Kiss List (9 page)

Graham was surrounded by football guys. They were a hulking, raucous bunch. I thought Sam had a big posse but Graham put him to shame. Graham was the undisputed king of the school and he had a court full of jesters, strong-looking knights, and beautiful ladies to prove it. The only thing he was missing was his queen. Bad time for Missy to go on a college tour.

I didn’t waste time flitting around the edges of the group like I might have done earlier in the year. I needed to do this quickly and forcefully or I would lose my nerve. I fixed my eyes on the tall, dark-haired male in the middle with the All-American college boy features and walked right up to him. Angry girls and curious boys watched me press past them but none attempted to stop me. No one was going to mess with me in this dress.

Graham was laughing at something one of his friends had said when he suddenly noticed me. He turned his head and angled it up and down to get the full view before letting his eyes settle unapologetically on my chest. If another boy had done that to me I might have slapped him or at least told him to stop being gross. I didn’t mind Graham doing it today, however, as it served my purposes perfectly.

“Hi Graham,” I said as I stuck out my hand. “I’m Sadie. I wondered if I could talk to you about the
yearbook?”

“The yearbook?
Uh yeah, sure,” Graham said, shaking my hand while still staring at my chest. This one was a real Einstein.

“Well, Missy sent us in a beautiful picture of you and her kissing on the football field,” I said and then waited to give him an opportunity to acknowledge his understanding.

Graham gave me a blank stare. This was clearly news to him and he didn’t looked like he cared.

“It was absolutely beautiful,” I continued, “and we want to put it on the cover of the yearbook and give it its own page. The only trouble is that Missy’s shorts are a little low and, well, the people in the principal’s office say they can see her butt crack, so they won’t allow it.”

That definitely got Graham’s attention. “Uh, what photo did you say that was?” he asked

“It’s nothing to worry about,” I assured him. “We’re just so fond of the photo – you look amazing in it, by the way – that we want to find a way to use it. We were wondering if you two could do a
remake? Unfortunately, we have to get the photo in today, so we’d need to take the new one after school. We can do it right after your football practice finishes.” Of course there was no deadline, but I was betting that Graham wouldn’t know that.

“Oh, uh, Missy is out of town,” Graham said, still sounding a bit mystified about what I was asking.

I gave him the saddest puppy-dog face I could. “That’s terrible!” I cried. “We had already planned the photo for the cover and everything. If we can’t get another photo of you two in that exact same spot we might not have any photo at all for the cover of the yearbook.” Then I snapped my fingers as if having an epiphany. “You know, if we angled the photo just right, we might use another girl for the remake and hide the fact that she’s not Missy.”

Graham’s eyes widened as understanding dawned on him. “Whoa now,” he said. “I can’t just kiss anyone. Missy would be furious. We’re exclusive now.”

I could see that his friends looked impatient to break up our conversation and steal him back. If I didn’t hook him quickly I would lose him. I leaned in and lowered my voice like I was telling him a secret. “You know,” I said conspiratorially, “if we play with the lighting and do a little photo editing Missy might not even know that it’s not her in the picture. Heck, maybe we can even swap somebody else’s butt into the photo of you and Missy so none of Missy’s crack is showing. Of course, we’ll have to try the shoot with a bunch of girls to make sure we get one close enough to Missy. Maybe my varsity girls’ soccer team, even. Would you be willing to make out with the entire team to help save the yearbook cover?”

The excitement in Graham’s eyes was unmistakable. It turns out that
a 18-year old testosterone-fueled football jock might be in an exclusive relationship but when he gets the chance to make out with an entire team of athletic girls he doesn’t usually hang out with, the word “exclusive” assumes a rather hazy definition. Graham told me where and when to meet him with the girls before I could say anything else.

When I was turning to go, however, he grabbed my arm and looked into my eyes. “One condition,” he said. “You are one of the girls we try out for the picture.”

I looked at his stunningly gorgeous face. Dylan’s face flickered through my mind and then it was replaced by Missy’s. Only Graham’s however, was actually in front of me. I realized that I wanted more than to tear Missy down. I had envied her from the moment I saw that picture. I wanted my own moment like that. I wanted to know what that felt like to be the queen of the school even if it was just for a few seconds.

