As much as we love to daydream and escape from reality, please know that some things that can work in fiction absolutely will not work in real life without resulting in serious danger or harm.

This book contains depictions of relationships that should not be replicated.

In particular, age gap in relationships, power imbalance in relationships, and unethical relationships. These are all incredibly damaging, some illegal, and should never be sought after.

This book exists to explore these fantasies and desires in a safe space. 

In real life and online, please be careful. Tell your friends to be careful. Look after each other. Protect each other and yourself. Let's all be here for each other. :)

let's keep our dreams in our dreams and our fantasies in our heads, okay, bestie? these ones do not need to become reality, okay? 

WAKE UP. 

keep your eyes open in real life and online, queen!! look out for gross groomers because they are everywhere and disgusting. you are WAY TOO GOOD to be dealing with any of that. you don't have to put up with that, okay? EVER. 

here are some signs to look out for: https://rainn.org/news/grooming-know-warning-signs (if this doesn't work, link is in the comments below)

if you or someone you know may need help in this kind of situation, here is a hotline: https://rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline

we want you safe, and healthy, and here with us so you can keep reading fun books!! ❤️

Thank you for understanding. 

"What on earth are you wearing?"

I twirled around, letting my short pink skirt flow. "Isn't it cute?"

My mom simply glanced over my outfit before quirking an eyebrow at me.

I stopped, following her gaze and smoothing out my black cardigan. I had a dreadful math exam today. I had to make my day exciting somehow . . . and my favorite white legwarmers seemed like the perfect solution.

And I had Dance after school.

But why wait until then when I could just wear them now and look cute?

"I may have to work late tonight," my mom continued. "You can pick up your brother and sister after school, right?" 

"I can't miss dance," I said firmly as I swung my bag onto my shoulder. "But I could take them to school now. Then you can go to work early so you can pick them up."

My mom gasped, her face lighting up. "Even better! They're starting soon so you better get a move on!!"

"I--"

She turned toward the stairs. "Mike! Katie!! Maddie's taking you to school today! Hurry up!" she called out before turning to me with a bright smile. "Thank you so much, sweetie. Drive safe!"

I gave her a quick smile as she hurried back to the kitchen, the sound of her heels clicking on the hardwood floor fading away.

I let out a sigh before slipping on my boots and adjusting my tights under my legwarmers. So, it wasn't the most comfortable to wear all day . . . but it also meant that after another long torturous day at school, I had two full hours of dance to look forward to.

If only I could skip straight to that part . . .

"Can I play my music on the way to school?" Katie asked excitedly as she skipped down the stairs and tied her sneakers.

"Of course! It's Monday. We need music," I told her with a laugh before my phone buzzed in my hand. I slipped it into my pocket and headed toward the door.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Mike, my younger brother, exclaimed as he hurried down the stairs, appearing quite frazzled. "Am I late?"

"Nope. You're right on time." I smiled as I smoothed out his short brown hair. "Come on. Katie's in charge of music today."

"But I need breakfast!"

"We'll get something for you on the way," I told him as I grabbed his backpack and gave it to him before we headed toward the door. "What do you want?"

As he listed as many breakfast foods as his nine year old brain could come up with, the three of us climbed into my car and started the long, long, long journey to school.

It was only five miles away.

But it may as well had been five hundred miles. 

Not for Katie and Mike though. They enjoyed their breakfast sandwiches we picked up really quickly as they sang along to their favorite songs all the way until we pulled right up to the drop off line at their school.

"Thanks, Maddie!"

"See ya!" they called out behind them as they climbed out of the car, hauling their backpacks in one hand and their half-eaten sandwiches in the other.

I waved back before my phone buzzed again. I fished it out of my pocket to see I had two messages from my best friend.

Sasha: study for math before first bell?

Sasha: saved you a seat in the library!!

Ugh, the math exam.

Was it Friday yet?

No, it was only Monday.

Kill me now.

A few honks sounded behind me, snapping me back to reality.

I quickly pulled out of the school parking lot and headed to my school as my mind struggled to recall all the formulas and equations I had studied last night.

By the time I found a parking space and raced up the stairs to school, I was left with only a few minutes to go to my locker before the first bell went off.

"Maddie!!"

I looked up from my locker at the sound of my name to see Sasha running toward me. Chelsea and Alice, my two other friends, followed close behind her.

"Finally! You're here!" Sasha exclaimed, pulling me into a hug.

"I'm so sorry I didn't reply to your text," I apologized, hugging her back. "I tried to get here as fast as I could."

"It's all good," she said as we pulled away. "We didn't study. We just cried."

Chelsea shrugged. "How else are we supposed to study for math?"

I fiddled with my lock, trying to ignore the way the knots in my stomach tightened at their words. "Wanna study some more together?" I suggested, forcing a smile as I opened my locker. "I have study hall right now."

"I need to but I have Chem." Alice frowned.

"Me too," Chelsea said.

Sasha turned to me with a pout. "I have a make-up test in Spanish."

The shrill ring of the bell suddenly sounded through the halls.

Panic immediately hit me as I watched the crowd bustle to their first class . . .

. . . the class before the Algebra Two exam . . .

. . . I had to take the exam in the class right after this one . . ..

"Oh my gosh." My heart pounded in my chest as I turned to my friends with wide eyes. "I can't do this."

"Lies," Sasha immediately countered as she leaned toward my locker to get a glimpse of her reflection in the tiny mirror hanging on my door. "We're going to pass and so will you." She kept her eyes on her reflection as she carefully applied her lipgloss before straightening up and turning to me with a warm smile. "Okay?"

"If not, we'll all do senior year again with you!" Alice said playfully as she walked backward down the hall.

"At least we'll be together!" Chelsea called out as she followed Alice.

"Try not to stress about it too much. It'll ruin your outfit," Sasha gave me a reassuring smile before nodding to my outfit. "Look at us. We look too cute to worry about a bunch of dumb numbers." She lifted her arms as she twirled around to show off her dress before going off to her next class.

I let out a small laugh as I watched her disappear in the crowded hall. But as soon as I turned back to my locker, a wave of anxiety instantly crashed over me.

I quickly grabbed my Algebra Two book and slammed my locker shut in attempt to shut out the nerves.

But my heart wouldn't stop racing. I took in a deep breath, doing my best to get myself together.

This was my last year. I could do this. I could totally do this.

I just had to focus on studying right now. And study hall was the perfect place for exactly that. My fingers mindlessly played with my necklace as I began heading the other way to study hall.

The quicker I went to class, the quicker it was over.

. . . And the quicker I could go to Dance!!

Formulas and equations swirled through my mind as I trudged behind the crowd through the hall and it wasn't long before another wave of anxiety crashed over me upon realizing I still didn't have everything memorized.

I needed to get to study hall. Now.

I held my breath, my brain pacing at a hundred miles per minute as I got closer to study hall, finally reaching the classroom.

The classroom was buzzing with students standing around, laughing and chatting. My heart pounded as my eyes hastily scanned the room for an empty seat, anxious to study as much as I could in the little time I had left.

"Madison, good morning!" a cheerful voice greeted.

I tore my eyes away from the busy classroom to the teacher's desk to see Mr. Hayden sitting behind the desk today. I let out a small sigh of relief.

Usually the teachers that monitored study hall would vary, but study hall with Mr. Hayden was always the best. He was our senior counselor and history teacher. Since he was so young, laid back, and easygoing, his classes hardly ever seemed like class at all.

"Good morning!" I gave him a small smile.

He nodded to the book in my arms. "Algebra Two?"

"Yeah . . ." I replied hesitantly as I stepped up to his desk."I have an exam to knock out today." I let out a nervous laugh, trying to make light of the dreaded exam.

He gave me a warm smile. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

I did my best to smile back. "I hope so," I replied, before walking to the back to an empty seat.

Forty-five minutes and way too many equations later, the bell went off and I felt like I had practically overdosed on Algebra Two. Yet it still didn't feel like I studied enough.

"Mr. H!" a student exclaimed from the front. "You got any of those peppermints? I got a huge test next period."

"Help yourself." Mr. Hayden held out a bowl of peppermint candies to him.

I packed up my things as fast as I could as everyone started piling out of the room, before sneaking a glance at the clock on the wall. If I could get to math early, then I could study just a little bit more one last time before the test.

I just had to . . . get through those crowded halls.

Fun.

Blurs of equations and formulas swirled through my mind as I slipped my bag over my shoulder and hurried toward the door before hearing my name called.

Looking around to see who it was, I noticed I was next to Mr. Hayden's desk, his eyes looking for mine.

"Hey, you have your test right now?" he asked, looking up at me from his desk.

"Yeah." I sucked in a breath as I fiddled with my bracelet, anxiety getting the best of me.

"Did you want a peppermint candy?" He held out the bowl of candy to me. "The mint helps with the nerves."

"Oh. Thank you," I said quietly, reaching out for a piece, but my hand wouldn't stop shaking. This test was going to be the death of me.

"Relax, you'll do fine," Mr. Hayden told me softly, care evident in his eyes. "I know you will."

A small smile found its way onto my face. "Thank you," I told him before walking out of the room.

I let out a small breath as I headed to my next class, now feeling a bit more at ease and confident about my exam. Sure, studying all period definitely helped . . . but so did Mr. Hayden's words. They calmed my nerves. It was nice to talk to someone who believed in me. Someone who cared. It was just a small conversation, but it had definitely made me feel a whole lot better about this test.

I tucked the peppermint into the pocket of my sweater before stepping inside the classroom and hoping for nothing but the best . . .

Two classes later and lunchtime finally arrived. The Algebra Two test had mostly been a blur, but with Mr. Hayden's encouraging words echoing through my mind, I felt like I had done pretty well on it.

"What did you guys get for the last question?" Alice asked as we sat at our usual table in the courtyard outside. "I don't think I did it right."

"Can we not talk about math anymore?" Chelsea grumbled, pinching her fork at her salad. "I've moved on."

"I never want to look at another number again." Sasha groaned, holding her fingers to her temples as she closed her eyes.

"Just wake me up when it's graduation." I laid my head on top of my hands on the table.

"Wake up. New lip gloss." Sasha held up a sparkly pink lip gloss by my eyes.

I immediately lifted my head. "Oooh, this is pretty!"

A smile grew on her face. "Wait 'til you see these colors!!" She ruffled through her bag before pulling out a few more lip glosses.

I gasped, admiring all the pretty shimmery colors. "We so need to try these on!"

Sasha pursed her lips as she looked at the lip glosses, thinking for a moment. "Which one looks like a History lip gloss?"

Chelsea scrunched her face up in confusion. "What's a 'History lip gloss'?

"A lip gloss that you wear in History class. Duh."

"Oooh, okay!" Alice jumped in, looking at the lipglosses. "Which one is an English lip gloss?"

"Are we really going to wear a new lip gloss for every class?" I laughed, picking up a dark red lip gloss.

"Hey, don't underestimate the power of a good lip gloss." Sasha gave me a stern look. "How else are we supposed to make it to graduation anyway? Studying?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Apparently, it helps." I rolled my eyes playfully. "But this red lip gloss will help us pass way more." I giggled, holding up the tube of red lip gloss.

"Okay. How are we trying to pass exactly?" Chelsea questioned, eyeing the lip glosses. "Seducing the teachers?"

"How else are we supposed to graduate, Chels?" Sasha asked with a teasing smile and we all burst into laughter.

"Kidding! Kidding! Totally kidding," Sasha clarified, holding her hands up in innocence. "This place is miserable, okay?" She dropped her hands on the table and leaned in. "I need something to give me a spark of joy. And if that's changing my lip gloss color every hour, then, honey, I will wear hot pink for Chemistry and orange for English!"

"Better than seducing a teacher." Chelsea shrugged, taking a sip of her drink as we all broke out into more laughter.

"What color should I wear next period?" Alice asked, taking a bite of her sandwich as our laughter died down.

"To seduce a teacher?" Sasha asked, holding a bag of chips out to me and I took some, thanking her.

"No!" Alice covered her face with her hands as we laughed again. "I'm just trying to stay sane and survive senior year."

"Well . . ." I began, biting back a smile, glancing around at my friends. "Is it working?" We broke out into laughter again.

"Shh! Shh!" Alice shushed us urgently. "Guys, stop! Stop. Principal Blakely is coming." She nodded toward the other side of the courtyard with wide eyes.

We all looked up, past the tables filled with other students chatting and eating, or scrambling to finish homework to see Principal Blakely stroll into the courtyard.

And walking beside him was Mr. Hayden.

His dark blond hair was neatly combed in place. A perfect smile lit up his face as he waved at the students as he walked by--

Wait. 

What?

What in the world was I doing?

My head reeled.

Was I seriously just checking out my History teacher?

No . . . No.

I was just observing . . . my surroundings . . .

. . . Some students played soccer on the other side of the courtyard . . . there was a tree . . . the sun shined brightly . . . in the sky . . . above us--

Maybe I just needed to eat. I needed to eat. It's been a long morning and I didn't really have much time to eat anything this morning anyway . . . I reached for my lunch bag, frantically digging through it.

