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

the test starts, Bailey?”
    Seeing Mr. Ba always made me smile, and only partly because he taught my favorite subject. He was brilliant and energetic and passionate about science—basically everything I admired and wanted to be someday. He was tall and lean, with skin so dark it was shiny and a wide smile that seemed to swallow up half his face.
    “Hi, Mr. Ba,” I greeted him. “Nope, not staging an escape. I was just talking to Logan. He’s new.”
    “Yes, so I hear. Welcome, young man.” Mr. Ba looked Logan up and down, then pulled a computer printout from the pocket of his corduroy blazer. “Logan Morse, yes?”
    “That’s right,” Logan said. “I hope I’m not too far behind to manage this class.”
    “Anyone who’s willing to open his mind and learn can do just fine here. Come on in.” Mr. Ba smiled at Logan, then strode past us into the classroom. “Good morning, class,” he said loudly. “We have a new student joining us today—Mr. Morse. He’ll be sitting between Mr. Menendez and Ms. Myers. Please adjust yourselves accordingly.”
    A chorus of groans and complaints rose from the class. “What’s going on?” Logan murmured to me.
    “Mr. Ba likes alphabetical seating,” I whispered back, trying not to grin like a loon when I realized what this meant—I’d be sitting right behind Logan for the rest of the year. “Just one of his little quirks, I guess.”
    Mr. Ba clapped his hands. “No dilly-dallying! Everyone from Ms. Myers through Ms. Whitman simply move one seat back.”
    “But the test . . . ,” Taylor whined. Her last name was Rhoads, so she was one of the people who needed to move. Since she and Megan had been right across the aisle from each other, it also meant they’d be split up. Too bad for them, but I was sure they’d survive.
    “The test shall begin once everyone is in their new seats.” Mr. Ba turned toward Logan. “Hmm, now what to do with you?”
    “He doesn’t have to take the test today, does he?” I asked. Even with Logan’s science-savvy DNA, that seemed like too much to ask.
    “Of course not,” Mr. Ba replied.
    “Whew!” Logan blew out a sigh. “That’s a relief.”
    “Take your seat please, Bailey.” Mr. Ba gestured for Logan to follow him.
    I sat down in my new seat right behind the old one—which was now Logan’s. Then I turned and watched as Mr. Ba led Logan through the classroom into the lab area. The teacher’s voice carried to the rest of us as he patted the smooth, chemical-resistant top of one of the lab tables.
    “Make yourself comfortable, Mr. Morse. Once I get the others started on the test, I’ll return and advise you on the reading you’ll need to do to catch up. You can take the test in a week or so.”
    “What?” someone called out. “If he’s not even sitting out here today, why’d we have to move seats?”
    Mr. Ba ignored the question. He slid the doors shut, blocking Logan from view. “All right, class,” he said. “Let’s get started.”
    Once the test paper was in front of me, I forgot about everything else for a while. I was ready for the test. I could have taken it underwater and upside down with one hand tied behind my back. I delved into it, my brain clicking along in overdrive as I filled in the answers.
    I was almost disappointed when I finished. Going back over the whole thing, I checked all my answers carefully. Then I looked up. Everyone else was still bent over their papers. Glancing at the clock above the door, I saw that I’d finished early. There were still almost fifteen minutes left in the class period.
    After glancing through my answers once more, I stood and walked to the front of the room. “Finished?” Mr. Ba asked, looking up from the book he was reading.
    I nodded, dropping my test paper on his desk.
    “Show-off,” someone muttered from behind me. I was pretty sure it was Taylor. She didn’t always deal too well with pressure.
    “All right, Bailey, take your seat,” Mr. Ba told me. “Or