I swallowed hard. I didn’t want Jacob to like me. I wanted Axel to like me. Was that why Axel had been acting weird? Because he didn’t like that I hugged Jacob?

“Which is so great,” Sophie said. “Jacob will probably even get a little handsy when you sit on his lap today. This plan is so epic I could cry.”

“Soph, I’m not going to lead Jacob on.”

“Well, then fill him in on the plan. He’ll be down, he’s the best. We’re going to make Axel so jealous he explodes.” She put her hands next to her face and made an exploding motion, with the noise and everything.

She’d lost her mind. There was no way in hell I was sitting on Jacob’s lap. Or telling him about my undying love for Axel. It was embarrassing enough that Sophie knew. But before I got a chance to tell her, Mr. Halifax cleared his throat.

“Miss Hunter and Miss Hunter,” Mr. Halifax said with a disapproving shake of his head. “Are the two of you planning on talking during my whole class?”

“That depends,” Sophie said. “Are you running detention today?”

He frowned. “No.”

She leaned forward slightly, not being subtle at all about showing off her cleavage. “Then I guess we’ll be quiet, sir.”

Oh my God.

She gave him what could only be described as a very sexual smile. She even raised her eyebrow.

Mr. Halifax cleared his throat and turned back to the board. But not before I saw his Adam’s apple rise and fall as he stared at her.

I looked back and forth between Sophie and Mr. Halifax. Damn. Sophie had more chemistry with one of our teachers than I had with Axel. Screw me.

***

“You ready for this?” Soph asked.

We were standing outside the doors to the cafeteria. And I was 100% not ready. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Sophie laughed. “Come on, you and Jacob are friends. Friends sit on each other’s laps all the time. Just play it cool. And if you are going to be sick…just don’t do it on Jacob’s lap.”

God, that thought hadn’t even occurred to me! But now that she mentioned it, it was all I could think about. Especially since I’d felt sick all day. I couldn’t do this. “What if he pushes me off?”

“What? That’s what you’re worried about? You should be worried that he’ll pull you closer.” She winked at me.

“Maybe I should just talk to Axel…”

“What? No. He’s skittish, you don’t want to scare him off.”

“He’s not a horse.”

“Yeah, he’s worse. He’s a boy.”

“No, the new teacher,” a girl said to her friend as she passed us. “He’s droolworthy.”

Sophie laughed and pointed after them. “Have you heard that a million times today?”