"You're making a bad choice Rick."

He sighed, "I already sent the invite, just sit down and watch tv or something."

"You can cancel and unsend, why are you acting like that."

He sighed annoyingly as he made his way to the kitchen to grab himself a bottle of water.

Rick took a slow sip from his bottled water, keeping his gaze low and fixed on my eyes. His expression was unreadable, as if he was assessing me with each passing moment.

With a hint of annoyance in his voice, Rick spoke up. "Acting like what Celine?"

Celine stood up straight, a look of defiant determination on her face. "You know what...
an asshole." she shot back, her voice firm and unwavering.

The door suddenly knocks. Rick drained the rest of his water and set the empty bottle aside. As he strode past Celine, he glanced at her with narrowed eyes before heading towards the door. Without responding to her comment, he simply muttered, "I'll get it," and reached for the door.

Rick's smirk widened as he turned on his speaker, blaring music at full volume. As he muttered "welcome", five females entered the room, trailed closely by several boys. The group of women were dressed in flashy, eye-catching outfits, their faces perfectly made up with flawless contouring.

Who the fuck—

"Those are prostitutes, yuck." Rina said from behind me

I jumped frighteningly from Rina's voice behind me, "I thought you was gonna stay in your room?" I asked

"Yea well.. I changed my mind— a girl is hungry." She said stuffing a donut into her mouth.

"You know.. instead of standing over here, the least you can do is serve our guest some drinks." Rick glared

"your out of your rabbit ass mind."

"I agree." Rina continued to chew on her donut.

🝮🝮🝮

Celine stood amongst the crowd, the music pounding in her ears as she surveyed the party. Rick's friends were all around, laughing and talking amongst themselves. Some girls and boys were dancing to the beat of the music, their bodies moving in time with each other.

"Some type of teenage party." Kennedy said

"Kennedy! What are you doing here!?" I hugged the girl excitedly.

"I was bored and got an invite from Rick hale, I was hesitated to come but then I realized that my girl Kinsley lives here as well, so I just came."  she said

"yeah well, he wasn't suppose to throw a party, Regan went out to her interview."

"Oh it's like last year again, rebellious Rick." Kennedy sighed

I shook my head in disbelief that he still thrown the party anyways. When will he ever change his ways?

Celine popped a potato chip into her mouth, her fingers absentmindedly toying with her phone as she surveyed the chaotic scene in front of her. She couldn't shake off the anxiety that came with the unplanned party.

As my eyes roamed across the room, they landed on a brunette haired boy with his group of friends who was slowly making their way towards me.

"Well well, look who it is," Ryan mean mugged me.

"The black girl." He continued

Recognition dawned on Celine as she recognized the boy from the cafeteria. It was the same one she had flipped off earlier after he had made some unkind and racist remarks. Seeing him approach her now made her feel guarded, her heart rate increasing slightly.

"Unt unt Ryan, we're not doing this today and especially not here." Kennedy stood confidently infront of me.

"We're not here for you Kennedy, so don't feel flattered." Ryan stated.

The boy, Ryan, approached Celine with a smug expression on his face. "You remember when you slapped me in front of everyone?" he started, his tone cool but with a hint of anger.

"Yeah well, you basically embarrassed me," he continued, taking a step closer to Celine. His words stung, reminding her of her previous transgression.

Celine met his gaze defiantly, her voice confident. "Oh yeah," she replied, a small smirk playing on her lips. "You deserved that."

Ryan's smug demeanor faltered for a moment as he processed her words.

"You're a slut." He glared

"Ryan chill." One of his friends said trying to push him away to create some distance.

"Celine, I wonder if your mother, down there," he eyed the ground with an smirk.

"knows that your a disappointment." He finished

Celine's anger flared uncontrollably as Ryan's insults about her mother crossed a line. Her fist connected with his face, sending him stumbling backwards. Gasps filled the air as the surrounding teens stared wide-eyed at the confrontation. Ryan's friends quickly moved to intervene, trying to pull him away.

"Beat his ass!" Kennedy shouted

Rick immediately rushed over to the scene.

As Ryan's friends finally dragged him away from the scene, Rick's gaze fixed onto Celine. She could feel her eyes welling up as tears threatened to spill. Rick stared at her in silence, taking in her shaky breaths and tearful eyes.

Rick's jaw clenched as he spoke to Ryan, his voice deep and firm "Get the fuck out."

Ryan's and his friends, sensing the tension in Rick's words, quickly ushered them out of the house.

Rick and Celine was now alone in another room.

Rick's gaze softened as a tear rolled down Celine's cheek. He reached out to wipe it away, but she turned her head, avoiding his touch.

"Celine—

"No."

Rick furrowed his brow in confusion as he regarded Celine's defiant response. "No?" he repeated, a hint of disbelief in his voice. He hadn't expected her to reject his gesture of comfort.

Celine fixed Rick with a defiant glare, her voice firm as she spoke. "This would have all been avoided if you hadn't thrown this stupid party."

Rick's expression darkened at her words. He knew she had a point, but his pride wouldn't allow him to admit it.

"You put on an act for me," she said, her voice quivering with emotion. "I thought you were actually changing, trying to do better. But no, I was wrong."

Rick's jaw clenched, her disappointment hitting him hard.

"I'm sorry."

Celine looked up with her watery eyes, "I don't believe you."

Rick's jaw clenched tightly as he took in Celine's vulnerable state. He could see the hurt and disappointment in her eyes, and his own frustration and anger boiled beneath the surface. "I'm ending the party," he said, his voice gruff.

With that, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

🝮🝮🝮

He turned to see the group of teenagers staring at him and Celine, their eyes curious and inquisitive.

The sudden silence in the room caused everyone's attention to shift towards Rick and Celine. A girl had spoken up, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "What's in that room?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "What were you two doing in there?"

Rick felt the weight of everyone's stares on him, and he struggled to keep his cool. Celine stood next to him, her expression guarded as she waited for Rick's response.

"We wer—

"Y'all must want to play 7 minutes in heaven?!" The girl said randomly.

"No, I think the party is ove—

The girl's words seemed to spark excitement amongst the teenagers, their faces lighting up with anticipation. "We're playing 7 minutes in heaven, y'all!" she shouted, her voice loud and enthusiastic.

The rest of the students cheered in agreement, their laughter filling the mood. Rick's heart sank as he realized what was happening.

"No, no." Rick said to himself

"Meet me in the living room bitches!" she continued to shout.

I stared at Rick confusingly, "What the hell is seven minutes in heaven?"

Rick sighed heavily, his expression resigned. "Two people are chosen to be locked in a room together for seven minutes," he explained, his voice flat.

Celine's heart began to race as she realized what this game entailed. She glanced at Rick, her eyes wide with disbelief.