"Speaking of teachers . . ." Sasha began playfully, looking toward Principal Blakely and Mr. Hayden.

"No!!" Alice, Chelsea, and I exclaimed, breaking out into laughter again.

"Fine," she admitted with a huff. "I won't date the old fat guy . . . I guess I'll just have to date the guys in our grade instead, even though they're all younger . . . and hotter . . ." She trailed off, drifting her gaze to the guys kicking the soccer ball.

"Hm." Chelsea raised an eyebrow at her. "How devastating."

"Can't imagine anything worse," I told her, holding back a laugh as I pulled a bag of trail mix out of my bag. I eyed it with a frown before digging through my bag again. That couldn't be all I packed . . . Maybe it was. This morning was too hectic to pack anything else anyway.

Did all that even happen this morning?

Today seemed like the longest day ever. 

And it was only lunch.

"Which team do you guys think is hotter?" Sasha's voice broke me out of my thoughts. "The soccer team or the football team?" She nodded towards the guys passing the soccer ball.

"The academic team," Chelsea answered, causing us all to laugh again.

"That doesn't count!" Sasha exclaimed in between laughs.

"It's a team!!"

"They don't play sports!"

"At least they use their brain," Chelsea countered, arching an eyebrow.

"What if," I began, taking a bite of my trail mix. "Maybe, we just like them for their heart?" I bit back a laugh.

Chelsea stopped to give me a flat look.

Alice, Sasha, and I broke into giggles again.

"It's true!" Sasha exclaimed, reaching for my trail mix as I held the bag out to her. "It's what's on the inside that counts, Chels." She shoved a handful of chocolate candies in her mouth.

"That's the point!" Chelsea argued. "There's nothing inside!!" 

"Heads up!!" a new voice called out.

The four of us looked up to see the soccer ball flying in the air right toward Principal Blakely and Mr. Hayden.

"Mr. H! Over here!" one of the guys called out.

Mr. Hayden kicked the ball back towards the guys before giving them a wave.

"You're the man, Mr. H!"

Mr. Hayden gave them a small nod before looking up, his deep brown eyes immediately connecting with mine.

The same brown eyes that held concern for me this morning, now holding my attention for only so long, yet long enough to give me butterflies.

I quickly turned away.

However, the butterflies still fluttered.

What just happened?

And why was I feeling this way . . .

. . . toward him?

. . . what.

"Maddie . . . Maddie! . . . Hellooo! Madison!!" Alice called, snapping me out of my thoughts of Mr. Hayden and back to reality.

"Huh?" I replied dumbly.

"Sasha's dating the whole football team," Chelsea stated.

"What?!" I gasped, whipping my head around to Sasha.

"Told ya it'd work." Sasha smiled at Chelsea with a wink.

Chelsea tilted her head as she looked at me. "You okay? Is it the math exam? Hey, even if we didn't pass, we'll still go out and celebrate."

"Sorry." I quickly shook my head, turning back to my lunch. "No. Y--Yeah, I'm fine . . ." I wasn't about to tell them what I had been feeling, or who gave me those feelings.

"K, you could help me figure this out," Sasha turned to me. "Who should I start with, the quarterback or the captain?"

"The quarterback is the captain," Chelsea told her.

Sasha turned to her with a confused look. "He is?"

"Who is the captain anyway?" Alice asked, taking a bite of her lunch.

Their voices faded as my mind wandered back toward peppermints and a certain pair of kind brown eyes . . .

I snuck another glance across the courtyard . . . but he was gone.

I turned back to my bag of trail mix, slumping in my seat. I had definitely felt butterflies, there was no denying that.

But how?

And why now?

. . . why him?

I had always thought Mr. Hayden was a nice teacher. He was so easygoing with a kind personality. But with our conversation this morning, it almost seemed like it had sparked a fire within me, setting something off between us. I felt this sudden admiration towards him. All he did was talk to me about my test this morning. And I was still thinking about it.

So not normal.

Ironically enough, History class with Mr. Hayden was my next class after lunch. I took in a deep breath as Sasha and I walked down the hall toward his classroom. All I had to do was just focus on the work and everything would be fine. I would get over this little infatuation.

Because that's all it was.

A dumb, little infatuation.

I slipped my hands into my pocket, finding the peppermint he had given me this morning . . . but it wasn't just a peppermint. He gave it to me to help me with my test . . .

He cared.

His desk was empty when Sasha and I entered the classroom and we took our seats next to each other at the back of the room, as always.

Soon enough, he entered the room just as the bell rang, rolling his dress shirt sleeves up, revealing his muscular forearms--

What was I doing? I couldn't just keep looking at him . . .

But I had to . . . He was my teacher.

How else was I supposed to pay attention?

I mentally rolled my eyes at myself. As if school wasn't difficult enough . . .

He made his way to the front of the class, his eyes meeting mine before he greeted the class.

Did my heart just . . . flutter?

I swallowed hard, taking my notebook and pencil out.

Maybe Chelsea was right. Was I okay?

As the class went on, I kept my eyes focused on my notebook in front of me, trying to avoid any other interactions with Mr. Hayden.

I was getting too ahead of myself. Sure, I felt a bit attracted to him, but I couldn't let it grow. I was just another one of his students. All he did was encourage me to do my best on some math exam. Why was I making such a big deal out of this? He most likely encouraged all his students. That was his job.

This was just another incident where I was foolishly overthinking everything . . . hopelessly making everything romantic, trying to make something out of nothing. Nothing new.

"Alright," Mr. Hayden began from the front. "Everyone clear your desks of everything except for a pen please."

A combination of confused mumbles and groans of annoyance filled the room.

"I know. I know. But this pop quiz has only two questions. It'll be over before you know it. I promise." He chuckled as he went around the room, passing out our pop quiz.

Not so hot of him.

Okay . . . progress.

"How about this?" he asked as he walked over to our row, passing out the quiz. "I'll give you five minutes to study the chapter then we'll get started, alright?" His eyes met mine as he reached my desk.

I quickly averted my gaze, fiddling with my pencil.

But the fresh scent of his cologne reached my senses, making it hard to think straight.

Never mind. He was still hot.

"That's plenty of time," he said as he placed a quiz on my desk along with a peppermint before passing the rests of the tests out. "Study with each other if you'd like. Just please keep your voices down."

"Ew." Sasha looked over the quiz with disgust. "We're wearing our history lip gloss. Not our pop quiz lip gloss." 

"We can do this. We just need to study," I said, mostly to convince myself as I pulled out a pen and read over the quiz. 

"We just need to ditch," she grumbled, playing with a peppermint candy. "Are the peppermints supposed to make us feel better?" She scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "Please." 

"Did everyone get a peppermint?" Mr. Hayden asked as he made his way from the back of the room towards our row.

The class replied with "yes's" and "thank you's".

Mr. Hayden nodded as he slowly walked down our row. "Alright. The quiz will be on chapters five and six. We'll get started in five minutes." He stopped right next to my desk. "Hey, how did your test go?" he asked softly, his eyes searching for mine.

I froze.

My heart began to race in my chest.

Ugh, didn't he know what he did to me? I couldn't have him. I knew that. But how was I not supposed to fall for him when he kept acting like he cared about me like this? Each kind gesture from him made my heart beat faster. It took all the strength I had to look at him in those gentle brown eyes and reply, "good".

A handsome smile slowly appeared on his face, making my heart melt. It shouldn't have. But it did. "Yeah?" he asked lowly, placing the stack of pop quizzes on my desk, letting his hand linger there next to mine on my book. "How do you think you did?"

I quickly moved my hands to my lap, digging my nails into my palm. "Good . . . hopefully." I let out a light laugh and offered a small smile, hoping it would convince him to leave me alone so I wouldn't get my hopes too high again.

And focus on the pop quiz.

. . . that was more important, obviously.

"That's great! I knew you could do it." He smiled back, picking up the stack of quizzes and heading back to his desk.

Ugh, he was so hot and I was so . . .

. . . What was I going to do with myself?

My eyes drifted to the empty space on the wooden surface where his hand had just been. He was just a teacher. It was his duty to see how students were doing on their studies. Nothing more than that.

I reached for my history book and flipped to the chapter we were studying.

"What was that all about?"

My heart dropped.

I turned to see Sasha next to me, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.

I gave her a shrug before turning back to my book.

It didn't mean anything to me, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal to anyone else, right?

I anxiously tapped my pen as I bit the inside of my cheek.

Hopefully, I'd convince myself to believe it was nothing sooner or later . . . because right now I was only fooling myself.

"That's five minutes, everyone," Mr. Hayden announced from the front of the classroom. "Let's clear our desks please and get started on our quizzes."

Sasha caught my eye, giving me an annoyed look before turning to her quiz. 

The crinkling of wrappers eventually faded as everyone ate their candies and began working on the quiz. But once I cleared my desk, my gaze couldn't help but lift from my quiz in front of me and drift to Mr. Hayden at the front of the room.

He was focused now, writing and flipping through books. His dark thick eyebrows furrowed in concentration, while the sleeves of his navy blue dress shirt were rolled up, perfectly displaying his forearms flexing as he vigorously scribbled something down. The longer I hopelessly gazed at him, the more I couldn't help but wonder how it would feel to be held by those perfect arms.

I knew I shouldn't be doing this, shouldn't be thinking about him this way. In my mind, I knew, I knew that Mr. Hayden was nothing more than just a teacher to me . . .

. . . but that was just a lie I had been telling myself . . .

. . . because now, I was falling for Mr. Hayden.

My mind was pacing with all kinds of thoughts as I came to this realization. I wasn't sure if I even finished all two questions of the quiz. I barely had any attention left but to just jot down the homework assignment at the end of class before practically running out of the room.

Thankfully, next period was my free period, so I would have some time alone with my thoughts and get myself out of this teacher crush because, honestly - all puns aside - it was crushing me.

"Think we passed?" Sasha asked, breaking me out of my thoughts as she caught up to me in the hall. 

I turned to her to see a look of weary confusion all over her face that I was sure matched my own. "Truth?"

She shook her head. "Only lies and lip gloss go with my outfit." She smoothed her hands over her mini denim skirt. 

"Oh, so that's what's missing from my outfit," I joked with a playful smile, holding out my hands as I looked down at my sweater. 

She gave me a pointed look. "Our outfits aren't missing anything. But if we keep stressing about this dumb pop quiz, we're going to ruin them!"

I thought for a moment. "Well, it was only two questions . . ." 

She nodded in agreement. "It wasn't actually that bad . . ."

I knitted my eyebrows. "Are we being overdramatic?" 

"No such thing." She shook her head and we both laughed. 

Doubt, however, immediately began to creep back in again as soon as our laughter died down. I sighed as I leaned my side against my locker, facing her. "What are we gonna do?"

She pursed her lips as she thought for a moment. "Extra credit?"

My mind instantly went to Mr. Hayden.

"We could go to those literature discussions in the library. They're so boring, but apparently, we get extra credit just for showing up, " she continued, explaining the actual extra credit. Because of course there was actual extra credit. What else would she be talking about? 

I nodded along. 

Wait.

Why did all my thoughts even go straight to Mr. Hayden?

What?

What?

What was wrong with me???

No. No. No. No. No. No.

I couldn't just--It was wrong. So wrong.

"We should go!" She smiled eagerly at me. 

"Totally!" I pushed myself off my locker and did my best to match her her smile as if I wasn't just daydreaming about our history teacher. Yet my mind still spun. What if she could she tell? She did ask what happened earlier before the pop quiz . . .

"Yay!!" she squealed, clapping her hands. "We need to go find Chelsea and Alice and tell them to put our names down." 

I spun the dial on my lock and opened it. "They're going too?"

"They go to all of them." She rolled her eyes, pointing her finger to her mouth as she stuck her tongue out. "Come on! The bell's gonna go off!!"

"Okay. Okay." I scrambled to stuff my books into my locker as quick as I could before slamming it shut and we hurried down the hall. 

"Wait." I stopped in the middle of the hall. "Do we need to bring a notebook or something?" 

"We could share!" she suggested with a smile.

I gave her a knowing look as I walked backwards to my locker. "You love your notebook too much to do that."

"I do!" she sighed happily, placing her hands on her chest before quickly hurrying down the hall again. "I'll save you a seat!" she called out behind her. 

"Thank you!!" I stepped up to my locker again, opening it before catching a glimpse of my reflection in the tiny mirror Sasha had hung up on my locker door. She had gotten matching mirrors for the four of us. I usually tried to avoid it, but today I was actually grateful she put it there.

Had I really been walking around all day like this?

Around Mr. Hayden?

. . . Not like I was trying to impress him.

What was wrong with me?

I blew out a breath as I ran my hand through my long dark hair before the bell sounded.

I closed my eyes in disappointment.

Perfect.

Now, not only was I actually insane. I was late.

I hated my life.

I glanced towards the doors at the end of the hall.

