Seabrook High by day was a pastel fortress of pep—its lockers painted bubblegum pink and sky blue, its hallways echoing with cheer chants and marching band rehearsals. But by night, the school transformed into something entirely different. The hallways stretched long and silent under flickering lights, the walls lined with forgotten posters, half-taped announcements, and the faint smell of expired cafeteria nachos.

This was Eliza Zambi's favorite version of the school.

Nestled near the robotics lab, she was cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by cables and her tablet, her portable AI assistant ZedBot 3.0 chirping quietly beside her. "Override access granted," it announced in a cheerful robotic voice. "Camera feeds looping. No human eyes spying. Nice work, Eliza."

She gave a little smirk. "I know."

Across from her, Wyatt Lykensen leaned against the wall, his arms folded, a soft rhythm tapping from the toe of his boot. His leather jacket hung open, his dog tags clinking as he shifted. Even in the dim light, his amber werewolf eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"So… how illegal is what you're doing right now?" he asked, tilting his head.

"On a scale from jaywalking to full alien abduction? Somewhere around mild felony," she replied, not looking up from her screen.

He let out a low chuckle. "You really know how to show a guy a good time."

Eliza rolled her eyes, though the corner of her mouth twitched upward. "You volunteered to come along. I just needed backup in case Bucky tried to sneak in and steal my code again for one of his pep apps."

Wyatt walked closer, crouching beside her. "You're seriously still beefing with Bucky over that 'CheerNet' algorithm thing?"

"He copied my zombie logic script and turned it into a cheerleader choreography tool," she said flatly. "Then he trademarked it. Called it 'Zombiethmics.' He spelled it with a Y."

Wyatt winced. "That's a crime on several levels."

Before Eliza could respond, the school intercom crackled—then suddenly blared a distorted, energetic voice.

"IT'S TIME FOR A CHEERTASTROPHE—GET HYPED, SEABROOK!"

Eliza froze mid-keystroke. Wyatt stared at the ceiling. "No…"

From around the corner came a swirl of pink and glitter, followed by a whirlwind of panic.

"MOVE ASIDE, LOW-EFFORT GENIUSES!" Bucky Buchanan charged into view, dragging what looked like a half-assembled, steaming piece of cheer tech. Behind him, Bree, Stacey, and Lacey clutched each other like the end was nigh.

"Eliza! Goth tech girl! And you—furry boyfriend! We need help! The cheer cannon is—uh—malfunctioning!"

Behind him, a homemade cannon was wheeling itself on poorly-attached wheels, spewing bursts of smoke and glitter. Its lights blinked red in a furious pattern. A robotic voice shrieked:

"DESTINATION: MAXIMUM PEP. INITIATE LAUNCH SEQUENCE."

Eliza stood slowly, dusting herself off. "Is that… sentient now?"

I wanted it to scan the crowd and pick optimal glitter blast zones," Bucky said, adjusting his golden headband. "But I might have downloaded that shady AI file from that intergalactic fan forum."

Wyatt squinted. "Wait. The alien fan site with the Mothman Dating Simulator?"

"That one!" Bucky said proudly. "They have great plugins!"

The cannon lurched forward, its nozzle glowing ominously.

Wyatt stepped in front of Eliza instinctively. "Okay, now it's glowing. That's a problem, right?"

"Definitely a problem," she said. "Also adorable that you're protecting me from rogue cheer tech."

"Just instincts," he replied, grinning slightly.

"I like your instincts."

Bucky waved his arms frantically. "Are you two flirting right now?! The cannon is two seconds from going nuclear glitter bomb!"

Eliza turned to Wyatt, something mischievous flashing in her eyes. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You want to fake couple PDA to get him to back off again?"

She nodded. "And maybe traumatize him into leaving us alone for the next month."

Wyatt smiled. "I love when we have the same evil plans."

Eliza took a dramatic step forward, leaning into Wyatt like a classic slow-motion teen rom-com. He immediately dipped her back into a ballroom pose.

"Oh Bucky," she said loudly, "this is just like the moment I fell in love with him in the robotics lab."

In front of the beakers," Wyatt added helpfully. "So many sparks. Chemistry. Literal and metaphorical."

Bucky let out a strangled noise. "No! I will not witness this emotionally confusing moment!"

"We're just expressing our deeply intertwined connection," Eliza said sweetly.

"Our bond," Wyatt added. "Forged in sarcasm and chaos."

"I'M CALLING PRINCIPAL LEE!" Bucky screamed. "Or a priest!"

He grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprinted back down the hallway, yelling for Bonzo to come do "a zombie exorcism or something."

With him gone, the cannon fizzled weakly, then released one final puff of pink glitter and powered down like it had lost the will to live.

Eliza sighed, stepping back into Wyatt's arms to balance herself.

"Crisis averted," he said.

"Technically, we committed emotional warfare."

"I call that a win."

They stood close for a second longer than either admitted. Her hand lingered near his. The light buzzed above them.

"So," Wyatt said softly, "when you said 'fake couple' back there…"

"Let's pretend I didn't say 'fake,'" Eliza interrupted, looking up with the ghost of a smile.

Wyatt's ears turned slightly pink. "Noted."

From the far end of the hallway, Bonzo suddenly appeared, holding a ukulele and wearing a lab coat. "Bucky said someone needed poetry and science?

Eliza turned to Wyatt. "I think that's our cue to leave."

Wyatt laughed. "Agreed."

They grabbed their things and disappeared down the hall, pink glitter trailing behind them like the end of a very chaotic, very romantic teen movie.

Wyatt and Eliza get revenge on Bucky for interrupting their study by being an annoying affectionate couple when Bucky needed emergency helpers.