Kiss List (13 page)

A third girl got left behind and then I had arrived.
The goal. The Churchill goalie stared at me with hardened, unblinking eyes. We had met before. She knew who Sadie Anderson was now. She knew I could shoot with either foot and hit a spot in the top right corner of the net even while I was looking at the bottom left. She knew better than to let me fake her out.

That’s why I didn’t shoot.
No, I kicked the ball forward towards the goalie and then when I caught up to it again I stomped on the ball, stopping it instantly in place. Then I leapt over the ball and jumped into the air, spreading my arms and legs like a flying starfish in what was possibly the most absurd maneuver I had ever attempted on a soccer field. While Coach Dumfy doubtlessly had a heart attack on the sidelines, the goalie stared at me with uncomprehending eyes. The poor girl would never understand. She hadn’t grown up with a friend like Alyssa. She hadn’t spent long days at school and nights at home talking to Alyssa, discussing everything that ever happened in life, creating a secret kiss list, yearning for soccer glory, enjoying each other’s company. She wasn’t one with Alyssa like I was. She didn’t know that when I told Alyssa to follow me, Alyssa would have followed me to the gates of doom and then walked through them one step behind me. I knew Alyssa was right there on my tail. I could feel it. And I knew that even though Alyssa was not the fastest or strongest or most aggressive player on our team, she had impeccable instincts. When I leapt into the air, obscuring the goalie’s view, Alyssa realized that she was invisible and had an open ball.

She took the shot.

Yes! I didn’t even have to see the ball go in. I heard the screams joy and felt the bodies of my teammates pile up on top of me. With less than 30 seconds to go, we had tied it up.

The game was finished. Oh sure, we went to over time, but for me that was just a technicality. I had already decided we were going to win. In my heart I was celebrating before Lindsey scored the winning goal.

Tears flowed freely on both teams as we shook hands but when it was time to start the celebration in earnest it was not me or Lindsey that my teammates lifted above their heads. It was Alyssa that we grabbed and hoisted into the air in jubilation. Nothing made me happier than witnessing her sheepish and overwhelmed expression.

Our fans couldn’t contain themselves. They rushed the field with the soccer boys leading the vanguard. I saw a wall of red paint flying towards me and I cringed, awaiting impact. It came with such a force that I was knocked off my feet. Dylan slammed into me with a massive bear hug. The other boys smacked into the back of him so hard that we toppled and it felt like we were being buried under an avalanche. I was covered in red shirtless boys.

My father dug me out from underneath the boys a bit gruffly, pushing them aside, but when he got to me he gave me a bear hug to rival Dylan’s.

The entire town celebrated on that field forever. At least, it felt like that. I wanted to live in that moment of pure happiness and soak it in so that it was all-encompassing. Everything else faded away.

Eventually, though, it did end. I was making my way across the field towards the locker room, looking forward to changing and washing off all the red paint that was now caked onto my skin, when I heard someone whisper in my ear, “Get ready.”

I turned, expecting to see a fan congratulating me in some cryptic manner, but instead I saw Missy James striding away from me. I was so surprised that I didn’t say anything or go after her.

My heart sunk. The seemingly insuppressible shine of moment had been dimmed. I couldn’t ignore it any longer. Missy had just given me a warning. Get ready for the heat, she was saying. I had just won a state championship. Now the real battle was about to begin.

I had been watching my back ever since Missy gave me her warning. To my relief, however, several days came and went and no retribution materialized. I began to wonder whether Missy’s plan was just to keep me living in fear. If so, she failed because not even she could dampen the infectious feeling of elation that infused the halls of Lakeville High School after our victory over Churchill. It was impossible for me to feel miserable while people congratulated me and shook my hand wherever I went in the school. One freshman girl even asked for my autograph while I was washing my hands in the bathroom. She said she was sure I would be a soccer legend one day. With that type of support and an incredibly hot boyfriend by my side, I began to feel invincible again.

The school decided to capitalize on the enthusiasm for our victory by combining the soccer state championship celebration with the winter sports and activities kickoff pep rally. The principal cancelled the last period of a Tuesday and requested that all students head to the west gym for the rally. Sophia Perez, one of Missy’s lackeys whom Missy had somehow installed as the pep rally student coordinator in her never-ending bid to control the school, announced our team to a standing ovation. We charged into the gym with our state plaque and arms waving above our heads.

Coach Dumfy and I both gave speeches thanking the teachers and students for their support. Then the president of the state soccer coaches’ association awarded Coach Dumfy the coach of the year award. After that our team settled down on chairs in a corner of the gym to watch the other winter sports and activities teams parade in. I tried to avoid Paul Dolan’s stare as the basketball boys walked by, nodded to a couple friends in the chess club, and waved to Payton as the competitive dance team passed us. As the rally went on, I stifled a yawn and smiled to each team and their long entourages of students. I could tell that the other girls around me were bored as well but they seemed to pick up a bit as the procession neared an end. The last two teams were everyone’s favorites: the swim team and the wrestling team. Over the years both teams had been known to come out in only their skimpy uniforms. It was always a highlight of the pep rallies for us girls to see ultra-fit boys parade around in swim briefs and wrestling singlets.

