Sophie sat down in the back corner. “Yeah, which hasn’t worked. I don’t think Mr. Halifax is looking for a good student. I think he likes bad girls. So I’m going to be bad.”

I laughed and sat down at the desk next to hers. “I don’t think he’s looking for a student at all.”

“Psh.”

“And getting bad grades on purpose…”

Sophie pulled out her calc book. “Who said anything about bad grades? I’m going to be bad. Not stupid.”

I just stared at her.

Some girls sat down in the chairs in front of us. “Did you guys hear about the new computer science teacher?” one of them said to their group. “Apparently he’s gorgeous.”

“More than gorgeous,” one of her friends said. “I saw him and he’s literally the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.”

“Hotter than Mr. Halifax?” said the first one.

“So much hotter than Mr. Halifax.”

Sophie rolled her eyes and then looked at me. “I will cut them,” she mouthed silently at me. “No one is hotter than Mr. Halifax. Now enough about my love life. Let’s talk about Phase Scarlett Loves Incest.”

“Don’t call it that.” I looked around to make sure no one had overheard us. “What’s wrong with good old Phase Three?”

“Too late. So here’s what we’re going to do. At lunch today, you’re going to totally ignore Axel.”

Oh. I could do that. I for sure thought the plan would involve something weirder than that. “Okay, yeah. Give him the cold shoulder?”

“What?” Sophie shook her head. “Lame. No. You’re going to speak exclusively to Jacob. Brownie points if you sit on his lap. We’re not giving Axel the cold shoulder. We’re going to make him jealous.”

I sighed. “Nothing I do will make him jealous, Soph. We already tried that freshman year, remember?”

“And you look hotter now than you did three years ago. Besides, this new sexier version of you is just the change that’s going to get his attention. You two have been in love since you were like…toddlers. You just need to remind him of that.”

“By sitting on Jacob’s lap at lunch? Don’t be weird, Jacob and I are just friends.”

“Are you though?”

“Yes.”

Sophie shrugged.

“Why are you shrugging?”

The bell rang to start class and Sophie lowered her voice slightly. “Because I think maybe the new look worked. Just…on Jacob instead of Axel. Did you see the way Jacob beelined right toward you this morning? Like he only had eyes for you. And that hug?”

“He hugged you too,” I said. We’d already been over this.

“Right. But he literally lifted you off the ground and twirled you around. In the middle of the hallway. If that isn’t a public display of affection, I don’t know what is. It was actually really cute to watch.”