Kiss (6 page)

‘He’s only like a junior David Beckham,’ said Raj. ‘Isn’t he going to be signed up to one of the top clubs, Carl?’

‘Maybe,’ said Carl. ‘I don’t know him
that
well. I mean, everyone knows him, don’t they, Raj?’

‘Like me!’ said Miranda. She cosied up to both boys. ‘I’m into football too. I was captain of the girls’ team at Southfield, wasn’t I, Alice?’

‘Until you stuck the two footballs up your
shirt for the demonstration match on Open Day,’ said Alice, giggling.

Everyone cheered when Miranda tipped the carrier bag upside down and the bottle of whisky spun on the floor.

‘Laphroaig – good taste!’ said Carl, as if he was a whisky connoisseur. He had first swig, straight from the bottle. I couldn’t help being impressed. He didn’t shudder, he just swallowed appreciatively and then wiped his lips with the back of his hand as if it was a practised gesture. Miranda took the bottle from him and glugged several mouthfuls. Then Andy. Then Raj, though he tilted the bottle craftily and barely had one sip. I did the same, blocking the neck of the bottle with my tongue. I felt the whisky burning into it, hot and peaty and disgusting.

Alice shook her head at the whisky bottle and sipped her water demurely. We swigged our beer straight from the can. I didn’t like that taste either. It was cooler, but sour and dirty. I had to swallow hard to stop myself spitting it straight out. I ate some grapes to take the taste away. I watched Carl carefully. He kept raising his can to his lips, and he had another swig when the whisky bottle was passed round.

‘I thought you weren’t meant to mix beer and whisky,’ said Raj, with another very cautious mini-sip.

‘Beer and whisky makes you frisky!’ said Miranda, raising her eyebrows.

‘No, no, whisky and beer makes you queer!’
said Andy. He waggled his own eyebrows camply, winking at Raj and Carl. ‘Watch out, duckies.’

Miranda shared the food out. There were no knives or plates. People just bit off big chunks of cheese or chocolate as they fancied.

I started to wonder why I wasn’t feeling drunk. I’d had hardly any whisky but I’d drunk half my beer, yet it didn’t seem to be having any effect whatsoever. Maybe you had to drink can after can. If so, I wondered how anyone ever persevered. It would be like trying to down several bottles of cough medicine.

‘Could I have a little bit of your water, Alice?’ I asked.

She gave me some, but it was a big mistake. I started hiccupping.

‘Hark at Sylvie! She’s drunk already,’ said Miranda.

‘I’m not the slightest bit drunk! It was the fizzy water,’ I said. I made two terrible hiccupy-burping noises and clamped my hand over my mouth.

‘Maybe you shouldn’t finish your can, Syl. Here, I’ll drink it,’ said Carl.

‘I’m
not
drunk,’ I said, taking another swig of my beer, nearly choking myself on another hiccup.

‘We need to distract her,’ said Miranda. ‘Let’s play a game. I know! How about Snog Spin?’

‘Yay!’ said Andy.

‘Double yay with knobs on,’ said Raj.

‘God, you guys are so basic,’ said Alice, sighing.

Carl and I said nothing. We didn’t know what Snog Spin was but it was obvious it wasn’t some Blind Man’s Buff party game for little kids.

‘OK, we need a bottle,’ said Miranda.

She grabbed the whisky bottle, took another big swig, and then screwed the top on tightly.

‘Sit round in a circle, my lovelies, and we’ll let the Snog Spin begin,’ she said.

I hiccupped, sighed, and sat down cross-legged on the floor. I felt a little shift inside my head as I moved, an odd unscrewing. Maybe I was starting to be a little bit drunk after all.

Carl came and sat beside me. Miranda sat next to him, then Andy, then Alice, then Raj on my other side. He started giggling. We all did, even Alice, though she couldn’t possibly be drunk.

‘OK,’ said Miranda, and she spun the whisky bottle hard. It whizzed round and round, fast at first, and then more and more slowly. We watched, mesmerized. The cap of the bottle ended up pointing directly at Carl.

‘Aha!’ said Miranda. ‘It’s you, Carl.’

I saw him swallow, though he stayed looking totally cool.

‘So?’ he said.

‘So we have to select your snogging victim,’ said Miranda, and she set the bottle spinning again.

It spun round and round and round while we
all watched. I knew exactly when it would pause and point.