When the swim team walked out all the girls groaned and leaned back in their seats. Everyone on the team was wearing their red warm up jackets and pants. Darcy was so put out that she actually started booing until Lindsey silenced her after noticing an incredulous look from Coach
Dumfy. Thankfully, peace was restored on the team when the wrestlers walked out. They were wearing only their sharp-looking red singlet and this year there were some unusually good-looking boys on the team. One in particular caught my eye. “Ow-owww!” I howled as David walked by. Coach Dumfy shook his head in exasperation. Oh well, what did he expect? Putting a hot boy in a skin-tight singlet that leaves little to the imagination and parading him past a group of teenage girls should be a criminal act. If we had not had as much self control someone could have gotten seriously hurt.

Once all the clubs and teams were in the gym, Sophia picked representatives from each one to compete in hilarious competitions. She rolled out all the usual challenges, like the three-legged relay, the egg and the spoon race, and the hands-free pie-eating contest. Happily, David was one of the people Sophia selected to be a contestant. I appreciated having an excuse to watch his cute red butt. Just because I had a boyfriend didn’t mean I couldn’t treat myself to a bit of eye candy. After all, Payton had always told me that a girl could look as long as she didn’t touch.

At one point David got covered in pie during the pie-eating contest. After the competition he stood up and started wiping pie off his singlet. I saw my opportunity. I cupped my hands around my mouth and bellowed, “Take it off!”

The soccer girls instantly picked up my call. Within seconds all the girls in the audience – and probably a few of the guys – were chanting “Take it off!”

I could see David blush all the way from where I sat. He shook his head no but then he saw me shouting and smiling. I raised my eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes. A bet was a bet and I technically still had some time left in our shirt-removal deal. David pulled his arms out of the straps of his singlet and rolled it down to his waist. The crowd erupted with screams as if a hot NFL superstar or a celebratory boy band had just walked in.

Finally, as the time for the pep rally neared an end, Sophia announced the main event and the real reason why the student body had stayed to the end: the underclassman versus upperclassman competition. At every pep rally an underclassman was given an opportunity to challenge one our upperclassman to some sort of duel. The underclassmen always thought they had a shot to win but since the upperclassmen organized the pep rally, we always rigged the duel so that we won. It was only fair. The same thing happened to us when we were underclassmen and the current underclassmen would get their turn in a year or two.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Sophia yelled into the microphone. “This is the moment you have waited for. For the upperclassman contestant, the pep rally organizational committee has selected a true gladiator. He’s a lean, mean, fighting machine weighing in at 160 pounds and standing six feet tall. Guys want to be him and gals want to be with him. His namesakes defeated Goliath and the Soviet Union. He’s a hero of the mat and the future state wrestling champion, the one, the only, Daaaaavid Reagan!”

Yes!
More cute red butt! I leapt to my feet and roared with enthusiasm along with the rest of the upperclassmen. David was a fantastic choice and I was thrilled to see him finally getting some well-deserved attention. David stepped forward and waved to everyone a little awkwardly. The poor guy was so shy he looked uncomfortable even though he had obviously volunteered. He had to have. The committee never chose an upperclassman unless the upperclassman had volunteered, been selected, and had rehearsed the challenge in advance.

I looked over at the underclassmen side of the gym, wondering what poor sucker thought he could challenge David.

“And what brave soul dares to challenge this formidable foe?” Sophia called out. A few hands from the other side of the gym shot into the air and Sophia scanned the crowd. “The guy there with the baseball cap,” she said.

I craned my neck to see who it was. A bunch of girls from the knitting club were standing in the way so I couldn’t see the person.

“Well, this should be interesting,” Sophia said. “Ladies and gentleman, our challenger is the cutie patootie sophomore baseball phenom, Sammm Queen!”

No! My heart dropped. My stomach started churning. Why would Sam challenge David? Sam had completely transformed since the locker incident. He had actually become a nice guy. Why would he throw that all away now to reignite a contentious battle right after we had made peace?

When Sam finally came into view his face looked grim, even resigned. That didn’t make any sense either. If Sam was going to challenge David, I would have expected to see his old cocky self, not this defeated version. None of it made any sense. I looked around in confusion and then noticed two eyes staring directly at me from where the dancers were standing.

Missy.

Suddenly everything clicked. David’s surprise at being chosen. Sam’s expression that made it look like someone had tortured him into volunteering. Missy’s lackey Sophia picking Sam, of all the volunteers, to face David. Missy had orchestrated this.

Missy must have seen a look of understanding pass across my face because a small, smug smile formed on her lips.

