Read Online 17 First Kisses by Rachael Allen - Free Book Online

them.)
    After Britney and Amberly fall asleep, Megan drags her sleeping bag over to mine and tells me how jealous she is of how her college professor parents treat her genius older brother. So I tell her about how my mom focuses all her attention on my perfect big sister. We talk until it’s light outside about the places we want to go and things we want to do and the glamorous lives we’ll have when we’re old enough to leave Pine Bluff. And I finally realize what I was missing in all those years without girlfriends.

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE
    HarperCollins Publishers
    ..................................................................
Chapter
5
    T he body paint oozes thick and gooey against my fingers. Sam stands in front of me, shirtless, and once again I’m struck by how different he looks. Man boobs—gone. Love handles—gone. Abs—present.
    â€œSo, what am I painting?” I ask.
    â€œPaint me orange with a navy
E
.”
    â€œAn
E
?”
    â€œYeah. I called some guys from the soccer team. We’re gonna spell
TIGERS
,” he says. “Oh, and if you want to get creative and paint some black tiger stripes on my arms, that’d be cool too.”
    I wipe a nickel-sized glob of tangerine-colored paint on Sam’s stomach and start smearing it around. When my fingers reach the contours of his abs, I get that fluttery feeling again. I step awayabruptly.
    â€œI’ve got an idea,” I say.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œYou should get the girl you’re crushing on to do this at the game. That way she’s touching you.”
    â€œYou think?”
    â€œDefinitely.” I don’t explain to Sam why I’m positive this will work. “Who is she, anyway?”
    His eyes are on the floor when he answers. “Amanda Bell.”
    â€œAmanda Bell?! You have a crush on Amanda Bell?”
    I repeat these words about fifty-seven times on the way to the game. Amanda Bell has fought to become queen of the B group, and she’s one of those dying-to-be-popular people who act way meaner than the actual popular people. It’s like that with monkeys too. The beta females are always the most aggressive. As soon as I hop out of Sam’s truck, he places a firm hand on each of my shoulders.
    â€œNo more talking about it now that we’re at the game, okay?”
    â€œDone.” I pretend to button my lips.
    After we get inside, I stop at the concession stand so I can watch Sam in action—I mean, buy cotton candy. Poor guy. Amanda is surrounded by three other girls. He bravely approaches the pack and singles out their snaggletoothed leader. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but the girls are giggling, and not in a good way.
    Then Sam plays his trump card: he whips off his T-shirt. Amanda is as stunned as I was. She casts covert glances at herfriends, and when she sees they too are smiling carnivorous smiles at Sam’s abs, she nods in agreement. By the time I pass by with my cotton candy, she’s happily rubbing paint all over his stomach. I flash him a hidden thumbs-up, and he grins.
    Then I hurry to find a seat before kickoff because, despite how much I make fun of Buck and our football team, I freaking love football. The intensity of the players. The excitement in the stands. Moms clanging cowbells. Old men reliving their glory days as they holler at the boys running around under the stadium lights. It’s intoxicating.
    The first quarter is pretty uneventful—it’s our defense against theirs, and they’re both good. But then I see Glenn, our star receiver, tear off down the field. He completely blows past the poor guy who is supposed to be covering him. Buck throws a wobbly rainbow of a pass, and the crowd collectively sucks in their breath. But there’s no way. Buck overthrew. Glenn won’t be able to . . .
    He catches it! He jumps into the air like there’s a hidden springboard on the field