CHAPTER 5: The Pressure

With only two weeks left until the competition, Ella and Noah's tentative truce was put to the test.

The art room had become their unofficial headquarters, and it was littered with photos, sketches, and scraps of paper filled with Noah's song lyrics. Ella worked tirelessly to arrange the photos into a cohesive story, while Noah experimented with melodies on his guitar.

"Can you stop pacing?" Ella snapped one afternoon as Noah walked back and forth, strumming his guitar.

"I'm thinking," he said. "It helps me focus."

"Well, it's distracting me," Ella replied, holding up two nearly identical photos. "Which one works better for the opening scene? This one with the sunlight or this one with the darker tones?"

Noah glanced at them. "The one with the sunlight. It's hopeful."

Ella blinked. "That's... surprisingly insightful."

"I have my moments," Noah said with a wink. "Now, what do you think of this?"

He played a short melody, the notes soft and melancholic but tinged with a subtle warmth. Ella listened, her head tilting as she absorbed the music.

"It's beautiful," she admitted. "It's perfect for the ending."

Noah's grin returned. "Perfect? Coming from you? I'll take that as the highest compliment."

Their project took a chaotic turn when they decided to photograph the school assembly. It was the perfect opportunity to capture candid moments of students being themselves.

Ella positioned herself near the back, her camera poised. Noah, however, had other ideas.

"Trust me," he whispered, leaning toward her. "I'm about to get the best reaction shot."

"What are you—" Ella started, but Noah was already on the move.

He climbed onto the stage during the principal's speech, holding a sign that read: "Life's too short to stay serious."

The entire auditorium erupted into laughter, and Ella instinctively snapped a picture of the principal's shocked expression.

"Noah!" she hissed as he ran back to her, his grin stretching ear to ear.

"Relax," he said, sliding into the seat next to her. "That was comedy gold. Admit it."

Ella couldn't deny that the photo was perfect—raw, hilarious, and exactly what their project needed.