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“And pay close attention today, everyone,” Mr. Halifax said. “Because we have a test on Friday.”

A few classmates groaned.

“But the championship game is on Saturday,” one of the guys on the team said.

“I don’t know what that has to do with a test on Friday,” Mr. Halifax said.

“We have extra practice all week.”

“Then I’ll say it again...everyone pay close attention. That way you won’t have to study as hard.” He turned back to the board.

I agreed with the guy who’d protested. Everyone was solely focused on the championship. However, a test was what I’d been waiting for. And for my plan to work, I didn’t need to study anyway. Plus the notes Scarlett had given me from last Monday were total crap. It was all part of the plan.

I dropped my chin in my hand and stared at the way Mr. Halifax’s muscles flexed as he wrote on the board.

He only wanted to flirt with me. Not anyone else.

So I was going to flirt with him so hard.

“Why aren’t you taking notes?” Scarlett whispered.

I was. I was taking mental notes of Mr. Halifax’s body. Because soon it was going to be pressed against mine when he slammed my back against his chalkboard.

“Sophie,” Scarlett hissed.

Mr. Halifax sighed and turned around. And he stared right at me even though I hadn’t been the one talking. “What did I just say about talking during my class?”

“That I should be a good girl and not do it. Sorry, sir.”

He lowered his eyebrows as he stared at me.

Yeah, he was going to be just as possessive as I was imagining. Hopefully he’d show me just how much when I texted him on my burner phone tonight.

Chapter 10 – I Don’t Act Like a Tween

Thursday

Mr. Halifax was madly in love with me. I knew it. Because I’d tried texting him from three different burner phones and he’d blocked every single one of them.

He definitely wasn’t interested in some random mystery woman. He wanted me and only me. I was 99% certain. The only way to be 100% sure was if I texted him as me. From a burner phone, of course. Since he’d blocked my real number.

“What do you guys think of this text?” I asked. Jacob, Scarlett, Axel and I were hanging out in our secret lair. We were supposed to be working on our coding projects, but I was very distracted. I was teamed up with Jacob for it. And Scarlett and Axel were paired up. Hopefully they wanted a distraction too, because I needed their help. “Hey, Mr. Halifax. It’s Soph.”

Jacob looked up from his laptop. “You’re going to text him as you?”

I nodded. “The only reason he’s not engaging is because he doesn’t know it’s me.”

“Have you ever considered the fact that he might have a girlfriend?”

I laughed. “No. He’s single.”

“He might not be, Soph. Just because he doesn’t wear a wedding ring doesn’t mean he’s not seeing someone. He could be engaged. Like those two.” He pointed to Axel and Scarlett.

He had a point. Scarlett was wearing an engagement ring. But there was no way to tell that Axel was engaged.

No, scratch that. There were lots of ways. “But Mr. Halifax doesn’t have any pictures of a woman on his desk. All the teachers have pictures of their family and stuff.”

“True,” Scarlett said. “And he’s so young.”