SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

Chapter 12: Some Things Never Change

(Ethan & Riley – Forced Proximity Chaos Begins)

The only thing worse than being paired with Riley Carter for the school fundraiser?

Being stuck with her in a room full of balloons, paint, and zero adult supervision.

Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair as he took in the disaster in front of him.

The gym storage room—where they had been assigned to prep decorations—was a mess. Stacks of folding chairs lined one wall, deflated balloons covered the floor, and someone had dumped an entire box of streamers in the corner like they had just given up on life.

He could relate.

"Okay," Riley said, shifting awkwardly. "This… isn't that bad."

Ethan arched a brow. "There's a dead balloon over there giving me the side-eye."

Riley snorted. "You know, if you just admitted you had a sense of humor, your life would be a lot easier."

Ethan ignored her and walked toward the box labeled Tablecloths & Miscellaneous. He had no interest in getting dragged into whatever this was—small talk, awkward glances, the lingering remains of a friendship that didn't exist anymore.

Riley huffed behind him. "Right. Forgot. Talking to me is illegal."

"It's not illegal," Ethan muttered, not looking at her. "It's just pointless."

Silence.

For a moment, he thought she might just leave it at that.

But Riley Carter had never been good at leaving things alone.

"Ethan."

He sighed. Braced himself. "What?"

"I get that you hate me."

His hands stilled.

Hate.

Was that what she thought this was?

"I don't—" He stopped himself, exhaling sharply. "I don't hate you, Riley."

She gave a short, humorless laugh."Could've fooled me."

He didn't respond.

Because what was he supposed to say? That he didn't hate her? That he had spent the last two years trying to?

That every time she laughed at one of Jason's stupid jokes, every time she walked past him in the hallway like he was nothing, every time he let himself remember what it used to be like—it felt like losing her all over again?

No.

He wasn't saying any of that.

So instead, he did what he did best.

He shut down.

Ethan turned back to the decorations, effectively ending the conversation.

And when Riley let out a slow, quiet sigh and started sorting through the box beside him, he ignored the way something in his chest ached.

---

Riley – Present

This was hell.

Actual hell.

She had spent an hour sitting in silence with Ethan, sorting through decorations, pretending she wasn't completely unraveling on the inside.

Because here's the thing— he didn't hate her.

And somehow, that was worse.

Because if he hated her, that would mean he still felt something.

But this? This blank indifference?

It was like she had been erased.

Like he had taken every memory, every late-night conversation, every stupid inside joke, every moment they had ever shared—and burned them all.

And she didn't know how to fix that.

So she didn't try.

She just worked beside him, in silence, like they were strangers.

Until the moment everything went to hell.

---

It started with a stupid balloon.

Riley was trying to reach a pack of them from the top shelf of a storage cabinet, stretching onto her tiptoes, when—

Disaster.

The entire box tipped forward.

Ethan barely had time to react before an avalanche of red, blue, and yellow balloons rained down on them, bouncing off their heads, rolling across the floor.

Riley yelped, losing her balance.

And because the universe was a cruel, cruel thing…

She fell directly into Ethan.

The impact sent them crashing to the ground, knocking the remaining balloons off the shelves, leaving them buried under a ridiculous pile of latex and regret.

For three whole seconds, neither of them moved.

Then—

Riley started laughing.

She couldn't stop.

It was too much.

The silence, the tension, the absolute stupidity of the situation— it was all too much.

Ethan groaned from beneath her. "Are you serious?"

Riley rolled off him, gasping for breath between giggles. "I—" she wheezed, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I think we just lost a battle against inanimate objects."

Ethan sighed, shoving a balloon off his face."Fantastic. This is exactly how I wanted to die."

She grinned at him, not thinking, just feeling.

And for half a second, Ethan looked at her—really looked at her.

And he almost smiled.

Almost.

But then, like always, his expression went blank.

And just like that, the moment was gone.

He stood up, brushing himself off. "We should finish."

Riley's smile faded.

And as she watched Ethan pull himself back behind his walls, she realized—

Maybe she wasn't the only one who remembered.

Maybe, deep down, he still felt it too.

He just wasn't ready to admit it.

Not yet.