Lessons in Love (Flirt) by A. Destiny, Catherine Hapka

totally into you! It’s obvious you’re both—”
    “Shh!” I hushed her, noticing that Zoe, Matt, and Darius were coming toward us.
    “Hey.” Darius flopped down on the rowing machine beside us. “Did I hear you guys talking about Logan?”
    “No,” I said at the same time Simone said, “Yes.”
    I shot her a dirty look. She didn’t notice, since she was tipping her head up so Matt could give her a quick kiss while Ms. Wren wasn’t looking.
    “So what’re you doing talking about some other guy?” Matt asked Simone in his fake macho voice. “Don’t forget, you’re my woman.”
    Simone rolled her eyes. “I don’t belong to you or anyone else, man ,” she retorted with a smirk. “Anyway, it’s not me he’s interested in.” She slid her eyes in my direction.
    “Really?” Zoe looked interested. “Bailey and Logan? Cute.”
    “No, wait.” I didn’t want to start this. Not in front of everyone.
    Matt leaned against an empty elliptical machine and studied me. “I talked some with Logan in homeroom,” he said. “He seems pretty cool. Maybe even cool enough to be worthy of going out with Bailey.”
    “I agree.” Simone shot me a smug smile. “You guys need to help me convince her to give him a shot.”
    Zoe reached over and punched me lightly on the arm. “Go for it, Myers. Logan’s hot.”
    “Hold on, hold on—give the poor girl a break, matchmakers,” Darius put in with a laugh. “I mean, she just met the guy. And so what if he’s got the hots for her—doesn’t mean she has to like him back.”
    “He doesn’t have the hots for me,” I blurted out. “I mean, I don’t think—I mean . . .” I was totally embarrassed and a little confused. It was becoming an all-too-familiar feeling lately.
    “But how does she know if she likes him if she doesn’t give him a chance?” Simone argued. “I’m not saying she has to marry the guy or anything.”
    “Yeah,” Matt agreed.
    Zoe shrugged. “Hey, Bailey’s probably the smartest person I know—she can make up her own mind.” She grinned at me. “But for the record, I still say you should go for it.”
    “Me too,” Simone said. “And I know Ling would vote with us if she were here. I was talking to her about Logan last period, and she’s already a big fan too.”
    “Whatever.” I could feel that my face was bright red, and it definitely wasn’t from pumping iron. “Can we stop talking about this now, please?”
    “But—” Simone began.
    “Seriously!” I glared at her. “Enough.”
    Simone shrugged. “Fine.”
    Matt and Darius traded a look. “Uh, Wren’s giving us a dirty look. We should probably get back to it,” Darius said.
    “Let’s hit the power cage next, bro,” Matt suggested.
    The two guys headed off, with Zoe wandering along behind them. That left me alone with Simone again.
    “Um, sorry?” she said, shooting me a sidelong look.
    I gritted my teeth. “Does everything have to be a group discussion around here?”
    “They just want you to be happy, like I do.” Simone got up so I could take her place on the weight machine. “That’s why I want you to give Logan a chance. I can tell this guy’s different.”
    “You can?” I asked cautiously.
    “I’ve never seen you react this way to anyone before.” Simone gazed at me earnestly as I sat down on the bench and slid my legs under the weight bar. “You’ve got to see if there’s something to this. I’ll do whatever I can to help—maybe you guys can double-date with Matt and me if that makes you feel better. Just tell me what you need.”
    Ms. Wren walked by just then, giving me an excuse not to answer for a moment. I pumped my legs like a madwoman, turning over what Simone was saying in my head. Could she be right? Was it worth trying to find out whether those sparks were real? It was just so hard to believe that someone like me could ever have anything in common with a good-looking, effortlessly popular guy like Logan.
    Closing my eyes, I