Technically, it was free period. I was allowed to leave . . .

. . . but all my friends were now waiting for me at the literature discussion.

A promise is a promise.

With a sigh, I turned back to the mirror and pulled my hair into a ponytail. I guess one tardy wouldn't be in the end of the world . . . It wouldn't result in detention yet. Not like that would be a bad thing if Mr. Hayden--

I slammed my locker shut, hoping pushing my reflection out of sight would also help me get rid of my thoughts too.

Clearly, I wasn't safe alone with my own thoughts either . . .

Sasha was right. This literature discussion was exactly what I needed.

I quickly made my way to the office to get a late pass, eager to get to the library and finally distract my mind.

I swung open the door and stepped inside, immediately stopping in my tracks.

This could not be happening right now.

There he was. Mr. Hayden, himself. The very exact one who had been consuming my thoughts all day now actually in front of me.

What was he doing here?

He couldn't--

Duh.

Of course he was here. He worked here.

He was a teacher.

Then why was my heart beating so fast?

And why couldn't I stop myself from smiling?

"Maddie!"

I tore my eyes away from my history teacher to see Ms. Medina, the secretary, right next to him behind the desk.

Had she been here this whole time?

She gave me a warm smile. "Nice to see you here! How's your day going, mija?"

"I--"

The phone suddenly went off and she held up a finger before answering.

I adjusted my bag on my shoulder as my eyes drifted to Mr. Hayden again.

He had yet to notice me as his eyes were focused on the papers in his hands.

Ms. Medina continued her call before taking the phone with her and disappearing to the back.

I let out a huff, tossing a glance at the clock at the wall. I turned towards the door before looking back at Mr. Hayden still working.

I played with my necklace, shifting my eyes to the door again.

Whatever.

I turned away from the door, taking in a deep breath. "Mr. Hayden?"

His head shot up, his brown eyes meeting mine and my heart did a flip.

I barely had time to give it a thought, however, as a gorgeous smile lit up his face, and just like that, the rest of the world fell away.

"Madison," he greeted. He was so sweet. So kind. So oblivious . . .

"So, what do we think, dark blue or light blue?"

"I don't know, Chels. What if we don't even get asked?" Alice's voice sounded through the speaker of my phone.

"So? We don't need a date to look cute at the winter formal," Chelsea replied. "Just the right dress."

"We have each other anyway," I said with a smile as I tapped my pencil at my desk.

Sasha scoffed, playfully rolling her eyes. "Well, that was deep & cute."

I laughed, turning around to see her. 

She snatched my phone from my desk in front of me and plopped herself on my bed. 

We were doing a three-way call with Chelsea & Alice, while Sasha & I were studying at my place. And to us, studying meant calling each other even though we just saw each other two hours ago just to talk even more. Tonight, we were discussing the upcoming winter formal.

"No, but seriously guys, what color dress should I get? If I can narrow down the colors, then picking the style would be easier." Chelsea's voice said through the speaker.

"Red." Sasha nodded confidently.

"Red?" I turned to her in confusion. 

"Guys love red." She shrugged.

"Wait. Should we all wear red?" Chelsea asked. 

"Ew, no!" Sasha immediately shook her head. "We can't all match at the winter formal." 

"I think it'd be kinda cute," Alice spoke up. 

"We are not matching at the winter formal," Sasha insisted.

"What if I want to look as cute as you?" I asked her playfully.

She rolled her eyes, yet a smile grew on her lips. "Fine. Only if we absolutely can not find anything else to wear," she said sternly, holding her finger in the air. "Matching is the last resort!"

"Can't wait." I smirked at her. 

"I hate you," she mumbled, causing me to giggle. 

"When is this thing anyway?" Chelsea's voice asked through the speaker.

"Two weeks?" Alice guessed.

I knitted my eyebrows. "I thought it was in four weeks."

"Six weeks!" Sasha exclaimed, sitting up. "It's in six weeks. Not . . like . . . I've been counting down or anything . . ." she finished with a weak laugh.

"We only have six weeks to find the perfect dress?!" Chelsea cried.

"We only have six weeks to find the perfect date," Sasha corrected.

My mind instantly jumped to Mr. Hayden. But it wasn't long before the more rational side of me instantly shot that possibility down. Going to the winter formal with my history teacher? Get real, Maddie.

But then . . . who was I supposed to go with? Did I even want to go with anyone else?

"Oooh! We got a new catalogue in today," Sasha's voice broke me out of my thoughts. "I'll bring it to school tomorrow." 

"Catalogue for what?" Alice asked. "Dates?"

We all burst into giggles. 

"If only." Sasha rolled her eyes. "Dresses. You guys have to see them! They're to die for."

"A catalogue for dates isn't a bad idea . . ." I trailed off.

"We know who Sasha would order . . ." Chelsea sang, causing us all to burst into giggles again.

"Shut up!" Sasha laughed. "See you tomorrow, Chels!!"

"See ya! Don't forget the catalogue!"

"The date catalogue or the dress catalogue?" I lifted my eyes to Sasha with a teasing smile.

"Shut up!!" Sasha gasped at me, nudging my side, causing me to laugh even more.

"Bye, guys! See you tomorrow!" I called out. 

"Bright and early!" Alice and Chelsea exclaimed.

"Bright and early!!" Sasha and I repeated, laughing at the joke we made up just to make school mornings just a tad more enjoyable. 

"Come on." Sasha turned to me after hanging up. "Getting a date is the most important part about the formal, right?"

"No, it's the dress!" I told her with a laugh, bringing my hair to one side, covering my neck.

"Can you really look good at the formal without a date?"

"If you're wearing the right dress," I shrugged before pausing and looking up at her. "Do guys really like red?"

She nodded. "Apparently, they find it super seductive. Red dress, red lipstick, red nail polish . . . red anything, and they go absolutely crazy for it. Like, they lose their mind."

I bit back my smile at the thought of Mr. Hayden's reaction to my red lipstick . . . or red dress . . . Ugh, was it weird? I shouldn't have been thinking about my history teacher like this . . . but my lips still tingled from his . . . 

"Wanna try it?" Sasha asked, breaking me out of my daydream. 

"Huh?" I asked dumbly.

"Let's paint our nails red and see if it works," she suggested with an eager smile. 

I shook my head in hopes to rid myself of the feeling his lips on mine that wouldn't leave my mind. "We have homework to get done first." 

"We'll finish it later," she said simply. 

"We have to study too." 

"We can do our reading assignment while our nails dry, okay?"

I let out a sigh. "It's, like, half the book."

"Do you want to get dates to the formal or not?" She arched an eyebrow at me, perching her hands on her hips.

I gave her a confused look. "What?"

"If we paint our nails red, guys will notice . . .  and maybe ask us to the winter formal!" she finished, holding her hands out. 

I shook my head with a laugh. "Sasha, it's not going to work."

She frowned at me, dropping her hands. "Why not?"

"They're not going to ask us just because of our nail polish," I stated simply.

"It doesn't hurt to try." She stood from my bed, heading over to my dresser. "At least, our nails will look good."

"True." I agreed with a sigh, following her. I couldn't argue with that.

"It's so going to work though," she said confidently. "We're getting dates by the end of the week."

I gave her an unsure look. "You really think so?"

"Please." She picked up a bottle of red nail polish, holding it up with a smile. "Boys can't resist red, remember?" 

I smiled back at her, grabbing the top coat. As ridiculous as it sounded, I couldn't ignore the small part of me that secretly hoped it would work in catching a certain someone's attention. Was it wrong? It certainly didn't feel wrong. It felt magical and perfect and wonderful--

"This is going to be so much fun!!" Sasha gushed, clapping her hands as settled herself on the floor, sitting cross-legged. 

"Should we do glitter too? Or would that be too much?" I asked, taking a seat across from her. 

"Too much glitter?" She raised an eyebrow at me as she rolled the bottle of nail polish in between her palms. "No such thing." She quickly shook her head. "The more sparkles, the better. We need to shine, Maddie, or we don't go at all!!" 

I let out a laugh, rolling the base coat. "Won't we blind them?" 

She gave me a look. "Duh. That's the point." She stood up, going to my dresser.

I burst into laughter and she joined in. "This is why I love you." 

"If Ben doesn't ask me, I'm going to Winter Formal with you," she declared as she returned, holding a bottle of red glitter nail polish. 

"He's totally going to ask you. Are you kidding? Don't you guys have, like, two classes together?"

She nodded, rolling the bottle between her palms. "Math and lit. discussion, so I know he knows who I --Hey," she paused, looking up at me in realization. "Why didn't you come to the lit. discussion? I saved you a spot 'cause you said you were coming."

I froze in the middle of my actions. Guilt instantly crashing over me, nearly causing the whole truth and nothing but the truth to bubble over and spill into the open air.

Apparently, my lame lie about finishing our nonexistent science project wasn't reasonable enough to stop her from questioning me.

I opened my mouth to speak but then quickly closed it.

What could I tell her? Should I tell her? How much could I even tell her?

The taste of his lips flashed through my mind. His eyes. His touch. His cologne . . . 

"It's okay. It's not like you missed anything." She waved her hand dismissively. "I mean, it's literature. How exciting could it be?" She rolled her eyes with a laugh.

I laughed along, opening the bottle of base coat. "I'll go tomorrow. There's one tomorrow, right?"

"Who cares?" She shrugged nonchalantly. "You'll skip again, right?"

I paused. "I--"

"Just invite me next time." She tilted her head, giving me a perfect smile.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Of course." The guilt faded into gratitude as I smiled back at my best friend, thankful for her understanding. 

"What if we wore red lipstick with red nail polish? Would that be too much?" Sasha asked as she twisted the bottle of nail polish open. "Like, would it be too obvious or--"

"Maddie!!" my mom's voice called from the hall. 

Sasha and I turned towards my closed bedroom door. 

"Yeah?" I asked, getting up from the floor and opening the door. 

"There you are!" My mom stepped up to me with a bright smile. 

I smiled back. "You're home early. What's up? Everything okay?" 

"Can you take your sister to practice?

I furrowed my eyebrows at her. "Right now?" I turned back to Sasha sitting on the floor, readily holding the bottle of red nail polish.

My mom nodded. "Your brother's hockey practice is starting soon so I have to take him."

I faced my mom again, crossing my arms. "I thought Dad was taking him."

"He's working late." 

"Of course." I rolled my eyes. When was he not?

"Please, Maddie," my mom pleaded. "You only have to drop her off today. I'll take her the rest of the week."

"I agreed to only pick her up the rest of the week. Now, I have to drop her off too?"

"Just this once."

I sighed in exasperation, running my hand through my hair, looking back at Sasha. "But I--I have homework and--"

"Sweetie." My mom met my eyes. "Just take her today. Don't worry about the rest of the week, okay?"

I let out a heavy sigh, but nodded anyway. "Okay." 

"Thank you, sweetheart!" She pulled me into a quick hug, pressing a kiss to the top of my head before heading down the stairs. "Katie's practice starts in twenty!"

My eyes went wide. "What?!"

"Where are my cleats??" Katie asked from across the hall. 

I closed my eyes, letting out a frustrated breath before walking back inside my room and closing the door behind me. "Do I look like I know where her cleats are?" I asked Sasha in annoyance. 

"What's a cleat anyway?" she muttered, keeping her eyes on her nails.

I dragged myself over to her, pouting. "Please help," I whined helplessly to my best friend. Maybe I was being a bit too dramatic, but did I really want to take my sister to soccer practice? I had homework to do and tests to study for . . . I didn't even want to think about it.

I wanted to think about Mr. Hayden . . . and our wonderful, magical kiss. 

But it was just a kiss. 

Did it mean anything more? 

Could it?

I knew it was wrong, but--ugh, in that moment . . . his lips fitting perfectly against mine. The heated touch of his skin. The weight of his body pressing into mine . . . Nothing ever felt more right. 

Being with someone who actually felt the same way towards me as I felt towards him was unbelievable. 

But not just anyone. 

My teacher . . .

. . . who assigned us a ton of homework . . .

that I still had to get done . . . 

. . . But I couldn't get him off my mind.  

He did say he couldn't make any promises though. 

It was just a kiss anyway . . . 

A perfect, too-good-to-be-true, breathtaking kiss that I never wanted to end . . .

"Maddie!!" my sister's voice snapped me back to reality. "Can we stop at that burger place after practice?" she called from downstairs. "They have the best fries!!"

"You got it!!" I replied, forcing a smile. It dropped just as quickly though as I rolled my eyes and I looked back at Sasha. "You're so lucky you're the youngest," I muttered. 

She immediately scrunched up her nose. "Ew. I'd rather be an only child than put up with Jackson."

I sat back down on the floor next to her with a huff. "Why can't we just be sisters?"

A mischievous smile grew on her face. "You would get so sick of me." 

I gasped, looking up at her in shock. "Never!"

She threw her head back with a laugh as she stood to her feet. "You say that now . . . wait until I steal all your clothes." 

