My head pounds and I groan as I twist and turn in bed. Groggily I crack open an eye and take in my surroundings. The room is pitch black. I sigh and try to move my limbs, feeling like a gigantic weight has been pushing me down into the mattress all the while I've been sleeping.

With a considerable amount of willpower, I sit up and rub my eyes, pushing my hands through my tangled mess of hair.

I huff and throw my legs over the bed and push myself to my feet. Trudging to the keys, I flick the lights on, squinting and blinking until my eyes adjust. Somehow even after hours of sleeping, I'm more exhausted than I was before I slept.

With a sigh, I straighten up and let myself out of the bedroom and plod to the kitchen, turning on the lights as I go on.

Searching every cabinet, I finally find my friend, tequila, and unscrew its lid. Holding it from its neck, I return to my room and find my phone.

Nothing is huge enough to be not solved with music and some good portion of alcohol.

So, I open Spotify and play the first song in the first playlist. Olivia Rodrigo's 'Good 4 you' plays and I press the volume button of my phone until it's blaring. I throw my phone on the couch, take a swig from the tequila, swaying my hips, and bobbing my head.

A few more swigs and I'm banging my head with the song, singing along with it on top of my lungs, until my throat hurts and I've spilled a considerable amount of my drink on the floor. But I don't stop and replay the song, and jump around, dancing and letting go of my anger and frustration.

Throwing my head back, and holding the bottle up high, I yell, "Like a damn sociopath." And I halt. With a frown, I straighten myself as the last few lines of the song go on and I vacantly gaze at the table.

I've been screwed and everyone's been going about their lives. Now, what's fair in that?

I stare at the label of the tequila. Maybe I have lost my mind. Laughter bubbles out of me. A slow plan begins piecing itself in my head and I laugh harder, feeling like the villains of the movies. Because that's exactly how I'm going to be.

I rush back to my kitchen and put the drink back in its place. With a few cold splashes of water to my face, chugging three glasses of water for preventing from getting drunk and a Starbucks coffee from my fridge, I'm good to go.

I pick up my laptop and a notebook from my room before settling on the couch in the living room.

I glance at Melody's half-open door; I really don't get why she rented that room. She's not around most of the time.

I shake my head and gaze at the black screen of my laptop. The first part of my plan forms in mind. Tomorrow I'll execute part one.

So what I'm not rich anymore? I know Alex, Everly, and Olivia's every little dirty secret. And I will take advantage of that.

I would love to see Olivia's face when she finds out I slept with Nathan, her crush since forever and then I want to know, would she still claim I'm not suited for their status? And then Alex, he's going to be furious. I smirk. Oh God, this is going to be perfect.

I turn on my laptop and prepare the notebook, as I lay it next to me on the couch. And for you, Spencer Wright, I'm done playing around and working my ass off to impress you, dick head.

The screen comes to life and I open the browser, a mischievous grin curls my lips as I type 'How to seduce men' and hit enter.

I never thought it'd be possible to search anything with this fervor, but apparently, today I'll be crossing limits. Each tab I open, I take notes like my life depends on it. Well, it kind of does. The facts that were repeated, I highlight them to make sure to use them first and more than the other techniques. God bless Google's programmer's soul.

Time goes by, I remain devoted to my research. I'll show you who can't do research, asshole.

The sound of the door shutting snaps me out of my feverish scrolling and writing.

"Hi?" Melody eyes my laptop and the multiple pens scattered on the sofa.

"Hey," I smile at her.

"You okay?" she hesitantly asks.

"Never better." I grin and put aside the notebook and move on to another tab.

Melody drops her bag on the floor and leans down, picks up the notepad. I glance at her from the corner of my eye.

She frowns. "Who are you trying to seduce?" she flips through the pages. "Brian?" she looks at me and quirks an eyebrow.

I smirk and shake my head, closing my laptop.

Her brows' furrow deepens and my smirk widens into a grin.

"Then who?" she hesitantly asks.

"Who do you think?"

She glances between me and the notebook. Her eyebrows raise before squishing together. Melody tilts her head slightly. "You wouldn't," she mumbles.

I giggle. "You're on right track."

She gasps. "No."

I rub my hands together. "I'm going to seduce my professor."

"Have you gone mental!" she shouts, throwing the notepad on the sofa.

I roll my eyes. "Stop being so dramatic."

"Oh my God." She presses her palms to her temples.

"I'm back on track of being my fantabulous self." I bat my lashes.

"Oh my fucking God. You have lost it."

I laugh, a hearty, shoulders shaking, throwing back the head kind of laugh. I am oddly feeling a psychotic sort of energy coursing through me. And I freaking love it.

"This question along with its solution has driven you mad. You are out of your senses. Do you even realize what you're saying? Seduce your professor! It even sounds wrong, oh my gosh." She shakes her head and paces and the room. "Have you even thought this through!" she exclaims, throwing her hands up.

