you . . ." She trails off as her eyes rake down Abby's body, inconspicuously checking for any signs that her clothes were just off.

"Oh, it's okay," Abby supplies quickly, grabbing for the tape recorder and her bag. "I was just interviewing him for an article, but I can finish up another time if you have plans."

"Are you sure?" I ask, standing up as I run an awkward hand through my hair. "I can reschedule our—" I don't know what to call whatever it is that Jackie is here for without coming off as a complete asshole, so I just gesture to Jackie.

"Yeah, it's not a problem. If you have a date, I could just—"

"It's not a date," I correct. More like a pre-planned fuck.

Jackie's cheeks turn a deep red, and her eyes find the textbook on the dresser by the door. I can already tell where her mind is taking her, but I can't stop her before she speaks.

"We have a big chemistry test coming up, so I came over to study," she says quickly.

Abby looks at the textbook and then back up to Jackie. When her eyes widen slightly, I can tell that she's starting to figure out what's happening.

"You're in Fundamentals of Chemistry?" she asks, confirming Jackie's lie.

"Yeah, we've got it together. Right, Beck?" She smiles up at me, completely unaware that her lie is blowing up in her face.

"Mhm." I try to hold back the laugh, but it comes out as a sort of strangled cough.

Abby nods and bites the inside of her cheek, holding back her own laugh.

"Okay. Well, have fun studying." She slips past Jackie toward the door.

"Should we reschedule to finish the interview?" I ask, trying to stay focused, but the flash of lace I see under Jackie's buttoned-up jacket has my mind pulling me in another direction.

"Sure," she says, smirking at me. "I'll text you to figure out a new time."

Turning to Jackie, she smiles. "It was nice to meet you, Jackie. I'm sure I'll see you on Monday in class." She taps the chemistry textbook as she turns on her heel and walks out of the room, leaving me to watch the color drain from Jackie's face as she looks up at me with wide eyes. I watch the exact moment it clicks in her head.

"She's in your chemistry class, isn't she?"