When we reached my locker, Axel said, “Hey, Sophie.” All normally like he wasn’t literally holding my hand right now.

“Axel,” she replied in an equally normal tone.

How was I the only one freaking out?

“See you at lunch, Scarlett,” Axel said. He slowly dropped my hand, his fingertips tracing down my palm.

I shivered. “Mhm.” My voice came out all croaky and weird.

Axel gave me one last smile and then walked away without another word. Like he hadn’t just held my hand for the first time since preschool. Like the whole world hadn’t just shifted on its axis. My heart was hammering against my ribcage so hard that it almost hurt. Had all of that really just happened?!

Sophie closed her locker. She looked behind her to make sure Axel was out of earshot and then turned back to me. Her calm façade cracked, replaced by a huge smile. “What the actual F is happening right now? Axel was holding your hand! Did Phase Incest actually work?!”

I cringed. “Please stop calling it that. Let’s just call it Operation Too Hot to Handle.”

“You know perfectly well that Operation THTH has several phases. Hence the flirting with Jacob thing – a la Phase Incest.”

“It’s not called that. And this has nothing to do with any phases. It just…happened. And what do you mean actually worked? Did you expect it not to? You seemed so confident.”

“I was confident with the plan,” Sophie said. “I just thought it would take more time. But you excelled beyond my wildest expectations.”

I laughed.

“I saw him waiting for you on the front steps. Did he finally ask you out?”

“No…”

“Gah, boys.” She leaned against her locker and crossed her arms. “So many games with that one. Phase Incest continues.”

I shook my head. “But he held my hand. In front of the whole school. That means something.”

“Maybe. What was happening right before he grabbed your hand?”

“I was talking to Jacob…”

Sophie laughed and shook her head. “See? We have him just where we want him. The plan continues. What are you going to wear to the party on Friday night? It has to be sinfully short. And you can borrow a pair of my heels.”

“Technically, I’m grounded.”

“Wait, really? I thought you were joking when you texted me that last night.”

I kind of hoped I had been joking. It had been a really long time since I’d been grounded. But my dad wasn’t bluffing this time. “It’s only for a week instead of a month. But…yeah.”

Sophie waved her hand through the air. “It’s fine. RJ was already concocting an escape plan for you just in case. Can I come over tonight to help you pick a dress?”

I laughed. “Soph, you can’t come over.”

“What?”

“I just told you…I’m grounded.”

“Wait, that includes from seeing me? No way.”