you’ll be kissed by a girl in your life, so you’d better stop complaining.”
“My turn,” Richelle announces.
“Hey! I thought I was next. I’m next to Nicole.”
“Girls first,” Richelle tells Craig, who rolls his eyes.
Richelle gives it a forceful spin, but it ends up bouncing across the floor.
“Easy there, sugar lips,” Brady teases, handing her back the bottle. Richelle ignores him and spins it again.
The bottle whips around and around, eventually pointing right at my knee. Richelle presses her lips together to keep from smiling.
“Glasses off, Cal.”
I take them off, and the room immediately is out of focus. I blink. But it doesn’t matter. Craig could be kissing me, and I’d have no idea.
“Just close your eyes,” she instructs me. I hear the guys’ stifled laughs when I do. I wait.
Then something warm presses against my lips. I didn’t know lips could be this soft. And they stay against my mouth for what feels like a long time. I don’t mind. I like it. And when she pulls away, I can feel the blood rush throughout my body, and I immediately try to sit in a different position. The guys start dying laughing. I want to tell them to shut up, but I don’t want the girls to notice what they obviously do.
“So immature,” Richelle huffs. I shove my glasses back on and find her looking at me, her cheeks a bit flushed. She smiles a little, and I smile back.
* * *
“That must’ve been some kiss,” Nyelle says softly, pulling me from thoughts of Richelle. Her reflective blue eyes shift and fall on me. Neither of us says anything for a full minute. Our knees lightly touch as we sit there staring at each other, neither of us looking away. I lean over and brush the stray hair caught on her lips. She draws in a quick breath. And in that second, I’m tempted to kiss her.
Nyelle blinks, like a light’s being flashed before her eyes, and just like that, the moment’s gone. I pull back, holding on to the branch with two hands again.
“I liked this,” she says, inhaling deeply with her eyes closed, drawing her shoulders up. She relaxes them with a strong exhale and smiles brightly. “Thanks for finding the frosting tree with me, Cal. Not many guys would do this.”
“I have to agree with you,” I respond with a nod, still needing a moment to get over what almost happened. I look down at the tangle of branches and wonder: Why
did
I follow her up here? And how the hell am I supposed to get back down?
“We should get going so you’re not late for class.”
Nyelle secures the lid on the frosting and sticks it in her cavernous pocket. She steps down to the next level, and then she’s off—practically hopping down the tree. She does it so effortlessly. It takes me a lot longer. I brace myself as I step on each branch, expecting it to snap beneath my boot.
When I finally reach the ground, Nyelle is already at the street. “I’ll see you around, Cal.”
My gut floods with the familiar anxiety I get when she’s about to leave me. “Nyelle.” She stops in the middle of the street to turn my way. “Want to do something tomorrow night? My roommate’s fraternity, Delta Ep, is having a party.”
“Tomorrow night?” After a thoughtful pause, she responds, “Maybe.”
Before I can figure out how to get in touch with her, she’s walking away again—but not toward campus. I’m tempted to catch up with her, but I need to get to my next class.
“
Maybe
,” I mumble. “What am I supposed to do with that?”
NICOLE
October—Fourth Grade
I step off the bus and start walking toward my house, adjusting the straps of my backpack on my shoulders.
“Hey, Nicole,” Cal says before I walk too far. “Where’s Richelle?”
“At the dentist,” I tell him softly. “Where’s Rae?”
“She and her mom went to pick up Liam at his dad’s.”
“Oh,” I exhale.
“Do you want to come over? My dad finally finished putting up the tire swing.”
I run my hands
“My turn,” Richelle announces.
“Hey! I thought I was next. I’m next to Nicole.”
“Girls first,” Richelle tells Craig, who rolls his eyes.
Richelle gives it a forceful spin, but it ends up bouncing across the floor.
“Easy there, sugar lips,” Brady teases, handing her back the bottle. Richelle ignores him and spins it again.
The bottle whips around and around, eventually pointing right at my knee. Richelle presses her lips together to keep from smiling.
“Glasses off, Cal.”
I take them off, and the room immediately is out of focus. I blink. But it doesn’t matter. Craig could be kissing me, and I’d have no idea.
“Just close your eyes,” she instructs me. I hear the guys’ stifled laughs when I do. I wait.
Then something warm presses against my lips. I didn’t know lips could be this soft. And they stay against my mouth for what feels like a long time. I don’t mind. I like it. And when she pulls away, I can feel the blood rush throughout my body, and I immediately try to sit in a different position. The guys start dying laughing. I want to tell them to shut up, but I don’t want the girls to notice what they obviously do.
“So immature,” Richelle huffs. I shove my glasses back on and find her looking at me, her cheeks a bit flushed. She smiles a little, and I smile back.
* * *
“That must’ve been some kiss,” Nyelle says softly, pulling me from thoughts of Richelle. Her reflective blue eyes shift and fall on me. Neither of us says anything for a full minute. Our knees lightly touch as we sit there staring at each other, neither of us looking away. I lean over and brush the stray hair caught on her lips. She draws in a quick breath. And in that second, I’m tempted to kiss her.
Nyelle blinks, like a light’s being flashed before her eyes, and just like that, the moment’s gone. I pull back, holding on to the branch with two hands again.
“I liked this,” she says, inhaling deeply with her eyes closed, drawing her shoulders up. She relaxes them with a strong exhale and smiles brightly. “Thanks for finding the frosting tree with me, Cal. Not many guys would do this.”
“I have to agree with you,” I respond with a nod, still needing a moment to get over what almost happened. I look down at the tangle of branches and wonder: Why
did
I follow her up here? And how the hell am I supposed to get back down?
“We should get going so you’re not late for class.”
Nyelle secures the lid on the frosting and sticks it in her cavernous pocket. She steps down to the next level, and then she’s off—practically hopping down the tree. She does it so effortlessly. It takes me a lot longer. I brace myself as I step on each branch, expecting it to snap beneath my boot.
When I finally reach the ground, Nyelle is already at the street. “I’ll see you around, Cal.”
My gut floods with the familiar anxiety I get when she’s about to leave me. “Nyelle.” She stops in the middle of the street to turn my way. “Want to do something tomorrow night? My roommate’s fraternity, Delta Ep, is having a party.”
“Tomorrow night?” After a thoughtful pause, she responds, “Maybe.”
Before I can figure out how to get in touch with her, she’s walking away again—but not toward campus. I’m tempted to catch up with her, but I need to get to my next class.
“
Maybe
,” I mumble. “What am I supposed to do with that?”
NICOLE
October—Fourth Grade
I step off the bus and start walking toward my house, adjusting the straps of my backpack on my shoulders.
“Hey, Nicole,” Cal says before I walk too far. “Where’s Richelle?”
“At the dentist,” I tell him softly. “Where’s Rae?”
“She and her mom went to pick up Liam at his dad’s.”
“Oh,” I exhale.
“Do you want to come over? My dad finally finished putting up the tire swing.”
I run my hands
Similar Books
