The mild temperature brought a warm hug, soothing Cade’s exhausted mind from overthinking. He could solve any math problem, deal with logic and unlock some deep vocabulary, but the greatest mind game he ever played was love. Though he had never been a player in that game, he was the supporting role. The player in question was Stan, and the biggest mystery he couldn’t decipher was why Stan liked Elsie. Cade scrutinized every angle, but he couldn’t find a single reason to grow fonder of her.

“Curtis Fleming?”

Cade lifted his face when the teacher called him.

“Do you have a partner?”

“What partner?”

“So you weren’t listening to me...