“Deal,” I said. “Just remember, mum’s the word to Missy. We don’t want to get her riled up for no reason.”

Getting the soccer girls to go along with my plan was the easiest part. Lindsey Ramen, one of the seniors, had a locker close to mine. I was getting undressed when she walked up.

Lindsey glanced sideways at me and whistled as she opened her locker. “I bet Mr. Myers really enjoyed that dress,” she said.

“What?” I said. Oh right, Dylan. “Yeah, we had some nice alone time this morning.”

Lindsey shook her head wistfully. “You’re lucky,” she said. “If that boy was my boyfriend I would do terrible things to him.
Wonderful and terrible things.”

I laughed. “What about Troy?” I asked. “I thought you and he were a thing.”

Lindsey shook her head. “Not since he cheated on me with that slut Missy,” she said.

I had completely forgotten about the picture Missy had sent in of her kissing Troy Grover. This was going to be even easier than I thought.

“I haven’t made out with a boy in over a month,” Lindsey said. “I’m not even sure my lips work anymore.”

“Well, there’s one way to find out,” I said. “I’m in Yearbook Club and we thought we’d spice things up a bit this year with a kissing contest. Graham Knight agreed to help out.”

Lindsey’s head swiveled around to stare at me so quickly that I’m amazed she didn’t get whiplash.

“All we need now is a few girls who wouldn’t mind kissing him,” I said.
“To help the yearbook, of course.”

“Shut the front door,” Lindsey said. “Graham Knight – the
studliest, hottest, most popularist guy in school – is going to let any girl make out with him?”

“I’m pretty sure ‘
popularist’ isn’t a word and what about Aaron Caldwell?” I said mildly. “I was under the impression that you thought he was the sexiest boy in school.”

“I want to get Aaron Caldwell in my bed and have him do unspeakable things to me,” Lindsey said matter-of-factly, “but if Graham is offering himself up for a bit of
smoochy face I’m not going to turn him down and break his heart.”

“Okay, just meet us on the football field after practice,” I said.

“What about Missy?” Lindsey asked. “I heard that she and Graham were dating.”

“Funny. I heard the same thing,” I said.

I had never seen Lindsey with such a big smile before. There was no way she was going to be able to contain her excitement and keep her mouth shut. By the end of practice all the girls were going to be clamoring for a shot with Graham. 

I was the last one left in the locker room, taking extra pains to hang up my dress so I wouldn’t have to get it dry
cleaned. As I was about to shut my locker door I noticed that I had missed a text. I was in a hurry to get down to practice but I couldn’t help but check who it was from. My heart quickened a beat when I saw that it was from Doug. I opened the message and my heart plummeted.

“
Cant make it 2night. need 2 find new models for my photo contest.”

I punched redial and when Doug’s voice came on the line I restrained the urge to hurl insults at him. “What do you mean you can’t make it?” I demanded.

“Sorry,” Doug said, sounding not at all sorry. “I’ve entered a photo contest and I need some models to take photos of. The submission is due tomorrow and my models quit on me. I need to find someone else. There’s a lot of mula at stake, if you know what I mean.”

I tried to control my breathing. There was a way for me to fix this. There had to be. “Who do you need for models?” I asked impatiently.

“Just a dumb jock and a hot chick,” Doug said. “I want to put them each in the full-size lockers with the ventilated criss-cross doors in the varsity locker rooms. You know, to symbolize how society uses school to trap us into stereotypes and change us into perfect little workers to fuel a capitalistic machine of...”

“That sounds really great, Doug,” I said, cutting him off. “What if we did your photo shoot after the one for the yearbook? I could convince Graham Knight to be one model and I could be the other.” If I flirted enough I could probably convince Graham to go along.

There was silence on the other end. Then Doug said, “Yeah, that’d work.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and hung up. I bolted up the stairs and sprinted towards the soccer field, thrilled that I had salvaged my plan. I never stopped to think about how Doug, who reviled high school sports with a passion and stayed as far away from them as possible, had any idea what the lockers in the varsity locker room looked like.