I place my laptop on the small wooden coffee table before leaning back into the sofa.

"What if he harasses you or worse, rapes you!" she yells, her arms wide open as she spins to me and stares at me with wide eyes.

I shake my head. "Trust me, he's not that type." If he wanted to do anything, he had the chance. I was utterly helpless and defenseless in his condo, and he was nothing but sweet to me. I frown. What happened that made him flip like that?

Whatever the reason, it was wrong. Now I've decided to change tactics, and it no longer matters what was his reasons.

Melody shoves her hands into her hair. With a sharp inhale she looks me dead in the eyes. "Okay, this can get you into trouble you're probably not ready for."

"It'll get him in trouble, not me."

"Do you have the slightest idea of what would everyone say about you?"

I shrug. "I'm graduating. Next semester is the last one I'll be spending in this university."

"Why?" she whines.

I smirk at her. "Honey, at the end of the day, he's a man. And men have two brains, one, up here." I point at my temple with my index finger and then point at my crotch. "And one down there."

Melody rolls her eyes.

I grin at her. "Once the southern brain starts working, the northern will shut off."

She shakes her head. "This is pure madness. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"In fact, I do. It's innocent seduction, enough to drive him a little crazy and unhinge him. And when he can't think straight, it'll be the perfect opportunity for me to sway him to give me the question himself. So there won't be any accusations of I found it while snooping around his office. On top of that, he'll help me fill in the blank spots of my solution too, willingly, making it establish-ready. It's a genius plan."

For a long moment, she blankly gazes at me. With a sigh, she sits at the edge of the TV stand and crosses her arms.

"I really don't think this is a good idea. It screams trouble. Have you thought about the consequences? It's not worth it Rae."

I shake my head. "You don't understand. It is. Definitely One hundred percent worth it."

"Is this a game for you?" she tilts her head to the side. "You're not grasping how fucking ridiculous your plan is! Do you realize how reckless and stupid this game you're playing is?"

"When your professor becomes an obstacle rather than a source of help, it leaves you with one option, seduce him to win him over. It's called being smart." I lift a shoulder, a smug smile curls my lips. "And stop acting like my mom. I'm living, returning to the way I was. Wild and reckless, let me enjoy life and have you, as my roommate and only friend who I can come back to and tell the tale."

She sighs loudly, her features softening. "You're insane." Melody straightens herself and walks across the living room, planting herself next to me. "At least tell me this professor of yours is not old and wrinkly."

I giggle and shake my head.

"Show me his picture." She jabs her finger to my side. I laugh, picking up my laptop and opening it, bringing up my university's faculty members' profile, and click on Wright.

She whistles as his picture appear on the screen, and I teeter. "Girl, you sure it's only going to stay innocent seduction?"

I roll my eyes. "I'm not going to sleep with my professor."

"Yeah, sure." She gives me a don't bullshit me look but I ignore it. Some red lines should never be crossed. Sleeping with your professor is one of them.

"He's young," she mumbles.

I nod. "Said he's a post-doc student."

Her mouth shapes an O. "Gracie," her tone suddenly turns serious and I close the page, shutting my laptop as I hum for her to go on. "Gracie," she calls out sharper and I snap my focus to her.

"What?"

"Don't get me wrong... I don't know your type... but, considering the way you've been in the past few weeks, you sure you can keep things light and casual with him?"

"What's that supposed to mean? Of course I can."

"Okay," she drawls, eyeing me and my closed laptop.

I huff, glaring at her. "Come on, he's not my type. He's too boring for me. I don't do boring. I'm more into bad boys, adventures, and wild stuff."

"And assholes." She holds her finger up.

"You're not going to drop that, are you?"

She shrugs. "It was a pretty dick move to end a relationship on the sidewalk."

I shake my head, mumbling, "He'll pay for that soon enough." I get to my feet, with my belongings in my hand.

She squints at me and I offer her my sweetest smile, cracking her up.

I turn, heading to my room when she calls out again. "Gracie?"

I spin and face her, arching an eyebrow.

"What about Brian?" she softly asks.

To my greatest effort, I school my expression to nonchalance. But shit. I forgot about him entirely. "What about him? I'll keep on going out with Brian, it's not like I'm going to be obvious with Wright to make the entire school find out."

She eyes me suspiciously, not convinced.

With Brian in the picture, things might get slightly complicated, but nothing I can't handle.

I need this solution to be published under my name. And I'll do anything for it.

∞ ∞ ∞

Thanks for reading this chapter, hope you enjoyed it (if you did, don't forget to vote ^^) and tell me your thoughts.

Next chapter will be steamy (I think, I haven't written it yet, lol, but I'm planning on adding a little steam to the chapter xD) so be aware =) [I won't put a warning at the top of that chapter]

Stay safe, lots of love, happy reading ^.^