The email changed everything, and Jace knew it the second he read the subject line. Subject: English Project Partnership He stared at the screen. He had been paired with Maya Chen for the semester project, and the deadline had just been moved up two weeks. They were required to meet at least twice a week outside of school. Mrs. Haines insisted on home meetings because she wanted them to collaborate in a comfortable environment. He read the email twice to make sure he was not imagining things. Then he closed his laptop and pressed his forehead against the desk. Of all the people in the class, of all the names Mrs. Haines could have drawn, it had to be her. --- The first meeting was at his house. Maya showed up on Saturday afternoon with a notebook in one hand and a bag of boba in the

