Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 124320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
“Um, Hannah. I need to check on something.”
“Now?” Hannah asks, the confusion on her face morphing into horror. “But this isn’t a fast song. They’re playing ‘I’ll Make Love to You.’ You can’t walk off the dance floor in the middle of Boyz II Men.”
“Sorry.” I shrug and turn to leave.
“Seriously?” Hannah yells at my back while the Boyz croon. “My friends were right. You are weird.”
I can live with weird if it means Hannah leaves me alone. I walk up to Jeremy dancing with Clarissa now, his head dipped into her neck and his hands squarely on her butt. I’m surprised a chaperone hasn’t run over and called him out for it.
“Hey.” I tap his shoulder.
He looks up, a scowl distorting his even features. The girls love this guy. Star basketball player. Tall. Handsome. I can see why Kimba was here with him.
“What?” he snaps. “I’m a little busy, Elijah.”
I don’t even bother correcting him. “Where’s Kimba?”
He rolls his eyes and lowers his head back to Clarissa’s neck without answering.
I jab my finger into his arm. “Where is she?”
His head snaps up and there’s fire in his glare. “What the hell is wrong with you? Can’t you see I’m—”
“She was dancing with you. You disappeared. Now you’re back and she isn’t, so where is she?”
His scowl slides into a knowing smirk. “You into her, Stern?”
I don’t respond, but the mocking gleam in his eye lights a fire under my collar.
“You’re such a jerk, Jeremy,” Clarissa says, turning her head to look at me. “She was in the girls’ bathroom a few minutes ago.”
“Thanks.” I jog off the dance floor and out into the corridor toward the bathrooms. It’s empty, with only an overhead fluorescent panel shining light. I stop in front of the girls’ restroom.
“Is this really what you’re about to do, Stern?” I mutter to the empty hallway.
Yes. Yes, it is.
I ease the door open just a crack.
“Tru,” I shout-whisper. “You in here?”
The acoustics in the cavernous bathroom wrap my words in echo. This is stupid and some girl will walk out half-dressed any minute and report me to a chaperone.
“Kimba, are you—”
“Ezra, yes. Dang it. What do you want?”
My shoulders sag and the tight coil in my stomach loosens a little. I ease the door open a few more inches, poking my head in to see if anyone else is visible. It’s empty and before I can talk myself out of it, I speed-walk in, zipping past all the stalls until I see Kimba’s red flats. I tap on the door.
“You okay?”
“You can’t be in here. It’s the girls’ bathroom. Geez. Get out.”
“I know. I will. Just…are you okay?” I hesitate. “Did he…did Jeremy hurt you or something?”
Because if he did, I don’t care if he’s six feet taller than I am, I’ll find a way to crush him.
“No. Um, no. He didn’t hurt me.” Her laugh drifts under the stall door. “I probably hurt him.”
I lean against the door, wanting to be closer, even though I hear her just fine. “How?”
“He tried to kiss me and I bit his lip.”
A huge grin stretches over my face. It’s a relief that she isn’t hurt, but also a relief that she didn’t want to kiss him. Or maybe she did? I don’t understand.
“Why’d you bite him?”
After a moment, the handicapped stall door opens. Kimba doesn’t come out, but stays in place. She doesn’t look hurt, or like her dress is ripped or any of the awful things I imagined. I hesitate, then step inside and lock the stall door behind me.
“You sure you’re okay?” I ask. “When Jeremy came back by himself, I thought—”
“Told you I’m fine.” She leans against the wall and looks down at the floor, shrugging. “I just realized I didn’t want to kiss him.”
I press my lips together to fight the smile that wants to break out all over my body. “Oh. Okay.”
“Did you kiss Hannah?” she asks, her voice soft, her eyes still fixed on her shoes.
“Hannah? No. I didn’t want to.”
“You didn’t? I thought…never mind.”
“I don’t know why her brother thinks I like her. And I don’t know why she would think I did. I’ve never said anything to…never.”
Her head still dips so I can’t see all of her face, but a smile curls the corners of her mouth. “Have you ever kissed anyone, Ez?”
I don’t speak, not sure how to tell her the truth without sounding like a total dweeb. There was a time when I told her everything, but things have been changing so much lately. The way we hang out, the things she tells Mona but doesn’t tell me, the way I feel around her.
“No.” My answer is so hushed I barely hear it leave my lips. “But I…”
“But what?” She takes a few steps toward me. “It’s okay that you haven’t kissed anybody yet. I haven’t either.”