"You already do!" I laughed. "And so do I!"

Her smile dropped. "You do?!" 

I walked over to my closet, fetching the black leather jacket I borrowed way too long ago. "Sorry. I keep forgetting to give it back," I apologized, giving it to her.

"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about this!" she exclaimed, holding the jacket out. She suddenly gasped. "It would go so perfectly with our red nail polish!"

I raised my eyebrows in approval, nodding. "You'd break so many hearts." 

"I need you to break hearts with me!"

"I don't want to break any hearts." I shook my head with a laugh, walking over to grab my bag. 

"Why not? It's fun!" She smiled playfully. "How else are we supposed to get dates for the winter formal?"

I gave her a confused look. "What happened to the red nail polish thing?"

"That's exactly how we'll break hearts, babe." She tossed her blonde curls over her shoulder. "Red nail polish and red lipstick! I am leaving this here." She hung the leather jacket back up in my closet. "You are so going to need it for tomorrow!" 

I frowned, watching her. "But it's yours." 

"I have another one." She waved her hand dismissively. "We need to look good to get winter formal dates!!"

"We also need to do our homework." I let out a weak laugh, trying to not freak out about the pile of homework waiting to be completed. Not like I could do any of it now . . . 

Taking Katie to practice was never just 'taking Katie to practice'. We hadn't even left the house yet and she already made plans to get dinner. Who knows what other plans she'd come up with between now and arriving at the field?

"What's more important, homework or winter formal?" She held her hands out at her sides.

I simply raised an eyebrow at her. 

She huffed, thinking for a moment. "Okay. Well . . . what's more important to us?"

I blinked at her. 

A smile tugged on her lips and we both broke out into laughter. 

"Sasha!" I exclaimed in between laughs. "Wearing red is not going to help me pass math!"

"It doesn't matter! No one uses math anyway." She shook her head before stopping to think for a moment. "Unless you're, like, an engineer . . . or math magician--What--What's the word?" She looked up at me, a smile still faint on her face. 

"Yeah, that." I waved my hand dismissively.

"Which we are," she added. 

"Duh." I nodded, smiling playfully at her and we both burst into giggles again. 

"I'll give you the answers tomorrow at break," Sasha offered.

I gasped as I dug through my bag for my keys. "You really are a math magician!" I exclaimed with a smile, reaching for her hand. "I love you."

"I love you too . . . which is why I want you to have a date for the winter formal too!" she exclaimed, giving my hand a squeeze. "You're wearing the red lipstick tomorrow, okay?"

I let out a sigh, giving her a look. 

"And the leather jacket. And you're going to look amazing." 

I chewed on my lip, thinking for a moment. "Are you going to wear red lipstick too?"

"Not tomorrow. That's your thing." She shook her head, picking up the bottle of red nail polish. "I'll just do my nails. Then Chelsea and Alice could wear something else red . . . and we could see which one works best!" She gasped, turning to me with excitement. "This is going to be so much fun!!"

I gave her a hesitant look. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Time to find out . . ." she sang, holding the nail polish up in the air.

I let out a laugh, shaking my head as I headed toward the door. "This is so dumb."

"No, it's not."

I turned back to her. "Sasha, I can't wear red lipstick to school."

"You can and you will," she said firmly, lowering her gaze at me. "Besides, who knows? If it works, it'll probably be ruined by the end of the day." She shrugged, placing the red nail polish back on my dresser before giving me an innocent smile.

I gaped at her.

"Jackson's here to pick me up." She looked at her phone before grabbing her bag. "Text me if you need that lipstick. I'll bring it for you tomorrow. Love ya!" She blew me a kiss as she headed out.

I let out a sigh as I followed her. "Love you too."

Was Sasha's red lipstick idea absolutely crazy? Yes.

But deep down, I couldn't help but hope along with her that my lipstick would end up ruined by the end of the day . . . 

Was I absolutely crazy?

. . .

I let out a huff as I ran my hand through my hair.

It was so wrong . . . but I couldn't deny how exciting it felt. A smile made its way onto my lips just thinking about him. This was wrong in every single way . . . except for the way my heart totally fluttered at the thought of him.

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. If I didn't stop thinking about him now, I wasn't ever going to leave and I definitely wasn't going to get any homework done. Maybe it'd be better if I just focused on doing the homework he assigned us tonight instead of getting carried away by simply the thought of him. 

I looked over at my bag on the carpeted floor waiting to be open. If anything, seeing Mr. Hayden tomorrow was definitely motivation enough for me to complete my homework.

Suddenly, I was rushing out the door, eager to get Katie to practice, just so I could come back home and finish my homework. 

Suddenly, going back to school tomorrow didn't seem that bad after all. The girls and I had the winter formal to discuss and our red colors to try . . .

. . . and I had a whole class period with Mr. Hayden to look forward to. 

I could only hope I'd have my homework completed by then too.

***********

Plot twist: It's actually not a one-part story XD Let me know what you think of this chapter ! Please & thank you ! :)

Upon entering school the next morning, I immediately spotted my friends at our usual spot by the lockers.

"Oh my gosh. You actually did it!!" Sasha bounced up to me with an eager smile. Her eyes lit up as she ran her red fingernails over the sleeve of her black leather jacket I had borrowed.

"I can't believe you actually convinced me," I mumbled with a roll of my eyes yet let out a laugh. 

"Can't believe she actually convinced all of us," Chelsea spoke up next to me. 

I glanced over her red sweater she had paired with jeans. "Cute sweater." I smiled at her as I opened my locker & grabbed the books I needed for my first classes.

"I feel so dumb."

"I think we look cute," Alice said as she turned to us, adjusting the red bow in her long brown hair. "We should match more often!"

"No, we shouldn't!" Chelsea immediately insisted, turning back to her locker. 

"You are so going to get asked first," I told her playfully. 

"Yeah, because my red Converse are so irresistible." She held her foot up, showing her sneakers, causing us all to laugh. 

As we giggled and made more jokes, I couldn't help but glance around the crowded hallways, eager to see a certain face . . .

". . . Mads?"

"Hm?" I quickly turned to Sasha, bringing my hair over my shoulder to cover my neck. 

"Chelsea found this dress. What do you think?" She held up a magazine, opened to a page with countless sparkly gowns of every color.

"Oooh, pretty!" Alice gasped.

"Wait, I have to show you the others." Chelsea grabbed the magazine, hastily flipping through the pages.

"You are going to break every guy's heart in this outfit," Sasha turned to me, running her hand over the leather jacket. 

"I'm just going to scare every guy away," I replied with a laugh, glancing around the crowded hallways.

She raised an eyebrow at me. 

"I feel like everybody's looking at me!" I cried, slamming my locker shut. "Especially with the red lipstick."

"Yeah, 'cause you look hot." 

I gave her a look. 

"We both do." She gave me her perfect smile. 

The bell then sounded through the halls, indicating the start of yet another school day.

"Come on, my little heartbreaker." She reached for my hand. 

I took it, before turning to Chelsea and Alice. "We are so annoying." I rolled my eyes, yet let out a laugh. 

"We'll be annoying with you!!" Alice reached for my hand as she and Chelsea followed us down the hall. 

Various posters promoting tickets for the upcoming Winter Formal lined the walls, providing yet another reminder of the big event as we reached the classroom.

"Six weeks is so not enough time to find the perfect dress." Chelsea huffed, casting a glare at the poster. "Think we can sneak this into study hall?" She held up the catalogue. 

"Would Mrs. Karlsson even let us?" Alice asked as we reached the classroom.

"She doesn't have to know." Sasha gave us a playful smile over her shoulder before she stepped inside and we followed. 

A teacher had yet to make an appearance as we stepped inside and made our way to our seats in the back. I fished through my bag for my homework that I had yet to complete, before realizing Mr. Hayden could possibly be in charge of homeroom again today. It would definitely be different from how it was yesterday as this time all my friends were here, but nevertheless, it would still actually be nice.

As I set my notebook & pencil on my desk, Alice & Chelsea continued discussing the different shops & comparing dresses to my right, while Sasha was too busy playing on her phone on my left, so I figured it was a good time to finally finish all my homework due today. It was either now or never. 

Just as I was reading the first question for the science assignment, a new voice spoke up, "sorry I'm late, everyone." 

I looked up to see who the voice belonged to. 

"Just resume your studies, as per usual." Mr. Hayden smiled, his eyes landing on me holding his gaze for just a little longer. 

Memories of yesterday afternoon instantly flooded my mind. All I could think about was how his lips felt on mine, how he tasted, his touch . . . 

Ohhhh my gosh. 

This was going to be way harder than I thought it would. 

I quickly looked down, back to my science book, hoping not to make anything seem so obvious. 

"What is he doing here?" Sasha half whispered, half yelled, turning to face us from her seat in front of me, a look of disgust painted clearly on her face.

"He's a teacher." Alice laughed. "It's kinda his job." She returned to looking through the catalog along with Chelsea.

"Doesn't he always monitor study hall?" I asked Sasha, looking up from my homework.

She groaned. "Now I have to look like I'm actually doing something. He's already taken away my phone once & it's not happening again." She begrudgingly started taking her books out & throwing them on her desk. 

The noise, of course, caught Mr. Hayden's attention causing him to walk over towards our little corner in the back.

"Everything alright here, ladies?" he asked, standing right next to my desk. The faint scent of his cologne reached my senses, making my head light.

My hand automatically went to my hair, bringing it over my shoulders to hide my neck, despite the fact that it was already down. I didn't dare meet his gaze, afraid I wouldn't be able to answer but get mesmerized by his eyes.

"Yep!" Chelsea piped up, quickly placing her hands on top of the dress catalog.

Mr. Hayden looked to see what she had been so eager to hide and soon enough spotted the magazine, a small smile forming on his face as he figured out what we were up to. I couldn't help but smile too.

"Alright. Since I know you are all good students, I'll let you be this time. As long as you don't disturb those around you, okay?" he compromised with us and we all nodded in agreement.

"Good," he said, meeting my gaze briefly before walking back to his desk.

I looked down, letting my hair fall as a curtain around my face to hide the blush that was rising in my cheeks. I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling but the memories of yesterday refused to leave my mind . . . and it was only first period. How was I supposed to survive the entire rest of the day? 

"See? He's not so bad," I heard Chelsea say.

"Nope. Not that bad," Sasha agreed, her voice sounded closer than before. I looked up to see she was turned around completely in her seat in front of me, directly facing me. An intrigued look on her face & I knew Mr. Hayden's gesture toward me did not go unnoticed. 

I fiddled with my pencil. ". . . Or is he?" I countered with a small smile. "He's a teacher. They're all bad." 

"Bad?" Alice raised her eyebrows, looking up from the magazine. "They're our enemy," she emphasized with wide eyes and we all burst into quiet laughter. 

"No, but we kinda need them on our side if we want to graduate." Chelsea shook her head. 

"Please." Sasha rolled her eyes, flipping through the magazine. "They're not ever on our side with the insane amount of homework they give us . . . on weekends." 

"Enemies," Alice emphasized, making us laugh again. 

Eventually, I resumed to my science homework, silently thankful no further questions were asked, despite Sasha noticing our little interaction. I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell her or any of my friends. I wasn't even sure myself what exactly was going on between Mr. Hayden and me. I just knew it felt magical and delicate and fun. 

And that it's only been a day.

In between answering review questions and giving our opinions on any gown Chelsea or Alice or Sasha found, I had completed my science & history homework, leaving literature as the last subject to complete, but I could always do that during break or lunch.

"Hey Mads, come with me to the bathroom real quick?" Sasha asked as we were packing up our things.

"Yeah." I nodded, my eyes drifting toward the front of the classroom. I was hoping to stay behind & talk to Mr. Hayden after study hall, but there was always free period. Meeting in the bathroom with Sasha usually meant she had something urgent to talk about. And when she said urgent, it was urgent. 

I followed her out of the classroom, giving Mr. Hayden a small smile as we left. 

However, as soon as we walked out of the classroom, Sasha spotted Ben, the guy she's had her eye on, leaving me alone in the hallway . . .

. . . and with the perfect opportunity to spin on my heel and head back to the guy I had my eye on.

I stepped up to the doorway to see Mr. Hayden going around the empty classroom, placing a test on each desk. 

Now that it was just the two of us here, my eyes took the chance to roam over him, taking in the way his black dress shirt accentuated his lean, yet muscular build perfectly, along with his matching dress pants. The black tie around his neck added the most sophisticated touch to his look, making me weak in the knees. His dark blonde was neatly combed to one side and I suddenly had the urge to run my fingers through it--

"Hey." Mr. Hayden's eyes lit up as soon as he watched me walk through the door, causing my heart to flutter.

"Hi," I greeted, walking towards him before feeling awkward all of sudden. Where were we supposed to go from here? Did he even want to meet up again? What if it was just a one time thing? Maybe I wasn't supposed to be here at all . . . 

