Chapter 2: Hallway Crossfire
The second-period bell rang, and Crestwood High exploded into chaos.
The halls buzzed like a hive: lockers slamming, sneakers squeaking, voices ricocheting off cinder block walls. A freshman tripped over an untied shoelace, nearly sending her tray of books into the air. Someone shouted across the hall about basketball tryouts. Paper airplanes swooped overhead, and the distant sound of a whistle signaled a teacher's desperate attempt to restore order.
Through the pandemonium, Ava Martinez pressed her binder tight against her chest like a shield. She wove between students with the precision of a soldier on a battlefield. Every second counted. She had exactly four minutes to get from Algebra to English, and Ava refused,utterly refused to be late.
Being late was sloppy. Being late was chaos.
And Ava did not do chaos.
Unfortunately, chaos had legs, a smirk, and the infuriating ability to appear exactly where she least wanted him.
"Martinez!"
Her stomach sank. She didn't need to look up. The voice carried across the hallway lazy, loud, self-satisfied the kind of voice that turned heads.
She kept walking. Maybe if she ignored him, he'd lose interest.
"Hey, Sparkle Queen!"
Ava stopped cold. Her knuckles tightened around her binder until the edges dug into her palms. Slowly because if she moved slowly enough, maybe she could drag out the agony she turned her head.
And there he was.
Jace Carter leaned against the lockers like he was auditioning for the lead role in a teen drama. His hoodie hung open to reveal his Crestwood basketball tee. His messy blond hair fell across his forehead in an artfully careless way that Ava refused to believe wasn't deliberate. A cluster of friends lounged nearby, chuckling at whatever he'd said a moment before, but his eyes sharp, green, and unbearably smug were locked on her.
He grinned. "Nice of you to sparkle up the place today. What'd you do, roll in glitter on your way to school?"
A few kids snickered. Ava froze mid-step, cheeks warming. Her mind flashed to the glitter still clinging to her locker door from his so-called "artistic improvement." The thing sparkled like an arts-and-crafts explosion every time she opened it.
Jaw tightening, she hissed, "Move, Carter."
The grin widened. "That's it? No thank-you for my redecorating efforts? Your locker was criminally boring."
"It was organized."
"It was depressing." He pushed off the lockers and strolled after her, slipping seamlessly into step. "Now it's iconic."
"It's vandalism."
"It's art."
"It's tacky."
"It's festive."
Ava stopped abruptly and turned to face him, binder clutched like a weapon. "Do you even realize how long it'll take to clean? Days. Weeks, maybe. I'll be finding glitter in my calculus notes until college applications."
Jace clutched his chest in mock horror. "And here I thought you'd appreciate my genius. Martinez, you wound me."
"You're insufferable."
"And yet," he said, grinning as he slid right back into step, "you still can't get rid of me."
They wove through the hallway crowd, Ava power-walking, Jace ambling with infuriating ease, like he had all the time in the world.
"You know what your problem is?" he asked, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets.
"Other than you?"
"You don't know how to have fun."
"Fun is subjective. I happen to enjoy order."
"Order? You color-code your pens, Martinez. That's not order. That's…" He made air quotes with exaggerated flair…"a cry for help."
"It's called efficiency."
"It's called boring."
Ava quickened her pace, weaving around a cluster of cheerleaders. He kept up without breaking a sweat.
"You can't even admit you liked it," he teased. "Come on, just a little? Didn't you feel the tiniest spark of joy when you saw your locker shining like a disco ball?"
She glared. "The only spark I felt was the urge to set your hoodie on fire."
He burst out laughing, the sound ringing down the hallway. Heads turned. People grinned knowingly. Jace Carter teasing Ava Martinez was practically Crestwood High's version of a live comedy show.
By the time they reached her English classroom, Ava's patience was threadbare. She stopped in front of the door, relief washing over her at the thought of sanctuary.
But of course, Jace wasn't finished. He leaned against the doorframe, blocking her path with his trademark smirk.
"You know," he said, lowering his voice just enough to make her pulse quicken, "we make a pretty good duo."
Ava stared at him. "In what universe?"
"This one. Look at us bantering in the hallway, crowds entertained, sparks flying "
"Those sparks are from the fuse you keep lighting under my patience."
"Still sparks."
Her grip on her binder tightened. She considered shoving him out of the way.
Before she could, another voice cut through the noise.
"Careful, Martinez. Spend too much time with Carter and people might think you actually like him."
The hallway erupted in snickers. Ava's cheeks burned crimson. She whipped around to glare at the peanut gallery, but that only made Jace's grin turn downright wicked.
"You hear that?" he murmured, leaning closer. "They ship us."
Her jaw dropped. "They do not."
"They totally do."
"They're delusional."
"They're visionaries."
"Move, Carter."
"Say you'll miss me."
"I'll miss your funeral."
His laugh rang out again, carefree and maddening. Finally, with a mock bow, he stepped aside. Ava stormed into the classroom, face on fire, and dropped into her seat.
She opened her planner immediately, flipping to a blank page as though the neat grid of dates and notes could protect her from his chaos. Pen in hand, she forced herself to breathe.
It was just banter. Just Carter being Carter. That's all it was.
So why was her pulse still racing? Why did her stomach twist every time he leaned too close, grinned too wide, said her name like it belonged to him?
No. Absolutely not.
She shook the thought away, scribbling today's homework in bold block letters. She didn't have time for distractions.
Especially not the kind with messy blond hair, sharp green eyes, and a reputation for setting her world on fire one prank at a time.