She laughed. “He’s hardly mine. We’ve never kissed. At least, not outside of my dreams. And he’s never once asked me to hang out with him after school.”

“Soph!”

“I’m joking. And I was going to say or he’s actually a just a great teacher and he’s worried because you totally failed that test.”

“A C isn’t an F.”

“Well it’s not an A either.” She sighed. “I knew he liked bad girls. I just didn’t realize he liked dumb ones.”

“Hey.”

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m just pissed that he wants to fuck you against his chalkboard and not me.”

The visualization was too much for my brain to handle. “I don’t feel so good,” I said. “I think I need to spend the rest of the school year in the nurse’s office.”

Sophie laughed and kept her arm hooked through mine so I couldn’t flee. “Better idea. Play up flirting with Mr. Halifax to make Axel jealous.”

“I’m not doing that! And I’m done trying to make Axel jealous. I’m fully Team Jacob.”

“Atta girl. You two really are cute together. And I’m sorry I might have made you miss your kiss with him earlier. Maybe he’ll kiss you tonight.”

I hoped so. I didn’t want to kiss any more random guys while searching for my kiss thief. I’d only ever really planned on kissing one person. I pushed thoughts of Axel out of my head. I’d spent enough of my life thinking about him.

We walked into our next class and sat down.

“So...” Sophie said.

I turned to her.

“We never really talked about the Axel thing.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Just when I was trying not to think of him. “What Axel thing?” But I already knew what she was going to say.

“That he asked me to homecoming. I didn’t know what to do. I want us all to go together and...”

“It’s fine,” I said.

“I just didn’t want you to take it the wrong way. I have zero feelings for Axel. Like none. Gross. It’s Axel.” She scrunched up her nose like she was repulsed by him.

Axel wasn’t gross. Not in the slightest. But I understood what she was saying. “And I have zero feelings for Mr. Halifax.”

She smiled. “Well, I know you’re all in on Jacob. But I would be remiss not to mention how Operation Too Hot to Handle was actually a glowing success.”

“How so?”

“Axel is out of his mind with jealousy right now.”

I laughed. “He’s not.”

“He carried you through the woods like a cave man and tossed you into the Caldwells’ pool. He’s practically a jealous barbarian.”

I shook my head. “He thinks of me like a sister.”

“No, he thinks of me like a sister,” Sophie said.