Chapter 23:A New Threat

The next few days were a blur of emotions. Celeste felt a shift—one she had been hoping for, yet also dreading. Ryan had finally stood up to Natalie, making it clear that he wasn't going to let her control him anymore. But that didn't mean Natalie would back down so easily. If anything, Celeste knew that this was just the beginning of something much bigger.

The rehearsals for The Little Mermaid were getting more intense. The performance was approaching fast, and the school was buzzing with excitement. Everyone in the drama club was focused—except for the three people caught in the middle of a brewing storm: Celeste, Ryan, and Natalie.

Ryan was still being careful, keeping his distance from Natalie, but Natalie wasn't giving up. She lingered near him every chance she got, throwing Celeste smug looks whenever she could. Celeste did her best to ignore it, but it was exhausting. It was like Natalie was trying to prove a point—trying to show Celeste that no matter what, she wasn't going anywhere.

And then there was him—Natalie's cousin, the one she had dragged into this mess.

His name was Damian.

A New Threat

The first time Celeste saw Damian, she knew he was trouble. He had the same confident, calculating look in his eyes that Natalie had. His hair was dark, neatly styled, and his smirk was full of arrogance. It didn't take long to realize that he was there because of Natalie—because she had called him in to help with her ridiculous game.

Celeste didn't know much about him yet, but she knew one thing for certain: Natalie had sent him after her.

And that meant she had to be careful.

The first time Damian spoke to her, she was at her locker, minding her own business.

"You must be Celeste."

She turned around and met his gaze, instantly feeling the weight of his stare.

"I am. And you are?" she asked, keeping her voice calm.

"Damian," he said smoothly, leaning against the lockers. "Natalie's cousin."

Celeste crossed her arms. "Yeah, I figured."

He chuckled, tilting his head as he studied her. "You don't seem too happy about that."

"I'm not," Celeste replied bluntly. "I don't trust her, so I don't trust you either."

Damian smirked. "Fair enough. But who said I care about trust?"

Celeste narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?"

He shrugged. "Just to talk. I've heard a lot about you."

Celeste scoffed. "Let me guess. Natalie's been filling your head with lies?"

Damian chuckled. "Oh, absolutely. But I don't just listen to what I hear. I like to see things for myself."

Celeste frowned. "And what exactly do you see?"

He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping lower. "I see why she's jealous of you."

Celeste blinked. That wasn't the answer she had been expecting.

Damian straightened up, smirking again. "But don't get too comfortable. I'm not here to take sides. I'm just here to play."

Celeste felt a shiver run down her spine.

She had a very bad feeling about this.

The Rehearsal Disaster

The day of the big rehearsal finally arrived. This was the first time they were doing a full run-through of the play, costumes and all. Everyone was excited, except for Celeste, who couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong.

Natalie was still hovering near Ryan, pretending to be innocent, while Damian had started appearing everywhere Celeste went. She knew he was up to something, but she didn't know what.

As she stepped onto the stage for one of the most important scenes—where Ariel and Prince Eric finally share a moment of realization—she took a deep breath, trying to focus. Ryan was already there, waiting for her.

"You okay?" he whispered before the scene started.

Celeste nodded, though she wasn't sure if it was true.

The scene began, and for a moment, everything was fine. Celeste and Ryan fell into their characters easily, the chemistry between them making the scene feel real.

And then—it happened.

Someone had messed with the props.

When Celeste leaned forward, as the scene required, her foot slipped. Before she could react, she lost her balance—falling straight into Ryan's arms.

The moment felt frozen in time. She was pressed against him, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

And then came the sound of clapping. But not the good kind.

The mocking kind.

Natalie.

"Oh, wow," Natalie said loudly, standing up from her seat. "Did you two rehearse that little fall? Because it was adorable."

The entire cast turned to look at them, and Celeste felt her face burn.

Ryan helped her steady herself before glaring at Natalie. "Can you not?"

Natalie shrugged. "What? I'm just saying. It looked so real. Almost like Celeste did it on purpose."

Celeste clenched her fists. "You're unbelievable."

"And you're clumsy," Natalie shot back.

Before Celeste could say anything, Ryan spoke. "Enough, Natalie." His voice was sharp. Firm.

Natalie blinked. Clearly, she hadn't expected him to defend Celeste so quickly.

Ryan turned to Celeste. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, though her hands were still shaking.

Then, suddenly, another voice joined in.

"You should be more careful, Celeste," Damian said from the audience. "Wouldn't want to make Ryan fall for you, now would we?"

The room filled with low whispers and chuckles.

Celeste felt like screaming.

Natalie smirked. "That's a good one, Damian."

Ryan clenched his jaw, stepping closer to Celeste. "Ignore them," he murmured.

Celeste wanted to. She really did.

But she knew one thing for sure—Natalie and Damian weren't done yet.

And this was only the beginning of whatever twisted plan they had.

To Be Continued…