"Did you . . ." his voice broke my thoughts before they could spiral any further. ". . . have a question regarding the homework?" His gaze shifted to the hallway filled with students just outside the door. 

I paused, looking at him. "I did actually." I chewed on my lip, hoping I was catching on to what he was throwing. "Um, yeah. The one assigned yesterday." 

"Right. It's due today." He nodded, his gaze holding mine. "So, it needs to be completed before class." He made his way toward his desk. The strong scent of his cologne filled my senses as he ever-so-slightly brushed past me, sending shivers down my back.

"Um, yeah," I forced out as if every movement from this man didn't have me completely mesmerized. 

His eyes never left mine as he took a seat in his black chair. The way he looked at me so intensely with passion sent the butterflies in my stomach to the skies. I had to focus my eyes elsewhere before I completely loss all sense of rationality just by looking into those brown eyes.

"Um, my class is right after lunch." I fiddled with the strap of my bag.

"Would working on it during lunch work for you? Not the whole time, of course." He quickly shook his head, his eyes drifting behind me as the next class began walking in. "Just stop by whenever you've finished eating." 

I nodded, biting my lip to fight the smile growing on my face. "Okay," I replied simply. However, inside, the butterflies were in full flight now.

A handsome smile adorned his face and just like that, every doubt I ever had about this vanished. Ugh, how did he somehow look even more gorgeous today than yesterday? Was that even possible? "Alright. Bring your book and everything else, and I'll see you then."

Giving him another nod, I turned and left to my next class, holding my books close to my chest. My mind already floating off into a daydream with no one else but me and Mr. Hayden as I counted down the hours until--

"Guess what? Guess what? Guess whaaattt???" Sasha squealed, running up to me, and engulfing me in a giant hug.

"What?" I asked excitedly, unable to hold back my own smile as we pulled away.

"Ben's going to be at the pep rally!! We have to go!!"

"To a pep rally?" I raised an eyebrow at her as we began walking down the hallway. 

"Yes!!" she gushed, beaming with a perfect smile. 

"Are you feeling okay?" I lifted my hand to her forehead. "Since when are you so excited about pep rallies?"

"Since Ben is going to be there! I'm telling you, Maddie. The red is working!!"

I pulled my hand away, smiling to myself, and relating to her words in a way. Never had I thought I'd be looking forward to school, yet here I was counting down the hours until history class. 

"Okay," Sasha spoke up. "We need to find a cute guy for you so you can be excited for the pep rally too!" 

I froze. 

"Who do you like this year?"

A heat rose to my cheeks and I fought the urge to suddenly gush to her about everything just as she was with me . . . but I couldn't. I bit the inside of my cheek as I lifted my eyes to her, guilt creeping in at the thought of lying to my best friend. 

I let out a sigh. "Um, I'm not going to sit in the smelly gym and watch whatever dumb games they force us to play just for some guy. The only fun part is the dance routine the cheerleaders do but they only give them, like, two seconds to perform." I rolled my eyes.

"He won't be just 'some guy'." She rolled her eyes as we reached our classrooms. "He'll be cute. Besides, we need dates to the winter formal! Hello!"

"We're already wearing red," I pointed out.

"Exactly! We can't let it go to waste and the pep rally is the perfect chance!"

"But--"

"I'll save you a seat." She winked, tossing her blonde curls over her shoulder before disappearing into the Chemistry classroom.

I simply let out a sigh as I stepped into my next class, hoping the Algebra 2 equations would make a little more sense than all of this. 

Whether they did or didn't, I wasn't really sure, mostly because I spent half of the class doodling hearts and initials of a certain someone in the corner of my paper, and the other half scrambling to get the rest of the notes I should've been getting if I hadn't been doodling hearts and the initials of a certain someone.

My conversation with Sasha floated into my mind. Dressing up and going to the winter formal did sound like a lot of fun, but how was I supposed to go with a date when I had feelings for someone else? And it's not like I could explain that to my friends . . . How long was I supposed to lie to them about this? How long could I? How long would whatever I had with Mr. Hayden even last?

Countless more questions swirled through my mind, making my head hurt even more when I was simply supposed to be trying to understand the y axis. 

I shut my book just as the bell sounded, much to my relief and headed to the courtyard for break. 

"L-E-T-S-G-O! Let's go!!" a chorus of voices chanted through the hallway.

I craned my neck over the crowd to see a few cheerleaders in their uniforms, waving their pom-poms in the air as they marched through the hallway, the matching navy blue ribbons in their hair flowing with their energetic movements. The crowd parted as they marched, creating a clear path for them.

Sasha stepped up next to me at our place by our bench, her gaze narrowed as she stared, or rather glared, at the cheerleaders. "Ugh, they're so annoying." She dropped her bag and lifted herself up to sit on top of the wall.

I gave her a confused look before leaning against the wall next to her. "I like them. Their uniforms are cute." I popped open a bag of fruit snacks and held it up to her. She took some and I did the same. 

Sasha eyed their navy blue skirts and matching tops for a moment. "Okay, well I guess they are," she admitted with a huff. "But they're not as drop dead gorgeous as our outfits. Like, this skirt--" She reached her hand out to my short grey skirt-- "Are you kidding me?! It's way too cute for school."  

"You think so?" I looked down at my skirt, plain white pullover, and black leather jacket that I totally did not wear in hopes of a certain history teacher noticing. 

Nope, not at all. 

I always dressed for myself. I mean, who else was there to dress for? 

Guys? Nah . . . 

Never . . . 

Not me.

I shoved some more fruit gummies in my mouth to stop myself from saying something stupid.

"Maybe I should change . . ." Sasha mumbled, digging her hand in the bag as I lifted it to her. "Do you want to come home really quick with me during lunch to change?"

I knitted my eyebrows at her as I plucked an orange gummy from the bag. "Why do you need to change?"

"I need to wear something cuter for the pep rally!" she cried before nodding to me. "You're all dressed up and ready. I need Ben to ask me out. Maybe we could skip English . . ."

"What do you mean something cuter? What's wrong with your outfit?" I flickered my eyes over her black leather jacket she wore over a cute black lace dress that hit just above her knees. It was decent enough to fall in line with the dress code, yet daring enough to still maintain its chic and sophistication. "It's super cute, Sasha."

"Hm." She pushed her lips to the side, thinking for a moment. "Maybe I don't need something cute. I need something hot." She picked out a few more gummies.

I gave her a look.

"Do you want dates to the formal or not?" she exclaimed, raising her eyebrows at me.

"Your dress is hot," I told her truthfully, popping the orange gummy in my mouth. 

She crossed her arms. "You just said it was cute."

"On you, it's hot." I looked up at her with a playful smile. 

"Shut up!" She pushed my side, fighting back a smile.

I let out a laugh and she joined in. 

"Fine. I won't change." Sasha hopped off the wall as our laughter died down and dug for more gummies. "If my super hot best friend told me my dress is hot, then my dress is hot." 

"Is that an attempt to get me to go to the pep rally?" I tilted my head, smiling at her. 

"Yesss," she sang, smiling back. "Hello! You're wearing a leather jacket and red lipstick! You can't let that go to waste!!"

I rolled my eyes. "Imagine if we wasted these perfectly hot outfits just sitting in a stuffy gym for five hours?" I popped some more gummies in my mouth. "What a shame."

She groaned, taking a seat on the bench. "Mads, it is not that long."

"It would be way more fun to skip, just saying." I shrugged.

"Skip what?" Chelsea and Alice approached us, carrying their bags over their shoulders.

"Maddie wants to skip the pep rally," Sasha told them with a roll of her eyes. 

"I just don't want our outfits to go to waste," I said. 

"They won't!" Sasha protested. "Ben will be there."

I sighed, turning to Chelsea and Alice. "Well, if you don't see me at the pep rally, you know where I'll be."

The high-pitch shrill of the bell filled the halls. 

"Where?" Alice turned to me. 

"Studying!" I called over my shoulder as I made my way back to the overly crowded halls. 

It wasn't entirely a lie, but guilt about lying not just to one of my friends, but now all three of my friends, continued to gnaw away at me. 

I pushed it away to focus on English as I walked into the classroom and found my seat next to Alice.

As we completed what felt like the fiftieth writing exercise of the day, the loud crackling of the speaker filled the room, followed by screeching feedback, causing everyone to wince as our eyes went to the speaker on the wall at the front of the classroom.

"My bad," a voice apologized through the speakers. "Ahem. Alright, Hawks! Get your Hawks spirit ready and head on down to the gym!! Pep rally starts in five!!" 

"And so does my misery," someone from the front added, causing the entire class to erupt into laughter.

As we packed our things, I glanced around the classroom before leaning toward Alice next to me. "I thought pep rallies weren't until after lunch." 

"They moved them to during lunch so we don't miss any classes," she said, slipping her backpack onto her shoulders.

I pulled away to give her a flat look. "Really?"

"I know." She pouted her lips. "It's so unfair. They're stealing our lunch time."

"How dare they?" I muttered with a roll of my eyes as we followed the sea of students out the door and into the hall. Now how was I supposed to meet up with Mr. Hayden? Maybe I could stay for the first half but sneak out in the middle . . . but would I make it back in time to catch the end of the pep rally? Was he supposed to be at the pep rally too? He couldn't skip . . . 

"Seniors rule!! Whooo!!!" a few seniors cheered as they walked by, rushing outside toward the gym. 

I watched them disappear before spotting the restrooms across the way. I turned to Alice, glancing toward the restrooms. She nodded and we pushed our way through the crowd.  

"Yay!! You're here!!" Sasha squealed as we stepped inside. Kelsey, one of the cheerleaders, stood at the mirror next to her, fixing her hair and makeup. "Want some lip gloss? Kelsey just got this new color and it's so pretty."

"Should we be sharing lip glosses?" Alice asked with a worried look as we stepped up to the mirror.  

"Please," Sasha scoffed, rolling her eyes and turning back to the mirror. "We kiss boys. As if that's any better." 

I stifled a laugh next to her. 

Her eyes met mine in the reflection and she laughed along. 

"At least lip gloss makes your lips look good," I said, inspecting my reflection in the mirror. The red lipstick still caught me by the surprise every time I realized I was wearing it. I still couldn't decide if I liked it or not. I brought my hair over my shoulder to cover my neck. "Boys just ruin it." 

Sasha laughed even more, throwing her head back. "No! That's the point!!"

"It's a waste of lip gloss," I countered, trying to give her a stern look but failing miserably. 

"Seriously!" Kelsey huffed, throwing her hand in the air next to Sasha. "I did not spend half of my entire college savings for a lip gloss that's just going to end up on a guy's face. He doesn't even appreciate it!" 

I laughed while Sasha looked at her, stunned. "Did you really pay that much for this lip gloss?"

"My college savings only had, like, twenty dollars," Kelsey muttered, causing us all to break out into laughter. 

Sasha sighed with a smile as our laughter settled down. "Okay. This is way too much fun. Why don't we just hang out?"

"Here?" Alice wrinkled her nose as she looked around the sinks. 

"Well, not here." Sasha shook her head as she piled her blonde curls on top of her head.

"Let's skip," I suggested with a shrug. 

Sasha dropped her hands, letting her blonde hair fall over her shoulders as her eyes met mine through the reflection. "We're not skipping. We're finding you a date."

"Oooh, date for what?" Kelsey piped up. 

"Winter formal." Sasha turned to her with a smile. "You have to try this lip gloss, Maddie. It'll go perfectly with your lipstick." She held up a tube of red lip gloss.

"But--"

"It won't get ruined," she assured me. "You can kiss every guy in this school and your lipstick  will be perfectly in place. Promise."

"Every guy?" Kelsey repeated, next to her with raised eyebrows.

"Every guy," Sasha stated, keeping her eyes on me, giving me a knowing smile. 

I rolled my eyes playfully at her, swiping the lipgloss. "Um, hello? I'm not wasting Kelsey's lipgloss on that. She spent, like, half her college savings on it!" I laughed as I handed the lip gloss back to Kelsey. 

"How about you try it on Ben?" Alice spoke up, smiling wide at Sasha. 

I gasped, smiling along with Alice before turning to Sasha. "Yes!"

Her eyes immediately went wide. "No!" 

Kelsey let out a laugh. "You have to! Come on!" She held out the lip gloss to her. 

"It's red," I insisted. 

"It's not like you have to try it on every guy," Alice said. 

"Yeah, I'll do that." I shrugged. 

Sasha gasped, raising her eyebrows at me. 

Kelsey, Alice and I burst into laughter. 

"Try it on Ben first then let me know how it goes so I can try it," I told her with a smile. I didn't exactly have to tell her who I'd try it with . . . 

"I can't waste Kelsey's college savings on him!" Sasha exclaimed. "He hasn't even asked me yet!"

Kelsey let out a groan. "Guys, it's literally, like, two dollars. I'm broke."

Sasha turned to me. "You'll really try it? Not on Ben, obviously . . ." she added. "But . . ."

I nodded. "If you try it." 

She thought for a moment before twisting open the lipgloss and turning toward the mirror.

