Chapter 6:A Line too thin

Celeste Ramos was a master at keeping her distance.

It was a skill she had perfected over the years—never letting people too close, never giving anyone a reason to think they mattered. Because once you let people in, once you made the mistake of caring, that's when they had the power to hurt you.

And yet…

Here she was. Sitting next to Ryan Cruz. Letting him inch his way into her carefully built walls like it was the easiest thing in the world.

She should have been annoyed. Should have told him to back off.

But she didn't.

Not when he leaned over in class and whispered sarcastic comments under his breath. Not when he found excuses to be near her, whether it was in the cafeteria, in the hallways, or after school. Not even when he sent her a smug grin, like he knew exactly what he was doing to her.

Ryan Cruz was dangerous.

Not in the way everyone else saw him—the reckless, untouchable bad boy of Section 12. No, he was dangerous because he made Celeste feel things she had no business feeling.

And that was a problem.

A very, very big problem.

The problem only got worse when their teacher made an announcement.

"A reminder to everyone," Ms. Santos said, adjusting her glasses, "the school festival is coming up in three weeks."

Excited murmurs filled the room. Celeste, however, remained silent. She didn't care about the festival. She had planned to avoid it altogether.

That plan shattered the moment Ms. Santos spoke again.

"This year, Section 12 will be handling one of the booths. I expect full participation."

Groans filled the room.

"Sir, what kind of booth?" someone asked.

"A café," the teacher replied. "It's a good way to show that Section 12 isn't just about troublemakers."

That got a few laughs.

Celeste barely heard the rest of the conversation—because she already knew what was coming.

Sure enough, a few moments later:

"I'll be pairing you up to help with the preparations."

Celeste's stomach sank.

She knew before Ms. Santos even said it. She knew, the moment she glanced at Ryan, and saw the amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Ramos, Cruz. You'll be in charge of the design and setup."

The moment class ended, Celeste grabbed her bag and made her way out.

She had barely made it five steps when Ryan's voice called out behind her.

"Running away already?"

Celeste turned, narrowing her eyes. "I'm not running away."

Ryan smirked. "Really? Because that looked an awful lot like an escape attempt."

She huffed. "Don't you have better things to do?"

"Not really," he said easily. "So, when do we start planning?"

Celeste crossed her arms. "You actually care about this festival?"

Ryan shrugged. "Not really. But if I have to be stuck with a partner, I'd rather not let them do all the work."

That surprised her. She had expected him to be the type to slack off, to let her handle everything alone.

Maybe she had underestimated him.

Not that she'd admit it.

"Fine," she muttered. "Tomorrow. The library."

Ryan grinned. "Looking forward to it, Ramos."

She rolled her eyes and turned away, pretending that his voice didn't send a shiver down her spine.

This festival was going to be a nightmare.

The Next Day

Celeste regretted agreeing to meet Ryan in the library.

Because it turned out, Ryan Cruz had zero interest in actually working.

"Okay," she sighed, flipping through a notebook. "We need a theme. Something simple but effective."

Ryan leaned back in his chair, arms behind his head. "How about 'Coffee and Chaos'?"

Celeste shot him a deadpan look. "That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard."

Ryan grinned. "Then you come up with something better."

She exhaled sharply. "Something classic. Elegant. Maybe 'Moonlight Café'?"

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Sounds fancy."

"That's the point."

Ryan tapped his fingers on the table. "Fine. Moonlight Café it is."

Celeste was about to write it down when she felt something hit her shoulder.

She looked down.

A crumpled piece of paper.

Frowning, she picked it up and unfolded it.

Are you and Cruz dating?

Celeste stiffened.

Slowly, she turned her head—only to see a group of students from another section staring at her and Ryan, giggling.

Her grip on the paper tightened.

Ryan, meanwhile, seemed completely unfazed.

He glanced at the note, smirked, and leaned closer. "Well, Ramos? Should we tell them the truth?"

Celeste shot him a glare. "Shut up."

Ryan chuckled, clearly enjoying this. "You're blushing."

"I am not."

"You totally are."

Celeste scowled and crumpled the note back into a ball, tossing it toward the trash can. "People are stupid."

Ryan watched her with amusement. "You're cute when you're flustered."

Celeste felt her face heat up again.

She stood abruptly, grabbing her bag. "I'm done here."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "We're not even finished planning."

"You can handle the rest."

Before he could respond, she turned on her heel and walked out of the library, ignoring the way her heart pounded in her chest.

Ryan Cruz was trouble.

And if she wasn't careful, she was going to get burned.

To Be Continued…