CHAPTER 2

I was walking across the campus when I heard a familiar voice coming from a few feet away, and I slowed down without meaning to.

"Oh my gosh, he's so cute."

I turned my head and saw Lily Parker standing near one of the buildings, staring across the courtyard. I followed her gaze and immediately understood who she was looking at.

Cameron Reed.

Of course it was Cameron. He was the kind of guy almost everyone on campus knew because he was popular, good-looking, always surrounded by people, and he somehow managed to look like he had never had a bad day in his life.

Lily was staring at him like he had personally fallen from heaven, and she quickly pushed her glasses higher on her nose and smiled to herself while I watched.

"Cringe," I muttered under my breath, but she didn't hear me.

I was about to keep walking and mind my own business when a thought hit me, and I stopped. I looked at Cameron, then I looked back at Lily, and then I thought about the conversation I'd had with Dr. Morgan earlier that morning. I needed someone to help me with my academics, and Lily was one of those students who actually took school seriously.

Everyone knew that about her. She was always carrying books, always taking notes in the front row, and I had seen her answer questions in class that most people didn't even understand. And she liked Cameron, which was the most important part.

I smiled to myself because maybe this could actually work.

I walked toward her. "Hey."

Lily turned around quickly, and her eyes widened when she saw me. "Logan."

"You like him, huh?" I asked.

She blinked at me like she didn't understand the question. "What?"

I pointed toward Cameron across the courtyard. "Him."

Her face immediately changed and she started getting defensive. "What? No. I mean... I don't..."

She started stuttering, and I almost laughed because she was so obvious.

"You were literally staring at him," I said.

"I wasn't staring," she argued.

"You were."

"I was just looking."

"Sure."

She looked away, clearly embarrassed, so I slipped my hands into my pockets and studied her for a moment before I continued. "You want him to notice you?"

Her eyes came back to mine. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Lily."

"What?"

"You're terrible at lying."

She sighed and looked down at the books in her arms like they could save her from this conversation. "Okay. Maybe I like him a little."

"A little?" I repeated.

She gave me a look. "Fine. I like him."

I nodded slowly. "Good."

"Good?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah. Because I have a plan."

Her eyebrows pulled together. "A plan for what?"

"For him to notice you," I told her.

She stared at me like I'd suddenly grown another head. "What do you mean?"

I glanced around to make sure no one was listening before looking back at her. "I'm a popular guy, you know that, right?"

She gave me an unimpressed look. "Yes."

"And I'm a hockey jock."

"I know."

"Everyone knows me. Everyone knows the hockey team."

She nodded slowly. "So?"

"So imagine if the school starts seeing us together."

She frowned. "Us?"

"Yes. You and me."

She stared at me, and I could almost see the confusion forming in her head as she tried to understand what I was saying.

"If people see you with me, they'll start talking. The people who never noticed you before will suddenly notice you. And Cameron will definitely notice."

Her expression remained confused. "You want me to pretend to date you?"

"Exactly," I said.

She looked at me like I had lost my mind, so I continued before she could say anything and shut me down. "Think about it. You're already interested in him. If he sees you suddenly spending time with me, he'll start wondering why. Maybe he'll get jealous. Maybe he'll finally realize you're there."

Lily looked over at Cameron again. He was still talking to a group of people, completely unaware that we were discussing him. Then she looked back at me.

"And why would you do that?" she asked.

There it was. The question I'd been waiting for.

I smiled. "Simple." I pointed at her books. "You tutor me."

For a second, she just stared at me. Then she laughed. Not a small laugh either, she actually laughed out loud in the middle of the courtyard.

I frowned. "What?"

She covered her mouth, still laughing. "I'm sorry."

"You're laughing at me."

"No."

"You are."

She shook her head. "I just... I can't believe you."

"Why?"

"You?"

"Yes, me."

"You're Logan Carter."

"I know who I am."

"You're the captain of the hockey team."

"Not captain yet," I corrected her.

"Whatever. You're one of the best players here."

I shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "And you need me to tutor you?"

I looked away for a second because I didn't like admitting it out loud. "My grades aren't good."

Her laughter disappeared, and she looked at me more carefully. "How bad?"

"Bad enough," I told her.

"Are you going to fail?"

"I don't know."

That wasn't entirely true because I knew exactly what was at stake. If I didn't improve my GPA, I wouldn't graduate, and I wasn't ready to tell everyone that yet.

Lily seemed to notice something in my expression because she stopped smiling completely. "You're serious."

"Very," I said.

She looked down at her books, and I could tell she was thinking about it. "So you want me to help you with school, and in exchange, I pretend to date you?"

"Exactly."

"And you think Cameron will get jealous?"

"I think it's worth trying."

She shook her head. "This is crazy."

"Maybe."

"And you just came up with this?"

"Pretty much."

She looked at me again, and I waited. For some reason, I suddenly felt nervous about her answer, and I didn't want to show it, so I kept my face relaxed while she made up her mind.

She opened her mouth, then closed it, then looked toward Cameron again. I could tell she was thinking about him, and finally, she smiled.

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

"Then?"

She hesitated for another second before finally looking at me. "I'm in."

For a moment, I didn't react, but inside, I was celebrating because I had just solved my biggest problem. I needed tutoring, she needed Cameron's attention, and it was perfect. But I wasn't about to let her see how relieved I was, so I simply nodded.

"Good."

She adjusted the books in her arms. "So what happens now?"

"We start today."

"Today?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah."

"I thought this would start later."

"No. I need the help now."

She sighed. "Fine. What time?"

"Five."

"Okay. After school."

She nodded. "Where?"

I answered without thinking. "My house."

Her eyes widened. "Your house?"

"Yes."

She stared at me. "My house?"

"No."

"Your house?"

"Yes."

She looked even more confused. "Why?"

I couldn't believe I had to explain it. "If we're going to pretend we're dating, people need to believe it."

"So?"

"So we can't just be seen together in the library for an hour and call it dating."

She didn't say anything, so I stepped closer and lowered my voice. "If we're doing this, we're doing it properly."

Her eyes stayed on mine, and I could see the uncertainty on her face, but she had already agreed.

I smiled slightly. "Five o'clock."

She nodded slowly. "Okay."

Then I turned to leave, already thinking about how I was going to convince everyone that Lily Parker and I were suddenly together. At least, I thought I had everything figured out.