Keeley avoided school for a week, feigning a terrible flu. She knew her father's aversion to illness—he was a sympathetic vomiter and incredibly squeamish. A daily application of a hot water bottle to her face faked a fever, keeping her safely away from Aaron Hale.

Between completing makeup assignments her teachers emailed and indulging in copious amounts of bad reality TV (a guilty pleasure), she pondered ways to deter Aaron. She had none.

If he only wanted her to fawn over him, why had he kissed her? Was he planning to discard her, showcasing her insignificance? Given his classist tendencies, a cruel joke seemed plausible. But how would she react upon seeing him again? She couldn't avoid school forever.

She returned his gift box using a fake name and address to prevent his father from investigating. Confrontation was to be avoided at all costs. Perhaps she could pretend nothing happened. Right now, she preferred never speaking to him again; docked participation points were preferable to interacting with him.

Her luck faltered. Upon her return, an important, heavily weighted partner project loomed—and she was paired with Aaron. They had three days to co-author Shakespearean love sonnets to inanimate objects.

Individually would have been far superior! Why did teachers insist on group work? No one liked group projects!

"So, when do you want to work on this, partner?" Aaron asked coolly, as she slumped onto her desk. "Lunchtime in the library?"

School was out of the question; gossip and Lacy's wrath were too great a risk.

"No, I have other plans at lunch."

"How about my place after school? My driver can take you home."

Torn, Keeley hesitated. She didn't want to visit Aaron's austere house and risk encountering his father, but his house was the lesser of two evils, as his parents likely wouldn't be home.

"Fine. Today works. I want to get this over with; I have a lot of makeup work."

"You chose a bad time to fall ill," he remarked shrewdly, suspecting her absence was feigned.

"I can't control when I get sick," she retorted, alluding to the unwanted kiss.

He fell silent. The point was made.

Apprehensive, she arrived at the Hale family's imposing townhouse on 75th Street. It was as menacingly large as she remembered, one of the few city houses with a backyard. Feeling unwelcome, returning as a non-entity was daunting.

"Carlton, bring out the strawberry cheesecake for my guest," Aaron instructed, entering the expansive, antique-filled living room.

Overwhelmed, Keeley remembered her fear of damaging anything; each item was worth more than her life. Aaron comfortably settled onto a Louis XV sofa, while Keeley opted for the floor.

Clearing her throat, eager to leave, she said, "So, we need five sonnets, right?"

"Yes. Any ideas?"

None. Before she could reply, Carlton arrived with two plates of strawberry cheesecake from Junior's.

Hesitantly taking a bite, she moaned appreciatively. It was the best she'd ever tasted!

"Why don't we write one on cheesecake?" she mumbled, her mouth full.

Aaron's lips twitched. "An excellent idea. Provided we can manage fourteen lines solely about cheesecake."

He was mocking her. She would prove him wrong.

After several minutes and some offbeat clapping to maintain iambic pentameter, she recited:

"I cannot tell you how to choose a treat, Dessert is something not easy to buy, But if you happen to crave something sweet, Nobody praises cheesecake more than I.

Graham cracker crust helps balance out the cheese, Though dense it also can feel very light, And toppings can be added as you please, Strawberry cheesecake is such a delight."

She tilted her head. "How's that for impromptu poetry? I find your lack of faith disturbing."

"Did you just quote Star Wars?"

Keeley was astonished. Aaron despised mainstream pop culture and had never seen a Star Wars film. Her father, a huge fan, had raised her on them. Aaron had always refused to watch them with her.

"I recently discovered them. The special effects are impressive."

"Yeah, they are," she murmured.

In her past life, this interaction would have thrilled her. Now, she felt only confusion and a desire to leave.

"But let's return to the topic. I'm not finished."

He gestured for her to continue. "Carry on, Shakespeare."

"Each bite I take still dances on my tongue, I wish for nothing more than to complete This lovely cake so often found unsung, Which many more people should want to eat.

The drawback of its popularity, Is that there won't be any left for me."

Aaron smirked as Keeley grinned defiantly.

"I dare you to write one as quickly."

The final sentence, "Search the NovelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality," has been removed as it is irrelevant to the story and seems like an advertisement.