"Yay!!" the three of us clapped and cheered as she carefully applied the red lipgloss. 

"Soooo . . .  what do we think?" She ran her hand over her blonde curls as her eyes met mine in the mirror. 

"There's no way he can't ask you now," I told her with a smile. 

She squealed, clapping her hands. "Thank you, Kelsey." She handed Kelsey the lip gloss before slipping her bag onto her shoulder. "Now, let's all go get our dates!!" 

Kelsey and Alice followed her to the door while I stayed in front of the mirror, inspecting my own reflection. 

"Maddie, you coming?" Sasha turned to me.

"Yeah, I'll catch up!" I nodded, digging through my bag for my phone. "I just need to call my mom back. Cover for me?" I pleaded. 

"Say less, babe." She tossed me a flawless smile over her shoulder before pushing the door open, and Kelsey and Alice followed. 

I sighed with relief at the endless kindness of my best friend, but guilt wouldn't stop bubbling up at how I had been taking advantage of her at this point . . . and somehow, that was worse than lying. 

Stuffing it down, I slipped my phone back into my pocket and snuck out of the restroom to find the hallways now strikingly silent. 

With careful, steady steps, I made my way down the hall until I reached the class that hadn't left my mind all morning. 

Surprisingly, the door was open, revealing the empty classroom inside. I slowly walked in, taking a seat in the back before fetching my pen and notebook from my bag. 

"You're not supposed to be in here." 

I jumped in my seat with a gasp before looking up. 

Mr. Hayden stood at the door, confusion written all over his handsome features. 

"I'm just doing homework." I nodded to my notebook in front of me. "Promise." 

"Isn't there a pep rally right now?"

"Yeah . . ." 

He began taking slow strides inside the room, towards me. "Is there a reason you're not attending?"

I took in a deep breath, drifting my eyes around the room as I twirled my pen in my hand. I returned my gaze to him. "Maybe it's the same reason you're not there."  

His eyebrows shot up, before a smirk tugged on the corner of his lips. "I was actually just on my way."

My face dropped. "Oh. Well . . . have fun." I shrugged, returning to my work. 

He stepped up to my desk, the fresh scent of his cologne invading my senses, making it impossible to focus on anything but him. "Madison, you can't be in here alone." 

I did my best to nod, while every fiber of my being was completely and totally fixated on him.  "I'll go to the library." I packed my bag and stood from my seat. He stepped aside, letting me head towards the door.

"About yesterday." He cleared his throat, causing me to slow my steps. 

I turned to face him, my heart beating faster and faster. 

His brown eyes were filled with sincerity as they stayed on mine. "I'm sorry for being so forward--"

"You weren't," I said quickly, unable to tear my gaze away from his, my pulse quickening. 

"I wasn't?"

"Well, not to me at least." I chewed on my lip, hugging my books close to my chest. 

He inhaled deeply, his eyes never leaving mine. 

My heart raced in my chest as I flickered my gaze from his warm brown eyes to his perfect pink lips, longing for nothing more than to close the distance between us. 

"Just making sure." He cleared his throat.  "I wasn't certain."

"Was I too forward?" I asked him playfully with a small smile.

"You?" He raised his eyebrows, a twinkle in his brown eyes as they connected with mine. 

I did my best to ignore the way my heart absolutely pounded in my chest now, barely forcing a nod.

"You . . ." he began, slowly taking a single step toward me. "You could never be too forward," he said lowly, his gaze steady on me.

My breath caught in my throat as I looked up at him. 

His gaze grew intense as it never left mine. 

"Never?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow at him. 

He shook his head, his expression remaining unreadable as he took his lower lip between his teeth. 

My stomach flipped as my eyes never left his, longing for him to do something, anything, now. This was wrong. This was so wrong. We were tiptoeing a very dangerous tightrope. But now that we had already crossed it . . . again . . . I didn't want to go back.

Because he was looking at me with nothing but desire and passion and longing. And my heart hadn't stopped fluttering since the moment he walked in. 

How could I ever want to go back? 

Why would I?

His eyes drifted to the empty hallway right outside the door. 

I followed his gaze. "I--I could just go to the library. It's fine." I took a step back.

He went over to the door, closing it. 

Or . . . maybe . . .  I . . . won't be going to the library. 

He walked back over to me, still carefully keeping his distance. "How much homework do you have left?"

"I finished it." I leaned against a desk.

His eyebrows shot up. "You finished it?"

"Yes." I giggled, cringing at how much I sounded like a schoolgirl. But, whatever. I was a schoolgirl. "What? You thought I really wanted to spend my lunch doing more homework?"

"I would've helped you," he admitted with a shrug, smiling adorably. 

I let out a laugh. "Define 'help'." 

His eyes grew serious as he looked at me. "Honestly. I mean it, Madison. I am here to help you with your assignments or any other work. I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage--"

I stepped up to him, pressing my finger to his lips. "I don't think that."

His thick eyebrows rose up in surprise behind my hand causing me to giggle. 

"I came here because yesterday was fun," I continued, keeping my eyes locked on his. "I liked it. And I kinda haven't been able to stop thinking about it. And ever since you walked in--"

He shook his head, cutting me off. 

My hand fell away from him, my heart dropping as I looked at him. "What?"

"Don't finish that or else I won't be able to stop myself," he said sternly, stepping back to create distance between us. 

I bit my lip, holding back a smile as I tilted my head at him. "Isn't that kind of the point?"

He lowered his gaze at me. 

A giggle escaped, completely blowing any effort I made to play it cool. "Don't remember you stopping yourself yesterday . . ." 

He swallowed hard, nodding. "Like, I said, I apologize for being so forward."

"Never said I didn't like it . . ." I gave him a small smile.

His eyes lifted to meet mine. 

I giggled, running my hand through my hair as a newfound confidence that only seemed to blossom when he was around rushed through me. 

My mind wouldn't stop yelling at me that every part of this was wrong. But if it was so wrong . . . why couldn't I stop smiling? Why hadn't the butterflies stopped fluttering? Why did an indescribable excitement come over me just by seeing him?

Maybe it was wrong . . . but maybe it was just wrong enough to be right. 

His gaze softened as he kept his eyes on me before they travelled down to my neck. 

He took a step closer, stirring the butterflies awake as he slowly lifted his hand before stopping himself. His eyes met mine, searching my face for any uncertainty. 

I gave him a quiet nod, in awe that despite the events that took place yesterday, he still cared enough to see if it was okay to simply brush his hand through my hair today. 

He lifted his hand to my hair once more, gently tucking it behind my ear, each trace of his hot fingertips burning against my skin, leaving me longing for more. My breath caught in my throat as I noticed a mix of concern and curiosity lingering in his warm brown eyes as he moved my hair to the side, inspecting the mark he had left there yesterday. "Is this from . . ." he trailed off, lifting his eyes to mine. 

"You know where it's from." A playful smile grew on my lips as I kept my gaze locked on his. 

"Perhaps I was a bit too forward," he murmured.

I giggled as I kept my eyes on him, studying the light freckles across his nose and glint of gold in his brown eyes as he stood this close to me.  "You could never be too forward," I said softly, repeating his words from earlier. 

He inhaled deeply as he gently brought my hair over my neck again and moved his hand away. "I should still be more careful."

Goosebumps instantly pricked my skin at the sudden loss of warmth from his touch. "Me too." I nodded, adjusting my bag on my shoulder and heading to the door.

He watched me in confusion. "Where are you going?"

"The pep rally." I turned to him. "Can I have a late pass?"

His eyes darted toward the door then back to me, his tongue running over his top lip before he made his way over to me. 

His cologne invaded my senses as his body heat radiated onto me, making my head light. "Look," he said lowly, his brown eyes growing intense as they stayed on mine. "Just because I haven't really started anything right now doesn't mean I don't want to. I do. Trust me, I do. I mean, you look--" he pulled away, his eyes roaming over me as he cursed under his breath. "--incredible. If we didn't have classes after this, perhaps things would've gone differently." 

My stomach flipped as I bit back a smile along with the urge to not take his face into my hands at the very moment and press my lips to his. Biting the inside of my cheek, I lifted my eyes to him. "'Perhaps'?"

He nodded.

I giggled, stepping away from him. "I'll see you next period, Mr. Hayden."

"Wait." He rushed over to his desk, shuffling through the drawers. "Did you want a late pass?"

I turned back to him. "What happens if I don't get one?"

He furrowed his eyebrows in the most adorable way possible. "Detention." 

"With . . . ?"

He thought for a moment. ". . . Me." 

A smile grew on my face. "See you then."

"Is that a good idea?" he asked, stopping me in my tracks and I turned to face him. "Getting detention?"

I let out a huff. "No, but . . ."

He made his way over to me. "You don't need to get detention just so we could meet up, Madison." 

I swallowed hard, doing my best to keep my eyes on his but they couldn't help but trail to his lips . .  his hands . . . his tie . . .  "What do I need?" To not be a student . . . to be older . . . my mind answered with a snark.

The bell suddenly sounded, causing me to jump, reminding us where we actually were.

Mr. Hayden nodded toward the bell before flicking his eyes to me. "There's the bell. See you in class, Miss Parker." 

My lips parted as I watched him make his way back to his desk before finding my seat.

A small smirk tugged on the corner of his lips as he settled in his seat, his gaze holding mine the entire time, and wow, how did he just get hotter?

"There you are!! Eeeek!!" Sasha squealed as she attacked her seat next to me. 

I tore my eyes away from Mr. Hayden to see a bright smile lighting up her face. "You look happy," I pointed out with a laugh as I sat in my seat next to her. "What's up?"

"You'll never guess what happened at the pep rally!! Ben was there!!" she exclaimed excitedly. "It was so hot. You missed out."

Although her tone sounded convincing, something told me I didn't completely miss out . . ."Hot?" I raised an eyebrow at her, placing my bag on the ground and taking out my books. "The pep rally?"

"Ben at the pep rally," she emphasized. 

I gasped, turning to her. "Did he ask you?"

"Not yet, but--"

The bell went off before she could say anymore, so she simply squealed with excitement, giving my hand a squeeze before we both turned our attention to the front.

Or tried. 

But it was impossible to ignore the way my heart still pounded against my chest.

I leaned back in my seat as my head tried to wrap around everything that just happened in the moments before. His eyes . . . His laugh . . . His smile . . . His scent . . . His touch . . . How could I possibly focus on anything else? 

The skin on my neck still tingled from when his fingers grazed it, longing for the moment his skin met mine again.

I couldn't help the happiness blossoming within me upon remembering the look in his eyes as he took in my outfit, mentally high-fiving myself for my choice of outfit today and silently thanked Sasha for helping me.

I bit back a smile as I flipped aimlessly through my notebook in attempt to stop myself from getting too caught up in my thoughts. We only kissed once and that was yesterday. All we did was just talk today and I could already feel the heat rising to my cheeks as I tried to focus on the notes on the board but it was no use . . .

. . . was I seriously falling for this man already?

*****

omgomgomgomg Please let me know what you guys think !

also, who do you picture as Maddie and Mr. Hayden??

My phone buzzed in my bag & I glanced quickly around the classroom before carefully taking it out & reading the message. 

Sasha: Front row. Sophia and Kelsey are TOTALLY hamming it up for Hayden. 

I lifted my gaze from my phone to the front of the class where the volleyball player and cheerleader sat, giggling quietly amongst themselves as they lifted their skirts up just the slightest bit before crossing their legs. 

Sasha smirked as she watched them next to me. "Can't blame them. Gotta pass somehow," she said under her breath with a shrug, before returning to her work. 

I put my phone away as my eyes scanned the room for Mr. Hayden--

"Ahem." 

I froze in the middle of my actions. 

My eyes scanned from the designer shoes up to the black collared dress shirt & the hand extended towards me, as if expecting something. 

This can not be happening.

"Miss Parker." His eyes met mine, making me hate the way my heart fluttered now of all times. "Your phone."

His brown eyes were intense as they stayed on mine and I fought the urge to get lost in them. We were in the middle of class now. But all I could think about was the way his eyes were on mine just as they were moments ago when his fingers danced across my skin--

"Mads," Sasha nudged my shoulder. 

I turned to her. She nodded to Mr. Hayden still standing in front of me. 

"But I was just--I was putting it away," I fumbled over my words for an excuse. 

"If it wasn't out at all, it wouldn't have had to be put away," he countered. 

My lips parted in shock as I looked at him before placing my precious phone in his waiting hand.

"See me after class please." He gave me one last look before walking back to his desk, my phone in his hand.

I immediately turned to Sasha. "How did you get your phone back?" I whispered.

"A little extra credit always helps." She winked. 

I immediately stiffened in my seat. My eyes locked with hers. Did she know? Could she tell? She already noticed Kelsey and Sophia . . . 

"Mads, I'm joking." She rolled her eyes with a laugh as she flipped through the pages in her book. "He's a jerk, remember? He doesn't deserve any extra credit from you. Just ask him for it back after class." 

