EDEN
The camera's battery is dead.
Which would be fine—if I hadn't just charged it. And if Savannah wasn't standing two feet away with that look. The one where she thinks I'm incompetent but also mildly fascinating.
I slam my bag onto the table in Room B17 and scowl at the charging cord like it personally betrayed me.
"You okay?" she asks, genuinely curious. No sarcasm. No glitter.
I hate it when she's… nice. It confuses my defenses.
"It's fine," I mutter. "Tech betrayal. Nothing new."
She hovers near the prop shelf, hands behind her back, rocking slightly on her heels.
"You know," she says after a beat, "I used to think you hated me because I got the lead sophomore year."
I blink. "You think I cared about Spring Awakening?"
"Maybe not. But you glared at me like I ran over your dog."
"I don't have a dog."
She smiles. "I noticed."
I look away—too fast. My fingers tighten around the camera strap.
She's moving closer now, slowly, like the moment doesn't even realize it's happening.
"You always look like you're about to bite someone when you're thinking," she says, a little softer.
"Maybe I am."
She laughs under her breath. The sound curls around my ribs like warmth I didn't ask for.
Now she's standing next to me. Our shoulders nearly brush.
And for a second, there's nothing in the room but breathing.
Mine. Hers. Too loud. Too uneven.
Her voice is barely a whisper. "Do you ever stop pretending everything annoys you?"
I look up.
She's closer than I thought. Her eyes are wide. Clear. Curious. Scared, maybe. Like she doesn't know why she's not stepping back.
Neither do I.
The world tilts.
We lean.
Just a little.
Barely anything. But it feels like the earth might fall out from under us if we move any further.
Her lips part. I catch a breath I wasn't ready for.
We're—
Click.
The camera on the table flashes.
We jump like we've been electrocuted.
"Jesus," I mutter, turning it off fast.
Savannah exhales, startled. Laughs once, nervously.
"We should… um, block the scene."
"Yeah," I say quickly. "Blocking. Theater. Right."
She moves across the room like she's fleeing a crime scene.
And I sit there, blinking at the lens, wondering what the hell almost just happened.