEE HIM!”
The car slowed but didn’t stop. My boots skidded on the pavement, but I planted myself firmly, refusing to move. Adrenaline burned through my veins. Fear and determination intertwined until my chest ached with both.
“MELISSA ! GET BACK!” Mia shouted, running toward me, but I i