‘Ooops! I guess it’s me,’ said Miranda, smiling and showing her little cat teeth.

‘That’s a fix!’ said Andy, looking miffed because she hadn’t chosen him.

‘Fix fix fix!’ Raj echoed.

‘How could I possibly fix it?’ said Miranda. ‘I gave the bottle a tremendous twirl. Shut
up
, you lot. Right, Carl. You and me. Snog time.’

‘In front of everyone?’ said Carl.

‘What’s your problem?’ said Miranda.

Carl swallowed again. ‘It’s a little … childish,’ he said cleverly. He stood up and held out his hand to Miranda. ‘We’ll step outside a moment.’

Miranda stood up, grinning. She took his hand. I hiccupped and she looked at me. ‘You’re cool with this, aren’t you, Sylvie? It’s just a bit of silly fun,’ she said.

‘Yeah, yeah, fine,’ I said.

What
else
could I say in front of them all! I watched Carl and Miranda walk hand in hand out of the door and into the darkness outside.

‘
SHE MUST HAVE
cheated,’ said Andy, spinning the bottle experimentally.

‘Ssh!’ said Raj. ‘Let’s listen.’

We sat still, not moving. We heard nothing. I hiccupped miserably.

‘For God’s sake, you sound like a chicken,’ said Andy, imitating me.

‘I wonder what they’re up to?’ said Raj. He started kissing his own hand, making gross slurping noises. ‘
Oh, Carl, you’re dead sexy
,’ he said in a silly girly voice.

‘Shut up,’ I said. My heart was banging as if it might burst straight through my chest and spatter Mum’s black sweater scarlet. I’d never kissed Carl.

I didn’t know what to do. Should I storm outside and tear Carl and Miranda apart? Andy
was right. I didn’t just sound like a chicken. I was
behaving
like one, too scared to stop my boyfriend kissing my best friend. But no one was acting as if it was a big deal. Maybe this was a silly game played by cool kids everywhere? Lucy hadn’t tried to kiss Carl but maybe she’d have liked to? Miranda was certainly liking it. She’d made it obvious she fancied Carl from the moment she set eyes on him.

How did Carl feel? I couldn’t stop imagining him kissing Miranda, his soft lips on her lip-sticked pout, his hands playing with her intricate plaits. I suddenly stood up. The room swayed so I swayed with it, feeling as if I was on a boat in a storm. I put one foot doggedly in front of the other towards the door.

‘Where are you going, Sylvie?’ said Alice.

‘She’s going to play I Spy,’ said Raj. ‘Come on, let’s all peek.’

But just then the door opened and Carl and Miranda walked back into the room. Andy and Raj applauded and wolf-whistled. Miranda was pink and beaming, tossing her head, hands on her hips. Carl strolled in with his thumbs in his front jeans pockets in a determined effort to look casual. He saw me staring and gave me a little smile. If it was meant to be reassuring, it didn’t work.

‘Sit down, Sylvie! Come on, maybe it’s your turn next,’ said Miranda, bending down to spin the bottle.

‘How come you do all the spinning, Miranda? Let me have a go,’ said Raj.

‘It’s my house, Raj. This is my den. This game is totally my invention. So guess what,
I
get to spin the bottle,’ said Miranda.

‘You’re too skilled with that bottle! Let’s use
my
bottle now,’ said Alice, draining it of the last drop of fizzy water.

‘What are you, a camel?’ said Miranda. ‘No, we don’t want any of your plastic rubbish, we need a proper glass bottle. Right!’ She set it spinning again.

The bottle moved slowly this time, round once, round twice, slowing down already, looking as if it might be stopping at me, but it edged past, crept past Raj too and pointed at Alice.

‘There you are, darling!’ said Miranda. ‘Soooo, who are you going to snog, mmm?’

She spun the bottle again. Alice sighed and rolled her eyes, pretending not to care. I could see a little pulse beating in her pale forehead. Maybe she was hoping for Carl too?

‘Raj!’ said Miranda as the bottle stopped.

Raj smacked his lips and made silly kissy noises, lunging at her.

‘Give over!’ said Alice. ‘Not
here
. Outside.’

She stalked off, with Raj trotting eagerly behind her. They were only outside the door two seconds and then Alice marched back in.

Their applause was paltry.

‘Hey, call that a kiss? I’ve had better kisses from my great-aunties,’ Raj complained.

