How to seduce a nerd

SECOND ATTEMPT

Chapter 4: Second Attempt: Dressing Up

I spent the entire day thinking about what went wrong.

And by the time lunch rolled around, I'd convinced myself that the problem wasn't my approach—it was that I hadn't given myself enough visual advantage.

Brian had run away before I could really show him what he was missing. He'd panicked before he could register that I was worth talking to. If I'd had more time, if he'd actually looked at me instead of just hearing my voice and going into full nervous meltdown mode, maybe things would have gone differently.

So the next day, I changed tactics.

I wore my shortest skirt. The one that hit mid-thigh and was technically within school dress code but definitely made a statement. I paired it with a fitted tank top that showed off my shoulders and the fact that I'd been going to the gym since freshman year. I wore boots that added three inches to my height and made my legs look impossibly long. I did my makeup darker, more dramatic, more unavoidable.

I looked like I was on a mission.

Which I was.

Madison took one look at me at my locker and raised her eyebrows. "Okay, so we're not being subtle anymore."

"Subtle didn't work," I said, adjusting my skirt. Not adjusting it down—just making sure it was sitting exactly where I wanted it. "Direct approach bombed. So now we go with undeniable physical attraction. You can't panic if you're too busy staring."

"That's not how people work," Madison said, but she was smiling despite herself. "Especially not people like Brian. He'll probably just get more nervous and run faster."

"Then I'll have to make sure he doesn't have anywhere to run to."

I'd already scouted his schedule. He always went to the science lab during his free period—second block, which was right after second period. He'd be heading there around 9:45, which meant I needed to position myself somewhere he'd have to pass through.

The hallway between the main building and the science wing was perfect. Narrow, less crowded, and the perfect place for an "accidental" encounter.

I waited there at 9:42, pretending to check my phone, my skirt suddenly feeling like it was very short and my confidence suddenly feeling very fragile.

What if Madison was right? What if this just made things worse? What if he took one look at me dressed like this and decided I was even more threatening?

But then I saw him coming down the hallway, his nose buried in a thick textbook like always, completely oblivious to the world around him, and my nervous thoughts scattered.

This was it. This was my chance.

I timed it perfectly. Just as he was passing by, I stepped sideways, directly into his path, and let our shoulders collide.

It was gentle—I didn't actually want to hurt him—but it was definitely a collision. His textbook went flying, his glasses slipped down his nose, and he made a small, surprised sound.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" I said, bending down to pick up his book at the exact same time he did.

Our heads almost collided.

He jerked back like I'd burned him, stumbling backward, his face going immediately red. His eyes went wide, and I watched them track downward—following the line of my legs, the shortness of my skirt, the way I was bending just enough to give him a view of my shoulder and collarbone.

For a second, I thought I had him.

For one glorious second, I could see the exact moment he registered that I was wearing less clothing than usual. His eyes widened. His throat moved like he was swallowing hard. And then—just as quickly—he looked away. Like he was forcing himself not to look."

"Here," I said, handing him his book and straightening up slowly, giving him plenty of time to look. "That was totally my fault. I wasn't paying attention."

He took the book with hands that were literally shaking. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

"It's okay," he mumbled. "No damage done."

"Are you sure?" I stepped a little closer, close enough that he could probably smell my perfume. Close enough that if he looked up, he'd be able to see exactly how much I'd dressed for him. "I feel really bad. Maybe I could make it up to you? Buy you coffee? Or we could study together?"

"I—" he started to say.

"No," someone called from down the hallway.

Both Brian and I looked over to see Jessica Martinez walking toward us, her expression somewhere between amused and annoyed.

"Brian, come on," she said, rolling her eyes. "I need your help with the lab setup for third period. Like, now."

"Oh, um," Brian said, already looking relieved to have an escape route. "Yeah, okay."

He looked at me—really looked at me for maybe half a second—and I could see something flicker across his face. Not attraction. Not interest. Just... recognition. Like he'd suddenly understood something.

"Maybe some other time," he said politely, and then he turned and followed Jessica down the hallway without looking back.

I stood there in the middle of the hallway, my short skirt suddenly feeling very exposed, my careful outfit suddenly feeling very desperate.

Jessica glanced back at me as they walked away, and I could have sworn she was smirking.

"He didn't even react," I said to Madison and Merge at lunch, stabbing my salad with more force than necessary.

"He ran away again?" Merge asked, barely containing her laughter.

"He didn't run. He just... politely excused himself. Which is somehow worse because it means he's not even nervous about me anymore. He's just completely uninterested."

"Or," Madison said carefully, "he's starting to see through the act."

I looked up from my salad. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the whole point of this was supposed to be that you seduced him naturally. That you made him fall for you. But you're being so obvious about it now—the outfits, the sudden interest, the 'accidental' collisions. He's not stupid, Chelsy. He can probably tell something's off."

"So what am I supposed to do?" I asked, frustrated. "If I'm too subtle, he doesn't notice. If I'm obvious, he gets suspicious. What's the middle ground?"

Merge leaned back in her seat, thinking. "You actually have to get to know him. Actually talk to him about his interests. Make him feel like you see him for who he is, not just what he looks like."

"That sounds like a lot of work," I said.

"It is," Madison agreed. "It's called actually caring about someone."

I didn't respond to that because she had a point, and I wasn't ready to think about what that point actually meant.

By the end of the day, I was thoroughly frustrated.

I'd tried the friendly approach—he'd panicked. I'd tried the provocative approach—he'd been polite and distant. Neither had worked. Neither had gotten me what I wanted, which was for him to fall for me, to want me, to make Sam jealous by existing with me.

I was starting to understand why this was so much harder than I'd thought.

I was starting to understand that maybe Brian Chen wasn't as easy to manipulate as I'd assumed.

But more than that, I was starting to wonder why I cared so much about making this work.

It wasn't about Sam anymore, I realized. Somewhere between defending Brian in the hallway and watching him run away from me twice, the plan had stopped being about proving something to my ex-boyfriend and started being about something else.

Something I wasn't entirely ready to examine.

I changed back into my normal clothes after school—the outfit had gotten too many looks, too many comments, and I'd felt uncomfortable in my own skin all day. By the time I got to my car, I was back to jeans and a hoodie, and I felt about a million times better.

My phone buzzed. A text from Madison: you good?

I typed back: no. but i'll figure it out.

Because I would. I always did. I'd figure out a way to make Brian fall for me, and I'd do it in a way that didn't involve provocative outfits or calculated collisions in hallways.

I'd do it by actually seeing him.

By actually caring.

And I still wasn't entirely sure how that had happened, but somewhere between the broken robot and the way he'd looked when Mr. Henderson cut him off mid-explanation, I'd stopped wanting to seduce Brian Chen for the sake of the plan.

I'd started wanting to seduce him because part of me was starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, he was worth it.

Which made me the worst kind of person.

And also, possibly, the most honest I'd been in days.