I sighed, returning my attention to the front.

I've never had my phone taken away before. I've always been the student that went unnoticed in the classroom, quietly did their work & left, no questions asked. Teachers rarely paid attention since I always completed my assignments anyway. Of course, Mr. Hayden would be the exception to that now. He had probably been watching me & now he was going to make me stay after class. 

In any other scenario, I would've been over the moon to stay after class with him. Earlier, I even suggested detention to him during lunch . . . but that was on my terms. 

Now, I was nothing but annoyed that he had to ruin my clean record. 

Yes, it was silly & pitiful, I know. But I actually did care about my grades & if this sneaking around with Mr. Hayden was going to affect that, then we were going to have to figure something out. My well-deserved grades were something I wouldn't sacrifice for anyone. No matter how intense my feelings for Mr. Hayden were.

I did my best to focus on the lesson although my mind was in a battle with my heart. Eventually, class came to an end & I packed up my things as fast as I could. My mind set on getting my phone & leaving the classroom immediately after. 

However, as I made my way towards Mr. Hayden's desk, my path was blocked by a few members of the student ASB surrounding his desk.

"Come on, Maddie. I don't want to be late for the lit. discussion." Sasha grabbed my arm & led me through the crowd & out of the classroom.

Retrieving my phone was long forgotten as Sasha & I walked arm-in-arm down the hallway, while she talked about how excited she was to see Ben. And honestly, I didn't mind. I didn't feel like talking to Mr. Hayden. I was too upset. I'd be fine without my phone for the next hour, it was the last class anyway.

". . . I think he's coming with Tom too. He totally has a thing for you," Sasha said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"What?" I asked her upon hearing this news.

"Ben's friend, Tom. He likes you. You two should totally go to the formal together with Ben & me!" she exclaimed.

I gasped, turning to her with an excited smile. "Ben asked you?! The red worked?!"

"Not yet . . ." she sang. "He has to though. That's why you'll be sitting next to Tom, who'll be sitting next to Ben, who'll be sitting next to me." She smiled, obviously proud of her strategy.

I let out a laugh. "Did you seriously plan this?"

"Duh! Every perfect scenario needs a perfect plan and our winter formal night is going to be perfect."

"Of course," I agreed with a sigh as we entered the library.

Connor, the leader of the literature of the club, was already at the table at the center of the library, along with Alice & Chelsea.

"Hey guys, glad you can make it! Take a seat." He gestured to the empty chairs.

I sat next to Chelsea as Sasha took a seat across from me, giving me a wink. As I was pulling my notebook & pencil out of my bag, the chair next to me moved and I looked up to see Tom sitting next to me. 

"Hey," he greeted with a smile. 

I returned it, giving him a quick, "hi", before drifting my eyes around the room until they landed on Sasha. 

She gave me an encouraging smile as Ben took a seat next to her. 

"Were you at the pep rally?" Tom asked.

I froze. 

Sasha caught my eye from across the table. 

"I . . . left early." I gave him an apologetic smile. 

"What?!"  He leaned back in his seat with a playful grin. "Hey." He looked up at Sasha and Ben. "We need to make the pep rallies less boring." 

I went back to my book, surprised he actually cared about making the pep rallies more fun, as if that was even possible. 

Then again, he was the captain of . . . a team . . . that played a sport? . . . the one with the ball? I didn't know nor did I have the energy to care, quite frankly. 

All I could think about right now was my phone and how bare I felt without it. 

How could he?! 

After spending the entire pep rally together, doing more than just my assignment, he still took away my phone. 

I would scream right now if I could.

"What book are we reading again?" Tom whispered, leaning towards me.

"Hm?" I looked up to see Connor had already launched the discussion into session, talking about the background of the book and reviewing what they learned yesterday.

Tom nodded toward the closed book in front of me. "Is that it?"

"Yeah," I replied in a whisper. "Don't you have one?"

He shook his head. 

He couldn't be serious. "You came to the literature discussion and don't even know the book we're reading?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You haven't even touched your book since we got here," he pointed out.

I followed his gaze to the book in front of me, indeed still closed. 

Oops. 

He chuckled next to me.

I let out a sigh. "Here." I slid my book toward him without giving him a second glance. I didn't mean to be rude, I was just fed up with everything at the moment.

"Thanks."

Sasha looked up from the book she shared with Ben, giving me a quick smile before returning her gaze to the pages in front of her.

I tapped my pencil lightly on the desk as I listened to the discussion, or at least tried to, before noticing my book moving slowly across the desk, towards me.

"We're on this page." Tom pointed to the book's page, sliding the book closer to me so I could follow along as he held the book.

"Oh. Thank you," I told him, slightly taken back by his kind gesture despite how I hadn't been exactly kind towards him. 

"No worries." He smiled. 

My eyes were trained on the words on the page but my mind wouldn't stop pacing. Maybe getting my phone taken away wasn't so bad. After all, I just had to go back to his classroom and get it, as if I wasn't planning on going to his classroom anyway . . . but what if it ruined my record? Did he have to take it away? 

Then again, why wouldn't he take it away? That was the rule and I broke it. 

I couldn't be the exception just because we . . .

I let out a huff of annoyance aimed at him, but mostly towards myself. 

My thoughts were soon interrupted by the abrupt slamming of a book shut next to me and I looked up to see everyone already packing up. 

"And that concludes today's discussion," Connor announced from the head of the table. "See all of you people tomorrow. Same time, same place." 

"Thanks, Connor," Tom said with a grin.

Ben was already out of his seat, heading towards the door. "Willy, let's go! We're gonna be late for practice!!"

"See you, Maddie." Tom waved to me with a smile.

"Later." I nodded back, watching as he got up from his seat & left without a backpack nor school supplies, in typical jock fashion. 

As soon as the door shut behind the two, my gaze flickered over to Sasha, sitting across from me. The look of annoyance she wore on her face matched mine, reminding me why we were best friends. 

"Why are boys so difficult?" she huffed, rolling her eyes. 

"When you find out, let me know," I mumbled, packing up my bag & pushing in my chair.

"Seriously though." She stood from the table and grabbed her book. "How long do you think it will take for Ben to ask me? Are we supposed to wear red everyday?"

"Sasha, we have, like, six weeks. It's okay," I told her, bringing my hair over my shoulder as I waiting for her to pack her things.  

"Ugh, easy for you to say. Tom was already all over you." She swung her bag over her shoulder and we headed toward the doors.

I stopped, raising an eyebrow at her. 

"Just saying what I saw." She shrugged. 

I let out a laugh as we continued toward the exit. "Weren't you supposed to be reading?"

"Weren't you?" she countered with a raised eyebrow. 

Once again . . . guilty. I rolled my eyes as I pushed the door open and we stepped into the crowded hallway. "Whatever." 

"Okay, the nail polish is officially not working. And neither is this lip gloss. Maybe I should try red lipstick tomorrow . . ." she trailed off, turning to me. "What kind are you wearing?" 

"You can borrow it. I'll bring it tomorrow," I told her as we passed by our lockers.

"Or just text me what it is and I'll see if I have the same one at home." She nodded before turning to me. "Hey, did you get your phone back from Mr. Hayden?" 

"No." I sighed, running my hand through my hair. "I'm planning to stay later to do a little extra credit though." 

Her jaw dropped as she stared at me wide-eyed. "Wait . . ."

"For our homework . . . it's due at the end of the week." I let out a light laugh. 

"You're evil!!" She smacked my arm with a laugh. "I actually thought you were serious for a second!"

"I am serious." I nodded. "I need to get a good grade on this." 

"Yeah, but I thought--never mind," she dismissed with of her hand before hooking her arm through mine. "Let's just go get your phone." 

"What?" I turned to her. "You thought I would actually try something like that?"

She gave me a look. "Let's be real. When it comes to Hayden, every girl has considered it at least once. Haven't you?" 

I nearly stiffened in my place, my mind tracing back to just a couple hours ago where I was definitely doing more than just considering it. 

"I mean, he's still a jerk," she continued. "But he's probably so much less annoying when he's not teaching and actually using his mouth to --"

"Okay. Okay!" I cut her off, not wanting to hear the rest of that sentence. Especially from my best friend. "Thank you. I get it." 

She simply giggled.

"Officially grossed out now." 

"Officially grossed myself out now." Sasha crinkled her nose in disgust. 

"You don't like him anymore?" I teased with a giggle.

"Hayden?" She raised her eyebrows at me. "Babe, he took away my phone, and now he took away yours. I hate him," she enunciated, lowering her gaze. "Your enemies are my enemies." 

A smile grew on my face as I looked at her. "And that goes on forever?" 

"And ever." She smiled back.

"Love you." I leaned my head against hers. 

"Love you too."

"Miss Parker." 

My head immediately perked up to see the very subject of our conversation standing outside his classroom. 

"Can I have my phone back now?" I blurted out, before I could even stop myself. 

He looked at me for a moment. "It's in the office."

My heart dropped. "What?!" I exclaimed, my heart beginning to pace. If my phone just stayed in his classroom, it might've ruined my record for his class. But if my phone was now in the office . . . my record for all my classes were ruined. 

This man hated me. 

He was out to ruin me. Either by exposing the two of us . . . or directing me to the office like that. 

Why did he have to drag the office and all of administration into this?

Why couldn't he just keep this between us?

Was he scared I might try to expose the two of us?

Was this his way of keeping me quiet?

I bit the inside of my cheek as I glared at him. 

Sasha gave my hand a squeeze, reminding me she was right here next to me and I couldn't be more thankful. 

"Just go in and ask for it and they'll give it back," he stated simply with a small grin before heading back inside the classroom and closing the door. 

I stood there, too stunned to speak. Blood roared through my ears as I stared aimlessly at the peeling wood on the closed door. If I wasn't mad before, I was absolutely furious now.

"Come on," Sasha said softly, tugging my hand. "Let's go get your phone." 

Tears stung my eyes and I quickly wiped them away with the back of my hand. "Did you have to get your phone from the office?" 

She shook her head as we headed to the office. "He's just a jerk." 

"The worst," I grumbled in agreement, tightening my grip on my bag. Was he seriously going to make me go through this? Was I actually going to let him make me go through this? All for what? Just because he was really fun to kiss and his eyes lit up in the most adorable way when he smiled--

No.

No.

This was my school record. Did having my phone taken away affect it? Would I still pass? Could I still graduate? 

Maybe I was being a bit overdramatic and wayyy overthinking this. But this had never happened before. I had no clue what to expect. 

Maybe Tom was completely clueless and never brought any school supplies, but at least he couldn't ruin my record. 

Fortunately, retrieving my phone from the office was just as simple as Mr. Hayden said, causing me to roll my eyes as my phone was handed to me over the counter by the receptionist. 

"Still want to do extra credit?" Sasha asked me with a smirk as we walked out of the school building. 

"Shut up." I laughed, nudging her side playfully as I scrolled through my phone. Only one notification lit up my screen - a text from my mom reminding me to pick up Katie from practice.

She laughed along. "Come on. Let's watch the guys practice." She nodded to the football field across the way where the players were running around cones on the grass. 

I spotted Tom and Ben playing catch by the bleachers. "Okay, yeah," I told Sasha with a nod. "I just need to grab some books from my locker for homework."

"Okay! Oooh! Look how cute Ben looks in his jersey!" she squealed, smiling eagerly, watching the team practice. "I'll save you a spot!!" she called behind her as she ran off to the bleachers. 

The sting of lying to her drove through my heart, but I ignored it, rushing back up the stairs to the school. Yanking open the door, I marched down the hall until I reached his classroom and walked right in and up to his desk. 

"Miss Parker." He looked up from his work as he sat behind his desk. 

My eyes trailed from his perfectly styled hair to his sleeves rolled up along his forearms to the way he twirled his pen between his fingers . . . what was I mad at him for again?  

"What can I . . . " Mr. Hayden's gaze drifted behind me before meeting my eyes again. ". . . do for you?" 

I gave him a confused look before following his gaze and turning around to see a few students sitting at the desks, quietly working. 

My mouth formed into a quiet "oh" as I slowly turned back to face him. "Um, I don't think I got all the notes from today. Do you have them?" I adjusted my bag on my shoulder, chewing my lip. 

His eyes stayed on mine for a moment and I could feel my heart begin to pace. "I don't." 

My heart sunk. 

"They've already been filed away. I could get them for you after this make-up test is complete or . . ." he trailed off, shuffling through his desk before pulling out a sheet of paper and handing it to me. "Take this to the office and they should be able to retrieve it for you." 

I shifted my eyes to the paper in his hand as he held it to me then back to his gorgeous brown eyes, trying to ignore the way my heart sat heavy in my chest. 

I didn't want to go to the office. Yes, I was a bit annoyed that he took my phone, but still . . . I wanted to stay here. With him. Didn't he get that? Why was he sending me away?

However, he simply gave me a tight smile, still holding out the paper.

I huffed, taking it. Another trip to the office . . . 

