my body. I’ve played spin the bottle and truth or dare, but this is the first kiss where I actually wanted to kiss the guy. I never imagined that lips could feel that soft. He steps back and smiles, as if admiring his work, before he pushes through the door to the stairwell. I can still smell him after he walks away.
I must’ve held my breath for the entire kiss, because when that door shuts, I find myself gasping for air. My head is spinning and I start to get woozy. I stumble back toward the wall and slide down. There’s a tingling in my tummy, something I’ve never experienced before. I need to get some air because the heat in my belly is spreading all throughout my body. I don’t know what’s happening. A smile breaks out on my face, something like that dumb smile Cherise gets.
The door to the gym swings open and bangs against the wall. The noise startles me, and I leap to my feet.
“Are you okay, young lady?”
Considering that Mr. Scarin-whatever caught me sprawled on the floor with a drunken glaze on my face, it’s a fair question. There’s nothing I can say really. I breeze past him and run back to the basketball, sink another ten in a row.
Chapter 8
“T eenie kissed Greg!” Cherise broadcasts the breaking news to the crew at the lunch table. I kick her in the heel for having such a big mouth, even though I’m grinning from ear to ear.
“Which Greg?”
“The one on the basketball team?”
The first question was from Tamara and the second was from Malika. Cherise takes center stage like she’s the one who kissed him.
“Yup. He tongued her down in the hallway during gym class.”
“No he did not!” I say, trying my best not to giggle.
“Yeah, okay.” Cherise is laying it on thick. I start laughingwhen she says, “Y’all should have seen her face when she came back in, smiling like she hit the lotto.”
“It was nothing big really.” Even Sabrina is happy for me, smiling and laughing while she rubs cocoa butter on the back of her feet.
“Greg Millons?” Crystal asks for clarification.
I nod my head and take questions from the peanut gallery. They want a full, step-by-step account of the day’s event.
“Well, can he kiss?”
“Yes.”
“Did he try anything else?”
“No, he was a gentleman.” I probably wouldn’t have minded if he wasn’t.
“What if he has a girlfriend?”
That’s Crystal again. She must have been gulping the Haterade today, because she’s the only one not smiling.
“So what?” Cherise jumps in. “If he does, she need to watch her man.”
The other girls laugh and then start asking a bunch more questions. Some of the questions are X-rated and I find myself blushing and laughing and saying, “No I did not!” This is two days in a row I’ve been the center of attention. I could get used to this.
“Where’s the fire?” Tamara asks as we see a bunch of students, mostly girls, running toward the center section of the lunchroom.
Cherise grabs my arm and yanks me up from the table. “They’re putting up the results of the cheerleading tryouts.”
“Why are we looking if you know you already made the first cut?”
She shushes me. “The head girl winked at me, dummy. It’s not official yet. Besides”—she leans in closer—“I want to see who the competition is.”
There’s a big crowd forming near the wall as a whole bunch of girls fight to get closer to the list. I notice a woman posting something on the other side of the lunchroom. I don’t even have a chance to think about checking to see what she’s doing. Cherise yanks my arm so hard toward the cheerleader list that I almost catch whiplash.
Cherise forces her way in front of the list and starts looking for her name.
“What the hell? How are you supposed to read this?” She’s annoyed because they have the results listed only showing the last five digits of everyone’s Social Security number. “How the hell am I supposed to find myself here? I don’t know my
I must’ve held my breath for the entire kiss, because when that door shuts, I find myself gasping for air. My head is spinning and I start to get woozy. I stumble back toward the wall and slide down. There’s a tingling in my tummy, something I’ve never experienced before. I need to get some air because the heat in my belly is spreading all throughout my body. I don’t know what’s happening. A smile breaks out on my face, something like that dumb smile Cherise gets.
The door to the gym swings open and bangs against the wall. The noise startles me, and I leap to my feet.
“Are you okay, young lady?”
Considering that Mr. Scarin-whatever caught me sprawled on the floor with a drunken glaze on my face, it’s a fair question. There’s nothing I can say really. I breeze past him and run back to the basketball, sink another ten in a row.
Chapter 8
“T eenie kissed Greg!” Cherise broadcasts the breaking news to the crew at the lunch table. I kick her in the heel for having such a big mouth, even though I’m grinning from ear to ear.
“Which Greg?”
“The one on the basketball team?”
The first question was from Tamara and the second was from Malika. Cherise takes center stage like she’s the one who kissed him.
“Yup. He tongued her down in the hallway during gym class.”
“No he did not!” I say, trying my best not to giggle.
“Yeah, okay.” Cherise is laying it on thick. I start laughingwhen she says, “Y’all should have seen her face when she came back in, smiling like she hit the lotto.”
“It was nothing big really.” Even Sabrina is happy for me, smiling and laughing while she rubs cocoa butter on the back of her feet.
“Greg Millons?” Crystal asks for clarification.
I nod my head and take questions from the peanut gallery. They want a full, step-by-step account of the day’s event.
“Well, can he kiss?”
“Yes.”
“Did he try anything else?”
“No, he was a gentleman.” I probably wouldn’t have minded if he wasn’t.
“What if he has a girlfriend?”
That’s Crystal again. She must have been gulping the Haterade today, because she’s the only one not smiling.
“So what?” Cherise jumps in. “If he does, she need to watch her man.”
The other girls laugh and then start asking a bunch more questions. Some of the questions are X-rated and I find myself blushing and laughing and saying, “No I did not!” This is two days in a row I’ve been the center of attention. I could get used to this.
“Where’s the fire?” Tamara asks as we see a bunch of students, mostly girls, running toward the center section of the lunchroom.
Cherise grabs my arm and yanks me up from the table. “They’re putting up the results of the cheerleading tryouts.”
“Why are we looking if you know you already made the first cut?”
She shushes me. “The head girl winked at me, dummy. It’s not official yet. Besides”—she leans in closer—“I want to see who the competition is.”
There’s a big crowd forming near the wall as a whole bunch of girls fight to get closer to the list. I notice a woman posting something on the other side of the lunchroom. I don’t even have a chance to think about checking to see what she’s doing. Cherise yanks my arm so hard toward the cheerleader list that I almost catch whiplash.
Cherise forces her way in front of the list and starts looking for her name.
“What the hell? How are you supposed to read this?” She’s annoyed because they have the results listed only showing the last five digits of everyone’s Social Security number. “How the hell am I supposed to find myself here? I don’t know my
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