MATCH ME IF YOU CAN

Chapter 1

Honestly, high school was stressful enough. Now I was supposed to worry about good grades and finding a date to prom? That kind of pressure just wasn't fair. I mean, talk about a major anxiety attack just waiting to happen.

Luckily for me, my best friend, Rose, was notoriously good at matchmaking. And she was going to help me, even if I had to blackmail her with photos from our fourth-grade talent show to get it.

Because prom was in two weeks, and I needed a date, stat.

" What about him?" I asked, pointing toward a guy on the debate team. The first period started in five minutes, and we were sitting against our locker, scouting. Rose was ignoring me. Form class was over, and there wasn't much time to chat between classes. Usually, I liked to be early, but desperate measures, and I was nothing if not desperate. "Hello?" I snapped my fingers.

Rose sent me an annoyed look over the top of her phone." He's been dating a girl on the swim team for the last three months, " she said, returning her focus to her phone. I leaned over  to get a closer look, but she placed the phone against her chest."Nice try."

" Another matchmaking application?" I said. Given her reaction, that was pretty much the only thing it could be. She protected the privacy of her clients like an overly aggressive goalie guarded his net.

She patted me on the head."You're so smart. No wonder you're on the honor roll."

Rose's matchmaking business was incredibly successful, hence her Cupid nickname. If someone wanted to utilize her mad matchmaking powers, they slid teen bucks into her locker and submitted a detailed personality test online that went to her email. After that, there was only one rule: they had to really try. When Rose emailed them their match, they couldn't look at these names and say "pass" without going on at least one date. They had to give it their all, too, like 100 percent try their best to make it work. And honestly, with Rose's girl-next-door looks and brown Bambi eyes, it was hard not to trust her.

Usually, things lasted a lot longer than one date, which was something she was immensely proud of. The more her couple worked, the more people were willing to go all in. Of course, then more couples worked, so it was like a never-ending cycle of matchmaking bliss. At this point, most people submitting applications took her word as fact, believing they were soul mates even if they'd never met. Given her matchmaking fame, Rose would save up for her car in no time.

Rose pretended like it didn't matter. But having her own car would mean freedom--she could escape whenever she needed to. Ever since they'd had the twins, it was like her parents forgot Rose existed. She spent more time at my house than at her own, but she always had to borrow a car to come over. And ever since her dad took on some extra shifts, that had been getting trickier.

"Hey, what'd I miss?" Jisoo dropped her bag and sat between us, adjusting her skirt so it was merely revealing, rather than outright shocking. She'd moved into my neighborhood two years ago and was already ten times more popular than I'd ever.

But she still spent time with us mere mortals, even if she did typically eat lunch with the pretty people.

" Just talking about prom and how I don't have a date," I said. " So nothing new there."

She leaned her head against the lockers and heaved an exaggerated sigh. " You and me both. Man, I'm so tired I could literally fall asleep standing up. Last night I stayed up late memorizing lines for auditions, and now I can barely move."

None of us had form class together, so this short stretch between classes was one of the few chances we could meet up in the morning.

"too bad. We've got a test in chemistry today," I said. Already the halls were clearing out, with students hurrying to class. I stood up. "you coming?"

" I didn't study." Jisoo grimaced. She looked around as if an answer key might fall from the sky. When that didn't immediately happen, her eyes grew more furtive, darting back and Fourth like a caged rabbit. Then an idea seemed to hit her and an impish grin spread across her face.

Whatever she was about to do, it was probably a bad idea.

I knew it, Rose knew it, and the freshmen a few feet down most likely knew it, too. But there was no stopping Jisoo once she put her mind to something.

Rose stood up and we shared an uneasy look.

" Jisoo, what are you thinking?" I asked.

Jisoo got up and leaned casually against the lockers all traces of her earlier desperation gone. "I'm thinking we really shouldn't be cooped up inside on a beautiful October day like this."

It was only then that I noticed the fire alarm mounted on the wall next to us and how Jisoo was eyeing it like she would the sales rack at Nordstrom's.

" you can't be serious. " I stepped forward and put my hand over the plastic cover, shielding the alarm with my body. " is that how a student council member should act? " I didn't think she'd actually do it, but I'd once watched her kiss a complete stranger on a dare, so really, I couldn't be sure. "besides, isn't that, like, a felony or something? "