Sophie, Liam, and RJ joined us at our table. But none of them said a word, even though they knew that was true. Being late was the worst.

“You don’t know everything about me, Axel.” I ate another of Jacob’s fries. “You were gone all summer, remember? A lot can change in a few months.”

“You’re such a baller,” Sophie mouthed silently at me.

I was a baller. And that was the encouragement I needed to keep this up. “What do you say, Jacob? You in?”

There was a smile playing on the corners of his mouth. “Just the two of us?” he asked.

His smile really was endearing. “Mhm.”

“Like a date?”

I stared at him. I knew I had initiated this. But technically this was the first time anyone had asked me out on a date. And my heart was starting to race. “Exactly like a date.”

“Can we please just talk?” Axel said.

I ignored him. I was afraid that if I looked at him or acknowledged him in any way I’d burst out crying. We didn’t need to talk. What could he possibly have to say that would undo all the heartache he’d caused me basically my whole life? He couldn’t take back his tongue down Gigi’s throat. I no longer had a crush on him. He was…dead to me.

“Come on,” I said to Jacob and stood up. “Let’s get out of here.”

Before Jacob could respond, Axel appeared next to me and lifted me over his shoulder like I was nothing but a petulant child.

“Put me down!” I hissed.

He started walking me out of the cafeteria.

“Axel! My skirt is too short, everyone can see my butt.” I tried to reach up to cover what I hoped wasn’t exposed, but it just made me slide farther down his back.

He put his hand on my ass to make sure I didn’t moon the whole school. And for just a second I froze. Because Axel Stevens was touching my butt.

“Maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to dress like a Triple G,” he said.

Excuse me? “You can’t tell me how to dress.”

“Yes I can.”

“No you can’t!” I no longer wanted him to be touching me. “Put me down right now!”

He pushed through the doors and into the empty hallway before setting me down.

I immediately readjusted my skirt before a teacher could see.

“Put this on.” He shrugged out of his varsity jacket.

“No. I don’t need more layers. I’m wearing the perfect amount of clothing.”

“This isn’t you. Short skirts, high heels, and contacts? Seriously?”

“What’s so wrong with contacts?”

He shook his head.

But before he could say anything, I kept talking. “Don’t stand there and keep pretending you ever liked my glasses. And I happen to like these shoes. And this skirt.”