I bolted out of my chair and made a bee-line for Missy. Everyone else was focused on David and Sam so no one even bothered to look at me as I pushed my way through the assorted groups on the floor of the gym.

Missy stared at me calmly as I stormed up to her. Moments before I got within strangling distance Payton leapt in front of me.

“Whoa girl,” Payton said as she grabbed me by the shoulders. “Take it easy now. You look like you want to kill someone.”

“I do,” I snarled. Then I glared at Missy. “What are you playing at?” I demanded.

“Sit back and watch.” Missy said sweetly. “They’re just going to have a friendly competition.”

“Seriously, it’s not a big deal,” Payton said quietly to me. “What’s the worst that’s going to happen? The whole school is watching.”

“She could embarrass him,” I hissed.

“David’s a big boy,” Payton said. “He’s more than capable of taking care of himself. Besides, Sam’s changed. Chances are he’s not going to do anything too evil.”

I choked back the urge to scream. I had never told Payton about the locker incident and the fact that Missy had my blackmail photos of Sam. My thirst for revenge had caused this and backed me into a corner. The way Missy was smiling suggested she was enjoying my enlightenment.

“I think you can let her go, Payton,” Missy said. “I have a feeling she’ll behave herself now.”

Payton cautiously let me go. I went and stood so close to Missy that my arm was pressing against hers. “If you do anything to either of them,” I whispered, “I swear I’m going to...”

“
Shhh,” Missy said. “The show is about to begin. You’re going to want to watch this.”

“Please help me welcome a special guest for our final presentation, Officer Ron Coleman,” Sophia announced.

A uniformed police officer walked into the gym to polite applause. A few jokers booed quietly but for the most part the applause drowned them out.

Officer Coleman took the microphone from Sophia. “Thanks you everyone for that warm welcome,” he said. “Well, almost everyone. I did hear a few boos. Sounds like I’ve handed out a few speeding tickets to this crowd.”

Everyone laughed at that, including Missy. I eyed her. What could she possibly hope to get away with in front of a police officer? Surely she had not figured out a way to get them arrested.

“Now,” Officer Coleman continued, “I want to have some fun today but I also want to talk to you about something serious. About ten to thirteen thousand people are killed every year in drunk-driving accidents. To put that in perspective, just under three thousand people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Don’t get me wrong, the 9/11 attacks were horrible. They changed the face of this country and I lost two very close friends in them, friends whom I think about every day.”

The students were silent now, hanging on the officer’s words.

“We are fighting terrorism with everything we’ve got,” the officer said. “And that’s a good thing. But we also need to remember that hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the U.S. because of drunk drivers alone. That’s its own kind of terror. Some people may disagree about this but in my
eyes, if you drink and drive you are as bad as terrorists.”

Officer Coleman paused to let that sink in. Then he said, “I know that some of you may have drunk alcohol before and gotten intoxicated. I’m guilty of that as well. Others of you may have never tasted alcohol before and at your age that’s a good thing. Regardless, some of you might be thinking that you’re fine to drink and drive if you’ve just had a few drinks. You might think that alcohol doesn’t affect you as much as other people. Or you might just be thinking that you can act like you haven’t been drinking and get out of trouble if you have a run in with the police. So, for the final competition of the day, we’re going to conduct a little experiment. I’ve brought some goggles that simulate the effect of drinking three glasses of beer on a large 18-year old male. We are going to the goggles on both of these volunteers and have them perform a field sobriety test. If they don’t pass, that means they’re a danger on the road and, if caught, would end up in jail, ruining their future.”

“Here are the rules,” Sophia said, taking back the microphone. “Each contestant will put on the goggles and perform the exercises as instructed by Officer Coleman. Officer Coleman will then tell us whether they passed and also when he first noticed signs of drunkenness. The first person to exhibit signs of drunkenness will be the loser.”

I was baffled. As Sam and David put the goggles on I wondered what Missy could possibly hope to accomplish. Had she rigged the contest so David would lose and be embarrassed? No, when the organizational committee brought out mats to protect the contestants if they fell over, the mat they gave Sam was significantly thicker than the one they gave David. Both boys performed dismally but the soft pads obscured Sam’s footing much more, making him the clear loser.

When the test was complete Officer Coleman asked each boy to “perform one last exercise.” He told them to turn around and put their hands on their heads. Then he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and placed them on both boys in turn. Members of the pep rally committee steadied the boys so they didn’t fall over. The boys didn’t look particularly unsteady now that they weren’t performing exercises but the committee was taking extra precautions while the boys didn’t have their hands free to break a fall.

Officer Coleman took the microphone back from Sophia. “Now obviously these handcuffs are not real,” he said. “They were supplied by your pep rally committee. I wanted you to get the image in your head, though, because this is what happens when you fail a field sobriety test. Both contestants failed the test miserably. The contestant on the left,” Sam, “exhibited symptoms of intoxication first but I could tell that the contestant on the right,” David, “was intoxicated almost immediately after that.”