I was right. By the time I got to the practice field the girls were buzzing about Graham, so much so that Coach
Dumfy blew his whistle to call a stop to practice and then hurled the whistle across the field. “What is going on with you ladies today?” he demanded furiously. “We’ve only got one more team to beat to make it to state and you all are suddenly practicing like a bunch of airheads! Now let’s focus!”

Coach
Dumfy’s entreaties fell on deaf ears. A fine piece of man-meat by the name of Graham Knight had been promised to the girls. They were like wolves circling their prey. Nothing was going to take away their focus now.

Finally, our coach just gave up and told us to “hit the showers.” Instead, we made a beeline for the football field where practice looked to be just wrapping up. I saw Doug coming down the hill with his camera and tripod as we arrived. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

The football boys were walking off the field when I saw Graham. I think all of us girls froze for a moment. He looked amazing. Light from the setting sun glistened on his forehead, making him look like he was glowing. He had on his football jersey and pads and those oh so wonderful pants. A woman must have designed those pants. The way they hugged the hugged Graham’s lower body, accenting his tight butt and strong legs, and had that belt in front that seem to suggest to girls that a couple quick tugs good reveal the contents within... they were a gift to females everywhere.

Graham, in turn, was mesmerized by us. After all, we weren’t so shabby looking ourselves. We were all highly attractive and athletic girls. The sun that shone on Graham’s glistening skin shone on ours as well, and we had a lot of skin showing. Our soccer shorts were small and tight-fitting and our jerseys, tucked into our shorts, were pretty stylish. We looked a bit frazzled from our practice but something told me that Graham was turned on by that. We weren’t the perfectly groomed girls with the carefully created masks of makeup that Graham was used to but I was beginning to learn that boys liked variety. To Graham, we were unique and uncharted territory, waiting to be conquered. A lot of the girls with me would have been very happy to let Graham do all the conquering he wanted to do.

“Is this the entire team?” he asked when we got close with a touch of excitement in his voice.

“Absolutely,” I said. “Word spread quickly and all the girls were eager to help. It’s for a good cause, after all.”

Graham looked confused.

“For the yearbook cover,” I said.

“Oh, right, that,” he said.

“Where do you want me to set up?” Doug asked.

“The end zone,” I said. That’s where the photo of Missy and Graham had been taken.

“So, what exactly are the criteria we are going to be judged on?” Sarah Thomas asked as we walked to the end zone.

Graham looked at me quickly. “Criteria?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said to him quietly. “These girls are pretty competitive so they want to know who the best kisser is. I hope you don’t mind playing along. I know it’s silly but they’ve all become pretty enthusiastic about being selected as the best kisser.”

This plan was coming together flawlessly. I had given Graham a plausible excuse to be a part of this photo shoot and the girls a reason to best the photo that was taken of Graham and
Missy. I thought about a yearbook with Graham kissing one of the soccer girls on the cover and a page inside with Graham passionately making out with the entire team. The one of him and Missy would look downright plain beside the rest of them. Plus, Graham could tell Missy that I tricked him into the photo shoot afterwards all he wanted. There would be an entire team of girls saying that he agreed to a fun kissing competition instead.

We reached the end zone. “Listen girls,” I said. “Here are the rules. Keep your clothes on. That is all. Graham will pick the best kisser based on how passionate your kiss is.”

Graham gave me a bit of a wild-eyed look and was about to say something but Lindsey Ramen could not be held off any longer. She threw herself at Graham and seized his head in her hands. She planted her lips on his and began kissing like her life depended on it.

Graham kissed back but it clearly wasn’t enough for Lindsey. She reached behind him and grabbed his butt firmly with both hands. Graham jumped a little and their lips separated.

“That’s good,” I said loudly, trying to head Lindsey off before she lost control on the poor boy. Lindsey reluctantly stood back but when she turned to leave I noticed that she dropped her hand to Graham’s crotch and gave it a quick squeeze as she walked away. Graham doubled over and almost fell to the turf in shock.

