Read Online Second Kiss by Natalie Palmer - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Natalie Palmer
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rolled back on to my back and closed my eyes. “Think of the worst possible first day of school that you can think of.”
Jess rubbed his face with one of his hands. “I could be here all day.”
“Seriously, Jess, haven’t you had one of those nightmares where you show up on your first day in just your underwear, and you don’t know anyone, and you don’t know where you’re supposed to go, and everyone is laughing at you?”
“You went to school in your underwear?”
“Take out the underwear part and you have my first day of ninth grade.”
Jess situated himself on the grass next to me. “From the beginning.”
“I was late getting to school because I was trying to talk my mom into letting me stay home.”
“I hate it when that happens.” He was teasing me again. I could always tell by the sound of his voice.
“Then when I got there I realized that I had forgotten my schedule.”
Jess groaned and covered his eyes with his hands. “That does stink.”
“So I just went into one of the classrooms.”
“You just guessed?”
I nodded and continued, “But the teacher didn’t call my name on the roll.”
“It was the wrong class.” He stated it as though he had just figured out another clue to a puzzle.
I nodded again. “So the teacher has us get in a circle to play this game with a ball, and you could only talk if you had the ball.”
“You just stayed in the class anyway?”
“Jess!” I snapped at him for interrupting me and gave him a glare that made him snap his lips together. I continued, “When it was my turn with the ball, the teacher asked my name.”
“She shouldn’t have been talking! She didn’t have the ball!” Jess pointed his finger in the air like he was a lawyer in court.
I was so happy that Jess felt the same way I did. “That’s what I said!”
“You said that?”
I bit my bottom lip and nodded my head slowly.
“Oh, no.” Jess closed his eyes and waited for me to continue.
“So Jake Jonathan told her my name. And while he was at it, he told her and the rest of the class that I like Trace Weston.”
“Of all the classes in the whole school, you picked the one with Jake Jonathan?”
“And Trace Weston!”
I thought Jess’s eyes would bug out of his face. “Trace was in the class, too?”
I looked up at the sky. There was no need to respond.
Jess urged me on, “Then what happened?”
“The teacher figured out that I wasn’t supposed to be in the class. She just kept going on and on about it in front of everyone. It was humiliating.”
Jess groaned. He genuinely sounded like he was aching inside. “That is rough, Gem. I hope things looked up after that.”
“Ha!” I blurted sarcastically. “Not exactly. My whole day’s schedule was here in my bedroom!” I pointed at my house. “Even my locker number was on the stupid piece of paper! I couldn’t do anything.”
Jess narrowed his eyes. “So what did you do?”
“I sat outside by the dumpster until everyone had gone home.”
Jess pitched his head forward. “All day?”
“Yes,” I said matter-of-factly. “What else was I supposed to do?”
“Gemma, you could have just gone to the office. They have copies of everyone’s schedules. They would have just printed you off a new one!”
Jess’s obvious answer hurt my ears. I felt so stupid and embarrassed and mad. Tears welled up in my eyes with full force. There was no willing them away this time. “Well that’s just great!” I blubbered as I hit the grass in front of me. Jess’s expression immediately changed from surprised to apologetic. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his chest.
“I’m sorry, Gemma. I shouldn’t have said it like that. I probably wouldn’t have known that either. The only reason I do is because my teacher in seventh grade spilled her coffee on my schedule and she told me to go to the office to get a new one. There’s no reason you would have known that.”
I wiped at my eyes and sat
Jess rubbed his face with one of his hands. “I could be here all day.”
“Seriously, Jess, haven’t you had one of those nightmares where you show up on your first day in just your underwear, and you don’t know anyone, and you don’t know where you’re supposed to go, and everyone is laughing at you?”
“You went to school in your underwear?”
“Take out the underwear part and you have my first day of ninth grade.”
Jess situated himself on the grass next to me. “From the beginning.”
“I was late getting to school because I was trying to talk my mom into letting me stay home.”
“I hate it when that happens.” He was teasing me again. I could always tell by the sound of his voice.
“Then when I got there I realized that I had forgotten my schedule.”
Jess groaned and covered his eyes with his hands. “That does stink.”
“So I just went into one of the classrooms.”
“You just guessed?”
I nodded and continued, “But the teacher didn’t call my name on the roll.”
“It was the wrong class.” He stated it as though he had just figured out another clue to a puzzle.
I nodded again. “So the teacher has us get in a circle to play this game with a ball, and you could only talk if you had the ball.”
“You just stayed in the class anyway?”
“Jess!” I snapped at him for interrupting me and gave him a glare that made him snap his lips together. I continued, “When it was my turn with the ball, the teacher asked my name.”
“She shouldn’t have been talking! She didn’t have the ball!” Jess pointed his finger in the air like he was a lawyer in court.
I was so happy that Jess felt the same way I did. “That’s what I said!”
“You said that?”
I bit my bottom lip and nodded my head slowly.
“Oh, no.” Jess closed his eyes and waited for me to continue.
“So Jake Jonathan told her my name. And while he was at it, he told her and the rest of the class that I like Trace Weston.”
“Of all the classes in the whole school, you picked the one with Jake Jonathan?”
“And Trace Weston!”
I thought Jess’s eyes would bug out of his face. “Trace was in the class, too?”
I looked up at the sky. There was no need to respond.
Jess urged me on, “Then what happened?”
“The teacher figured out that I wasn’t supposed to be in the class. She just kept going on and on about it in front of everyone. It was humiliating.”
Jess groaned. He genuinely sounded like he was aching inside. “That is rough, Gem. I hope things looked up after that.”
“Ha!” I blurted sarcastically. “Not exactly. My whole day’s schedule was here in my bedroom!” I pointed at my house. “Even my locker number was on the stupid piece of paper! I couldn’t do anything.”
Jess narrowed his eyes. “So what did you do?”
“I sat outside by the dumpster until everyone had gone home.”
Jess pitched his head forward. “All day?”
“Yes,” I said matter-of-factly. “What else was I supposed to do?”
“Gemma, you could have just gone to the office. They have copies of everyone’s schedules. They would have just printed you off a new one!”
Jess’s obvious answer hurt my ears. I felt so stupid and embarrassed and mad. Tears welled up in my eyes with full force. There was no willing them away this time. “Well that’s just great!” I blubbered as I hit the grass in front of me. Jess’s expression immediately changed from surprised to apologetic. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his chest.
“I’m sorry, Gemma. I shouldn’t have said it like that. I probably wouldn’t have known that either. The only reason I do is because my teacher in seventh grade spilled her coffee on my schedule and she told me to go to the office to get a new one. There’s no reason you would have known that.”
I wiped at my eyes and sat
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