The next day was a freaking struggle to drag my sorry self out of bed. Seriously, I still wasn't used to the ungodly hour of the morning, and that freaking alarm might as well have been the soundtrack to hell. But, hey, I somehow managed to survive the first three classes without drifting off into dreamland. Go me!

But, of course, my day couldn't just be regular, oh no. When I hit the cafeteria for lunch, I realized I wasn't as awake as I thought because, guess what? I left my beloved phone back in the classroom. Cue the frantic sprint through the halls, praying to the universe that I'd beat some sticky-fingered opportunist to it. Thank the stars, the geography teacher still had it and saved me from losing my beloved gadget.

He handed it back with a grin, and I tried to muster a smile even though I knew perfectly well where my head was at. And that was starting to be a major problem. My feelings were spiraling out of control, and I was kind of freaking out about it. I mean, I've seen my girls go all mushy over guys countless times, but at eighteen, I thought I was immune to that mess. Apparently not.

So, there I was, scanning the cafeteria like a woman on a mission, searching for him. But, let me tell you, I was no spy, and I didn't want to get caught red-handed gazing around like a lovestruck fool. So, I headed to my girl squad's table without a second look. Well, big mistake. 'Cause guess who was sitting there, looking all fine and dandy? Mr. Elusive himself, Alex. And, let me just say, he never graced us with his presence two days in a row. It was like spotting a unicorn or something.

I accidentally brushed his arm, and I swear I jumped out of my skin. Not that I wanted to touch him or anything. Nope. I immediately pulled away, and he freed my chair. Why did I always have this annoying habit of touching his arms? Must stop that, like, now.

And then my girls, Alisa and Lauren, they just had to scold me for not sharing my encounter with Alex the previous day. Great. As if my heart wasn't doing somersaults already, they had to draw attention to it.

"Hey, you never told us you bumped into Alex yesterday, Lena," Alisa said, all accusatory.

And there he was, watching me, and I swear my heart did a double flip-flop. "Yeah, he left without saying goodbye," she continued, and her gentle tone only made my pulse race faster. Like, could I be more of a mess right now?

"He was busy," I muttered, and oh god, I regretted it instantly. Did it sound like a reproach? Please, no.

Thank the heavens for changing the subject, 'cause Alex mentioned the thief we caught red-handed yesterday. But, ugh, he had to give me advice about being careful with my things when I meet up with Saul. Talk about pouring salt on a wound. Not that there was a wound, but still, no need to bring up Saul.

Anyway, I tried to act all chill and brush it off, but my heart was still going crazy. And then he asked me if I was jealous. Seriously? Heart, chill the heck down, would you? I mean, of course, I wasn't jealous. Just because I liked spending time with Alex didn't mean I had a right to be jealous if he flirted with someone else. Not that I was jealous. Nope, not me.

"Are you jealous of Sarah?" I clarified, trying to act like it wasn't obvious or anything.

Alex smiled awkwardly and ran a hand over his face, and oh my stars, my heart just wanted to burst out of my chest. Like, please, can someone make it stop?

"I've slept little; my neurons aren't working," he excused himself, and if possible, I'd swear he looked a tad embarrassed. But Alex wasn't the type to get embarrassed.

A group of girls passed by, checking us out with interest and maybe a hint of envy. It happened whenever Alex was around, and honestly, it did make me feel a tiny bit special for a moment.

And then out of the blue, he mentioned the hypnosis thing again. My whole face turned into a freaking tomato. I was burning up, seriously. What was happening to me? Why was my body reacting like this?

"Yeah... whenever you want... or when you have a match... or..." Ugh, I was totally stammering in front of him. Someone, please just dig a hole and bury me now.

Thank the freaking stars someone called out to him, saving me from this awkward moment. He had to leave, and I could finally breathe again.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. But, of course, the universe had other plans. My mind wandered off, and I started daydreaming about his eyes, his scent, his everything. Like, seriously, was I drunk on air or something?

Lauren noticed my sunburn, and I was just grateful for the distraction. "Be careful with the sun or you'll get spots and wrinkles," she warned.

And then, I couldn't help myself. I had to tell my girls about my secret crush. And, yeah, they had to go all curious and demanding on me. They wanted to know who it was, but I wasn't ready to spill the beans just yet.

"I'm not going to tell you his name," I said, trying to be all mysterious.

Lauren didn't buy it. "How are we going to help you if we don't know who it is?"

I smirked, 'cause I knew exactly how they'd react. "That's the thing: I don't want you to intervene. You're not exactly the embodiment of discretion. I can't reveal his identity until I make my moves."

"Moves? Lena, this isn't chess," Lauren pointed out, but I knew she was already hatching a plan.

Alisa jumped in, and her expression mirrored Lauren's. "If the guy's real, he won't care about your lack of experience."

I sighed, feeling a tiny bit relieved that they seemed to understand. "I want to feel confident, you know? I need some lessons before I serenade him. So, I need you guys to find a good teacher, someone I can trust, who won't spill my secrets. And, uh, it would be a bonus if he's easy on the eyes."

Lauren's eyes lit up with excitement. She was already scheming in her head. I knew she'd come up with the perfect candidate—her cousin David Burberry. Trustworthy, hot, and not even in our school. It was a genius move, but I didn't want to suggest it myself and risk David getting the wrong idea.

The game to become a new and improved version of myself had officially begun.