Graham was somewhat breathless. “I’m not sure that’s getting quite the same photo,” he said to me.

By this time, however, the other girls had seen what they could get away with and there was no holding them back now. Sarah Thomas charged at Graham and shoved him back against the goal post. She wrapped one leg around his and then raked her fingers through his hair as she kissed him. Graham seemed to be enjoying it in spite of himself. Sarah let her hands trail down Graham's body. She stroked his arms and intertwined her fingers with his all while maintaining her lip lock. She finally finished the kiss but as she walked away she also dropped her hand between Graham’s legs and patted his crotch.

Even girls who had always seemed shy and introverted now went crazy. These girls were all competitive and when it was their turn they tried to outdo the girl before them. A few were reserved but for the most part it was a full-fledged onslaught against Graham. And now that the standard had been set, every girl believed she was entitled to get in a quick grope before relinquishing the star quarterback.

For his part, Graham was clearly beginning to enjoy the attention. If he felt emasculated by how much control the girls were taking he didn’t show it. I think he had gotten so horny that he didn’t really know what was happening to him. One girl after another just flew at him and planted their lips on his while letting their hands explore his body. All the while, the glassy-eyed Doug snapped away with his camera.

The girls quickly realized that Graham would let them get away with whatever they wanted and they took full advantage of the fact. Jenny was the first one to strip Graham of clothing, somehow managing to get his jersey off before her kiss. Grace got him to take off his shoulder pads and then took his spandex shirt as well, leaving him shirtless in his football pants. That got the girls really excited.
Morgan undid Graham’s belt and slipped his pants down before she started her kiss. The girls’ eyes opened as wide as saucers as Graham’s tight spandex undershorts came into view. The entire time that Morgan’s lips were on Graham’s her hand was rubbing the front of those shorts. It was bordering on the obscene

Finally, only Darcy and Vicki were left. They decided to team up. Graham was now naked except for his spandex shorts and his football cleats. Giggling, the girls tackled Graham and began kissing his body on the ground.
Darcy knelt down over Graham’s head and kissed his lips upside down. Vicki was far more interested in his body, planting kisses all over her chest and abs.

“I think we have our winners!” I announced. I was thrilled – a little astonished but still thrilled. This could not have gone any better. Missy’s photo was downright comedic now. She was going to be furious. I loved it.

“Hold on,” Graham said as he got back up to his feet, looking more than a little dazed. “I think I was promised one more kiss,” he said.

Everyone was looking at me now. I cringed. I had hoped Graham would forget about that. If I kissed him now in front of all the soccer girls word would certainly get back to Dylan. I needed to get around this.

I sauntered up to Graham, well aware of all the other girls staring at me intently to see what I did. I heard the rapid-fire clicking of Doug’s camera as it captured the moment.

Graham looked eager as I walked up to him. I put one finger on his chest and used it to push him back against the goal post. He looked at me hungrily. I let my finger slide down his chest and over his abs. Then I leaned in and whispered in his ear, “If you want me, I’ll be down in the locker room. Doug needs a few more photos in a more private setting, if you know what I mean.” I kissed him softly on the cheek and then walked away.

The girls looked at me with awed expressions. In their eyes, I had just walked away from a chance to make out with Graham Knight without even copping a feel and settling for giving him only a sisterly kiss on the cheek. That should prove to them beyond any doubt how much I cared for Dylan. When I looked back at Graham, however, I saw him staring at me with intense longing in his eyes. That should ensure that he showed up for Doug’s photo shoot. Indeed, Doug walked over and spoke to him for a minute and then approached me.

“We’ll meet you down in the boys’ locker room,” Doug said.
“Wait in the girls’ locker room. When all the guys from other sports are gone I will knock on the door and you can come over.”

“Okay, this won’t take long, right?” I asked. “I don’t want to keep Graham much longer.” And I didn’t want an involved shoot. I had gotten everything I needed. Now that my revenge was complete, I just wanted to go be with Dylan.

“Don’t worry,” Doug said, “I won’t waste a minute of Graham’s time.

I smiled. All was right in the world again.