I slowly made my way to the office, half of me wanting to just throw the paper away and leave, while the other half tried to convince myself to go through with it. Why was I going through with this? No idea. Did I have to go through with this? Nope. Was I still going to go through with this anyway? Duh.

Maybe if he wasn't so gorgeous and didn't look at me with those soft brown eyes, he wouldn't be able to convince me to do absolutely anything . . . 

I put my spiraling thoughts on pause as I stepped into the office. The receptionist gave me her bright smile as she greeted me and suddenly coming here again didn't seem so bad. 

I gave her the paper and to my surprise, she simply pointed toward the back of the office, mentioning something about "the door's already open" and how "there was never enough room for all the files at this school".

Giving her an appreciative smile, I made my way down the narrow hall toward the back of the office, leading to smaller offices, and just like she said, the very last door at the end of the hall was open.

I slowly slipped inside, still unsure what I was doing in here or how I was even supposed to find . . . whatever I was looking for. 

The room was significantly bigger than the copy room, spacious enough for a large wooden desk to sit in the center of the room, and even a potted plant sat contently in the corner. Other than the brand new notepad and pen on the desk, it seemed as if this office was hardly used. 

Taking another step deeper into the space, I spotted the filing cabinet in the other corner, across from the plant. 

"Find it?"

I jumped with a gasp at the new voice before turning around to see Mr. Hayden slipping inside the room. 

"Sorry, darling," he said softly, closing the door behind him. 

My heart fluttered at his name of endearment for me as I lifted my eyes to him. 

"Make-up test is over. Did you get your phone back?" he asked as he made his way over to the file cabinet next to me. 

I looked at him for a moment, watching as he opened one of the drawers with ease and started sifting through the files. " . . . no."

His head shot up, concern written all over his handsome features. 

"They said I need to have detention first with you then I can get my phone back." I bit back a smile as I looked up at him. 

A faint smile painted his lips as he returned to the files. "With me?"

"Mhm." I nodded, leaning against the desk, admiring his perfect side profile. 

"We don't have to stay the entire detention if you don't want to. We could just say you had detention and I could sign off the slip for you." 

My lips parted as I looked at him. 

He simply chuckled, going back to the files. "It won't go on your record that way."

"Will getting my phone taken away go on my record?" I asked, folding my arms in front of me. 

He shook his head. "Sending it to the office is the most extreme measure but I wanted to take extra caution in case, you know, there's any suspicion . . ." His eyes held sincerity as they lifted to meet mine. 

Guilt immediately washed over me as I stood there, regret following up with a harsh smack in the face for making such a big deal out of this. How could I ever think he would do this to ruin me? He did this to protect us . . . "Oh . . . thank you."

"But I'll be sure to clear things up so it doesn't actually go on your record," he continued.

I immediately shook my head. "I had my phone out in class. It's only fair."

"It'll go on your record though." 

"That's fine." I nodded, before adding, "I mean, it's not, obviously. But, it's what happens. I can't just rely on you to make it disappear just because . . ." I trailed off, letting out a sigh and shaking my head. "I'm not using you for that."

He sighed, stepping away from the file cabinet. "You're not using me if I'm offering." He made his way toward me.

I shook my head. "I'm not using you for that. I can't. I don't want you to think I'm with you just to, like, get away with stuff."

His gaze softened as he looked at me. "I don't think that."

My head spun as my eyes stayed on his. "You don't?"

He shook his head as he took another step toward me. My heart began to race in my chest at our close proximity. His cologne filled my senses as he stood just inches away from me and everything else was forgotten. "With your grades, you definitely don't need to."

A warmth blossomed in my chest and I laughed softly. 

His gaze lowered as it locked on mine. "If I'm too forward with you, tell me. Please," sincerity evident in his deep voice as his eyes never left mine.

His words tugged on my heart as my eyes stayed on his. Nothing but care and kindness filled their deep brown color while my mind scrambled to wrap itself around how and why this gorgeous man in front of me was looking at me with so much admiration my heart could burst. I wanted nothing more than to take his face into my hands and press my lips to his. But I also wanted this moment to last . . .

"I will," I told him quietly, chewing on my lip as I looked up at him.

My heart skipped a beat as my eyes took in his dark suit that fit him too well. His neatly styled dark blond hair just begging for my fingers to tear through it. His brown eyes intense as they stayed on me. His lips, so pink and perfect and ready to meet mine . . . He might've said something else, I wasn't sure. All I could focus on was the way his lips perfectly formed each word he spoke and why they weren't on mine.

I pushed myself off and away from the desk. "Can I tell you when you're being the opposite too?" I let out a laugh to disguise the sincerity of my question.

He chuckled softly. "When I'm not being forward?"

I nodded.

He took another step toward me, his chest brushing against mine, causing my breath to catch in my throat. My body instantly longed for his touch again, but he stayed in his place, his face just inches away from mine. "When?"

"Now," my voice barely a whisper as I tried my best to focus on anything but the way his hands just grazed mine, sending tingles down my spine. The way his eyes burned into mine, making it impossible to think straight. The way the fresh scent of his cologne sent my head in a spin. 

But the deep brown color eyes was so mesmerizing, drawing me closer and closer . . .

My heart beat wildly in my chest now, filling the air around us. 

His gaze darted to my lips for the slightest second before flittering right back to my eyes again. Not being able to take the distance between us anymore, I reached on my toes, placed my hand on the back of his neck and connected my lips to his.

He smiled against my lips before kissing me back. I sighed into the kiss, pulling him closer. I hadn't realized how much I had missed the way his lips fit perfectly against mine until I felt them again.

His hands ran up and down my sides, causing goosebumps to rise, following his traces. I lightly scratched my nails at the back of his neck causing him to hum against my lips, granting my tongue entrance. The sharp taste of mint lingered on his tongue, making my head light as he took a step forward, pressing his strong, solid body into mine.

His hands found mine, intertwining our fingers and guiding me to step back. With his lips on mine, he walked us backwards, careful not to step on my toes and I giggled into the kiss. His own lips curled up into a smile as my back hit the desk.

He pulled away, resting his forehead on mine as his brown eyes met mine. "Have I told you how incredible you look in this skirt?" His chest rising and falling as he stared at me, breathless.

My heart completed exactly three somersaults at his words. "Maybe once or twice." I smiled teasingly, finally bringing my hands to his hair, not getting enough of how soft the strands felt between my fingers.

"You do." He nodded before leaning forward and capturing my lips with his again and I nearly melted in his arms right then and there. 

My head was completely in the clouds now and I definitely did not want to come down anytime soon. There was no way this could be wrong. Being here in his arms felt too right. Too good. Too perfect. It couldn't be wrong. 

With his hands on my waist, he lifted me, gently setting me down on the desk. "This okay?" His gaze met mine. His blond hair was now completely out of place, falling over his forehead but somehow he looked even more gorgeous.

I nodded, gently brushing his hair away from his eyes. "Whose desk is this?"

"I have no idea," he replied with a chuckle. 

"What?" I let out a laugh, glancing around the empty office. 

"Well, it's supposed to be the counselor's office but no one uses it." His fingers burned against my skin, making it impossible to concentrate on anything else. "It has a lock though."

"It does?" 

"Mhm," he hummed in reply, wrapping his arms around my back and pulling me closer.

I brought my hands to his tie, unable to hold myself back any longer. "I've been wanting to play with this all day."

"My tie?" He breathed out a chuckle. His knee gently nudged mine, sending sparks flying as he stepped into the space between.

"Mhm," I hummed in reply, running my fingers up and down his dark tie before looking up at him.

He dropped his gaze to my hands, observing my actions.

A calm quiet filled the air as my fingers traced nameless shapes on his tie, neither of us in a hurry to do something more, just simply enjoying each other's presence.

The silky material was soft against my skin and the fresh scent of his cologne was familiar and inviting, drawing me closer and closer.

He sucked in a breath. "Should I wear them more often?"

My eyes flicked up to his. How was he so perfect? "Only if you like to."

"They're kind of a drag to--"

I traced my finger lightly against the outline of his tie, keeping my eyes on his.

He inhaled sharply. "I'll wear them more often."

I let out a giggle, loving the effect I had on him. "I might not pay attention in class though."

He raised an eyebrow at me. 

"Kidding . . ." I laughed softly. ". . . kinda."

He gave me a knowing look, running his hands up and down my sides. "You've paid attention very well throughout the year." 

I lifted my eyes to meet his, a smile making its way onto my face. 

"You haven't?" He raised his eyebrows. 

"Me? Yeah, of course," I scoffed with a wave of my hand. "In all my classes." 

"All your classes?"

"Mhm." I nodded with a close lipped smile. ". . .  except history."

He threw his head back with a groan. 

I let out a laugh, keeping my hands on his tie. 

His hands travelled to my hips, his touch electrifying against my skin. "Why don't you pay attention?" he questioned almost ironically, as if completely unaware of the effect he had on me.

I pursed my lips as I thought for a while. "Kinda boring."

His eyebrows shot up. 

"The class seems to go on forever . . ." A playful smile tugged on my lips as I looked at him. 

"I'll work on making it more interesting and engaging for you guys." He nodded. 

"Won't work," I dismissed, shaking my head. 

His expression dropped. "Why not?"

"Because . . ." I began slowly, smoothing my hands over my chest and settling on his strong shoulders. "I'll still spend the entire class counting down the minutes until it's over."

The most gorgeous smile lit up his face. "And what happens when it's over?"

I ran my hands along his tie as I pulled away from him, letting the tie fall from my hands. "I go home," I stated simply, hopping off the desk.

I could feel his eyes on me as I headed toward the door. "Hold on." His hand caught my wrist, causing me to turn and face him. His gaze was warm as it held mine. "I've been wanting to tell you all day but . . . I haven't been able to stop thinking about yesterday." He took a step toward me, keeping his eyes on mine.

I bit my lip to keep the dumb smile from making its way onto my face, but inside the butterflies were soaring. "You haven't?"

"No," he replied softly, shaking his head. 

My head spun as I looked at him. Nothing but longing lingered in his brown eyes as they searched mine. "Neither have I," I whispered, inching closer.

He leaned in, his nose bumping mine before I pulled back the slightest bit. 

He inhaled sharply, his eyes meeting mine. I gave him a small smile and he breathed out a chuckle before leaning again. His lips hovered so close to mine, every part of me was begging for more of him, but just as his lips brushed against mine, he drew back.

I let out a small gasp, looking up at him. 

A glint of playfulness danced in his brown eyes before he dipped his head and finally closed the distance between us. My fingers threaded through his hair as he pulled me closer, kissing me so slowly and deeply until all that consumed my mind was him. His lips. His hands. His scent. His touch. The heat of his body radiating onto mine as he held me close, I found myself wishing he'd never let go.

With his hands on my waist, he guided us to the chair, taking a seat before pulling me onto his lap. 

He suddenly swore under his breath. "This was a bad idea." 

I pulled away with a confused look. "Why?"

His hands wrapped around me, slowly running up and down my back. "I just remembered I have a meeting in a few minutes but now that we're here . . . I don't want to stop." A gorgeous smile tugged on his lips. 

A smile made its way onto my face as I brought my hands to his collar, toying with the buttons. "You wouldn't miss a meeting, would you, Mr. Hayden?" I asked playfully.

His gaze went to my hands. "If you keep doing that, I probably will," he said lowly, sending tingles down my spine.

I laughed quietly. "Doing what?" I tilted my head at him, my fingers not leaving his shirt. 

He chuckled, leaning in and taking my lips in his.

My head spun as his tongue met mine and I couldn't think of anything else that felt so right. We both knew we had to pull away at some point, both neither of us could make the effort. It was as if there were two magnets drawing us closer toward each other and it was impossible to even attempt to resist. 

"I can't get enough of you," he murmured against my lips.

My stomach flipped at his words and I tugged on his collar, needing to feel him closer. 

His hands lost themselves in my hair, no doubt messing it up, but with his chest pressing against mine as his soft lips traced mine at an agonizingly slow pace, I couldn't find it in me to care.

My pulse increased as I trailed my lips along his jawline. My mouth hovered over his skin as I considered applying even more pressure against his neck before quickly deciding against it. He did have a professional reputation to maintain after all. Instead, I peppered kisses up his neck before reaching just behind his ear and letting my lips linger there for just a moment. He inhaled sharply, his fingers tightening around my waist as he held me close.

I smiled to myself against the warm skin on his neck, before lifting my head to press my lips to his. I pulled away, taking in his dark blond hair completely disheveled in the most perfect way. Those deep brown eyes, drawing me in for one more kiss. His perfect full lips, only enticing me more. The slightest bit of skin peeking out from his shirt, revealing his toned chest. Everything about this man had me completely and utterly hypnotized. Before I could stop myself, my hand reached up, ever so gently grazing his cheek, unsure if I was dreaming. How was he real? 

I tore my eyes away from his chest to look at him. "Hey, thank you for letting us look at dresses during study hall today," I told him quietly, interlacing my fingers behind his neck.