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

and, with every muscle in his arm stretching and straining, plucks the ball one-handed and curls it into his gut as he falls back to the ground.
    The crowd explodes. I whistle through my fingers and yell, “Yeah, Glenn!” People are screaming for Buck too, which just pisses me off. He threw a crappy pass. He is so lucky he has Glenn to make him look good. Sometimes Buck even throws the ball at the guy on the other team, but Glenn jumps in front of him just in time to intercept it. My dad calls him an offensive cornerback.
    The head coach, a skinny, wrinkly, white-haired man who looks exactly like an old rooster (hence his nickname: the Rooster), claps Glenn on the back. The assistant coach, who is fresh out of college and the target of many schoolgirl crushes, stops jumping up and down just long enough to do the same.
    We score shortly after Glenn’s magical catch, and the game calms down again. I bounce from clique to clique since my three closest friends are busy with pom-poms and herkies.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â 
herkie (noun)
    Â Â Â Â Â Â 
1: One of those jump thingies cheerleaders do when they’re excited.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â 
2: Kicking one leg out to the side so it’s parallel with the ground, while simultaneously trying to kick your own ass with your other leg, while simultaneously jumping as high as you can. So it’s kind of like a toe touch, except hilarious, and the best part is they have no idea how goofy it looks.
    I squeeze past my ex, Tanner Walsh (Kiss #9), as he bangs away on his drums. For a band guy, he is kind of a player. In the next section over I say hey to Sam and the rest of the T-I-G-E-R-S. Amanda Bell and her friends have taken up roost behind him, and Sam is smiling the goofiest smile. I let Seth Wong, who is the
T
in
TIGERS
and also Kiss #13 and Tanner’s ex–best friend (not a coincidence), spray my hair with glittery blue hair paint.
    A couple minutes later, I get a tap on the shoulder.
    â€œHey, Claire.” Luke has magically appeared by my elbow.
    â€œHey! I’m glad you made it.”
    I sneak a glance at the sideline where Megan is cheering to see if she’s noticed him yet, but she hasn’t. I try not to think about what it means that he sought me out. Try to keep the bubbly feelings scrunched down inside. I’ve already made up my mind. She can have him. I’ll just ignore his lean, muscular, soccer-player body.
    â€œHow’s the game going?” he asks.
    â€œWe’re winning! Go Tigers.”
    He leans close so I can hear him over the noise of the game. “This place is packed. I had to elbow people to get to you in the front row.” His deep voice rumbles in my ear, sending a small shiver down my right side. This is going to be harder than I thought.
    â€œYeah, this town pretty much closes down for football.”
    I try to concentrate on the game instead of on Luke, filling him in on what he missed so far. We’re half watching the game and half making small talk, when Glenn catches a short pass and darts down the field with it. The boy is fast. He sprints past the forty, the thirty. He thinks he’s beaten everyone on the other team, but then a defender the size of a wildebeest bulldozes into him. It’s one of those hits you can hear from the stands. Everyone cringes and gasps as Glenn goes down and one of his feet bends in a funny direction.
    He doesn’t get up.
    The Rooster and a medic run onto the field. The crowd waits in tense silence. Glenn clutches at his ankle, his face contorting in pain when they prod him. He’s able to stand and limp off the field with help, though. The crowd gives him a standing ovation.Everyone remains pretty subdued for the rest of the half, which means Luke and I can actually hear ourselves talk.
    â€œI can’t believe I’m finally a senior,” he says.
    â€œI know. I can’t wait to get away from this place.” I notice Buck