Movie night quickly turned into chaos.
The tiny lodge room was packed with girls sitting on the bed, the floor, and even leaning against the walls.
Someone brought popcorn.
Someone else brought soda.
And Nora kept talking over the movie.
"Wait, wait, rewind that scene!" she shouted.
Ethan sighed from the desk where the laptop sat.
"I'm not rewinding it for the fifth time."
"Yes you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are!"
The room erupted with laughter.
Lena sat quietly near the window, watching everything unfold.
It felt strange being surrounded by people she barely knew.
But somehow it also felt warm.
Alive.
Every now and then she caught herself looking at Ethan.
He was sitting on the floor now, leaning back against the bed.
His focus stayed mostly on the screen.
But occasionally his eyes drifted around the room.
Once…
They landed on her.
Lena quickly grabbed some popcorn to avoid the moment.
Her heart was beating strangely fast again.
Across the room Nora nudged her.
"You're quiet."
"I'm just watching the movie."
"You've been watching Ethan more than the movie."
Lena nearly choked on her popcorn.
"I have not!"
Nora smirked.
"I'm joking… relax."
But Lena couldn't help stealing another glance at him.
He really was different from the other boys she had seen at school.
Quieter.
Calmer.
More thoughtful.
Maybe that was why everyone liked him.
Or maybe it was because he was already taken.
A girl sitting near the door suddenly spoke.
"Ethan, when is Maya coming back?"
"Oh yeah," another girl added. "She traveled, right?"
Ethan nodded without looking away from the laptop.
"Yeah. She'll be back next week."
Lena felt something small twist inside her chest again.
Maya.
So that was the girlfriend.
The movie kept playing.
One by one the girls started getting tired.
Yawns spread across the room.
Someone grabbed a blanket.
Another girl stretched out across the bed.
Within an hour the room became much quieter.
Then quieter.
Then silent.
The movie ended.
Soft breathing filled the room.
Lena looked around.
Most of the girls had fallen asleep.
Nora was snoring softly beside her.
Ethan noticed too.
He looked around the room and chuckled quietly.
"Looks like movie night is over."
Lena smiled slightly.
"I guess so."
For a moment they just sat there in the soft glow of the laptop screen.
Two people in a room full of sleeping students.
Then Ethan leaned forward and clicked something on his laptop.
"You like horror movies?"
Lena blinked.
"Horror?"
"Yeah," he said. "I have one more movie."
She hesitated.
A horror movie wasn't exactly her favorite.
But something about the quiet moment made her curious.
"Sure."
Ethan smiled.
"Alright then."
The screen flickered to life again.
Dark music filled the room.
And without either of them realizing it…
That simple decision was about to change everything.