‘You should smarten up your sweet-talk then, little boy,’ said Alice.

‘Give me another go, Miranda,’ said Raj as she set it spinning.

‘
I
don’t choose. I have no control over this bottle whatsoever,’ said Miranda. ‘It’s psychic force, darling. Fate. Whatever. Isn’t that right, Sylvie?’

She smiled at me. I couldn’t help smiling back. She set the bottle off again. I knew what was coming next. The bottle spun. I felt I was spinning with it, whirled round and round so fast I grew giddy and could barely breathe. The bottle slowed and we all watched it edge towards me.

‘Aha!’ said Miranda. ‘Sylvie’s turn!’

I swallowed. ‘I’m not sure I
want
a turn,’ I said.

‘What sort of total wimpy response is that?’ said Miranda, snorting. ‘Of course you want a turn!’

‘No I don’t. I’ll give my turn to Raj as he wants another go.’

‘You can’t do that! Now, stop pontificating and we’ll play. We have to see who your snog partner is.’ She looked at me. ‘Who do you
want
it to be, Sylvie? Use
your
psychic power to influence the bottle.’

I knew I didn’t have much chance. Miranda had mastered the spinning so that with the right twist of her fingers and flick of her wrist she could make the bottle point wherever she
wanted. Still, I stared at the bottle and tried willing it where I wanted. I wanted it to point to Carl, of course. I didn’t want to kiss anyone else but him. I was scared though. I loved Carl. I hated it that he’d kissed Miranda. I wanted him to kiss me. I’d dreamed about it often enough. But we didn’t do stuff like kissing. It would be so weird now, when we’d grown up together.

We’d have to get around to kissing some time, obviously. We were going to get married, for God’s sake. Carl had given me a glass ‘diamond’ out of a Christmas cracker when we were seven years old. When we used to play weddings he’d fashion me a gold wedding band out of a yellow Quality Street toffee wrapper.

It seemed I couldn’t concentrate hard enough on Carl, try as I might. The bottle slid past him, past Miranda, and stopped at Andy.

‘Interesting choice, Sylvie,’ said Miranda, eyebrows raised.

I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t want to hurt Andy’s feelings. I didn’t know what to do now.

I felt Carl’s hand squeezing mine, encouraging me. I squeezed back gratefully and then stood up, trying to look Andy in the eye.

‘OK?’ I said.

‘Sure,’ said Andy, getting to his feet too.

We walked to the door, opened it and then walked into darkness. I blundered forward and bumped into a cupboard.

‘Hey, careful. Come here,’ said Andy. ‘Where are you? You’re such a little titch.’

‘That’s what they call me at school,’ I said. ‘I’ve always been small for my age and everyone says I’ll suddenly spurt upwards and catch up with everyone else, but it hasn’t happened yet, still, here’s hoping, because it’s horrible being so small and looking so stupid and babyish,’ I burbled.

‘Ssh,’ Andy said gently. ‘We’re meant to be kissing.’

He reached out for me in the darkness, ducking his head down. Our noses bumped together in comical fashion. I giggled hysterically.

‘Was that a hiccup?’ said Andy. ‘Hey, wait a second. You’ve stopped!’

He put his hands carefully on my cheeks, tilting my head, and then he kissed me on the corner of my mouth, so lightly I wasn’t totally sure it had actually happened.

I felt weak with relief that it was such a sweet and simple kiss. We walked back into the den and sat down again. Carl was looking at me anxiously.

‘Are you OK?’ he whispered.

‘Of course she’s OK,’ said Miranda.

I thought the Snog Spin would be over now we’d all had a turn, but Miranda started spinning the bottle again. Miranda and Raj. Alice and Andy. Then Miranda again. The bottle slowed and stopped at Alice.

Raj whistled. Andy grinned. I blinked at them both.

‘Spin it again,’ said Alice.

‘No way!’ said Raj. ‘You’ve got to go with the bottle, that’s the whole point.’

‘But it’s meant to be a girl-boy,’ said Alice.

‘Well, it’s girl-
girl
this time,’ said Raj. ‘Go on, Alice, don’t be a spoilsport.’

Alice sighed but stood up, tucking her white hair behind her pearly ears. She stuck her tongue out at Raj. It was surprisingly pink in her pale face.

‘Come on, Alice,’ said Miranda, holding out her hand.