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“You did?” She looked shocked.

“Is that so hard to believe?”

“I mean...no. You did fine in pre-calc last year. But you’ve been struggling this year. So you didn’t even get one whole problem wrong?”

“Nope.” I knew my voice came out weird.

“Let me see your quiz.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because quizzes are personal, Soph.”

“Why are you being so weird right now?” she asked.

“I’m not.”

“You are. What did Mr. Halifax do? Did he slip you his number or something?”

“No...”

She snatched my quiz from my hand.

“Soph...”

Her eyes grew round. She flipped to another page of the quiz and looked up at me. “You did not get an A, Scar.”

“It says I did.”

Soph sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “I swear to God, if he’s giving you an A because he’s secretly in love with you...”

“That’s not what’s happening.” I snatched my quiz back. “He’s not my kiss thief.” I hope.

“I would literally die.”

“Your brother could just put me out of my misery and tell me already.”

“I’ll get it out of him at lunch,” Sophie said. “But seriously...why else would Mr. Halifax give you an A all randomly like that? He definitely wants to get in your pants.”

If he was my kiss thief he’d already been in my pants. Yikes.

“I swear if he thinks he’s going to get both of us...”

“I’m not interested in Mr. Halifax.”

“Everyone is interested in Mr. Halifax. Unless you’re suddenly blind.”

I shook my head. “There has to be another explanation. Maybe...” I shrugged. I had no idea why Mr. Halifax had given me an undeserved A. “Maybe this was part of the deal he made with my dad as part of how they’re both still teaching? Even though both of them should have been fired.”

“Did your dad know how badly you were doing in calc?”

I shook my head. “I feel like it must have to do with my dad though. Somehow.” I didn’t want it to have anything to do with my kiss thief.

“Oh my God, I got it!” Sophie said. “You’re brilliant. It’s all about your dad. Mr. Halifax is giving you an A because he doesn’t want your dad to hit him again.”

I mean that was as good of a theory as any. “Yeah, that could be it.”