Kissed (3 page)

Spring
Break came along, but not with fun time for her—Jacob and his mom were out of
town.
 
Dad didn’t have the time off, so
Mom dragged her around to her daytime activities when she couldn’t escape to
the park to practice with her camera.
 
She got her first SLR for her thirteenth birthday, but she’d been
shooting since she could hold a camera without dropping it and she had plans to
make a career of photography.

With
May racing by and the weather heating up, her fifteenth birthday was
approaching.
 
Birthdays were a family
thing, since she hadn’t had enough friends for a party since she was seven, and
brought mixed emotions of loneliness and anticipation.

“Don’t
forget we’re going out to dinner tonight,” Mom said, setting two sodas on the
table.

“Special occasion?”
Jacob asked.

“Her
birthday,” she said with a smile.

“Your
birthday’s today, Bethie? Mine’s in a week.
Small world.”

“No
wonder you get along,” Mom said.
 
“The
symbol for Gemini is The Twins. Two sides of the same coin.”

“Mom…”
 
She knew Beth didn’t believe in any of that
stuff.

“Fine,
I’ll let you study.”
 
She walked down the
hall and they heard a door close.

He
bumped Beth’s shoulder with his.
 
“Should’ve said somethin’.
I’d at least get Mum to bake.”

“It’s
no big deal.”
 
She wrote out an equation
from today’s assignment.
 
“Just another day.”

“Next
year, have a party. My sixteenth was awesome.”

“Honestly,
who’d come?”

His
knee nudged hers under the table.
 
“I
would.”

“Thanks.”
 

Two
weeks later, finals arrived.
 
The end of
the school year filled her with dread.
 

What
if Jacob went away all summer?
 
What if
he didn’t need her help next year with Algebra?
 
What if he met a
girl
?
 
Duh, she knew he dated.
 
Anybody with ears at their school knew if
Jacob Lindsey had plans Friday night.
 
The junior girls he asked out couldn’t keep their mouths shut about
it.
 
Summer, though…summer meant pools
and beaches and parties she wasn’t invited to.
 
Every date was the potential end to their friendship.
 
He was two years older than her, so what else
could she expect?

But
the last of June was okay and she started to relax.
 
He passed his driver’s license test and they
celebrated with hamburgers and ice cream.
 
She ordered a chocolate fudge sundae.

When
the waitress brought him the check, she said, “You know, I think it’s so sweet
you took your little sister for lunch.”

Beth’s
face flamed as the server walked away and she excused herself to the ladies’
room.
 
Staring at her reflection, she
couldn’t blame the woman for the assumption.
 
She wore no make-up, her hair was in pigtail braids, she still had
frames from eighth grade, and she’d yet to graduate from the double-A training
bra Mom bought her a year ago.
 
Might as
well have been
twelve
.

She
sulked during the ride home and mumbled an excuse about eating too much and not
feeling well.
 
He shrugged and said he’d
see her tomorrow.
 
Completely oblivious to my pain
.

“Home so soon, honey?”
Mom asked.

“My
stomach’s kinda yucky. I’m going to lie down.”

“Okay.”
 
She came into Beth’s room a few minutes later.
 
“Do you need a Midol, Beth?”

“What?
No! Eww, Mom.”

“Sorry,
sorry…just wanted to check.”

God, could this day get more embarrassing?

Chapter Two

Dad
took Beth and her mother on a camping trip for a week in July.
 

She
came back to a note from Jacob that his mom decided to travel, after all.
 
He didn’t know how long.
 
So much for
her
fun.
 
In spite of being Queen of the Friend Zone,
her teen heart was fiercely loyal—and stubborn, crushing on him hard all
summer.
 

September
came all too soon and school started in a week.
 
She was ready to kick scholastic butt.
 
Sophomore, baby!
 
No more
lowest-woman-on-totem-pole.
 
Even had a new backpack and folders.
 
And pens.
 
And a graphing calculator.
 
Okay, still a nerd.
 
But most importantly, Jacob would be back!

She
heard a car next door and checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror.
 
New, much smaller, glasses rest on her nose
and she’d chopped her hair from waist-level to across her shoulder blades.
 
Last week, she started experimenting with
mascara and pink lip gloss.
 
Finally grew
an inch, so new jeans were added to her wardrobe, too.
 

Having
stalled long enough, she skipped next door to welcome her best friend
home.
 
Her jaw dropped when he opened the
door.
 
“Oh my god, what did you do to
your
head
?”

“Like
it?”
 
He ran his hand over the bleached
spikes.

“It’s
white
!”
 
She took in the rest of him—torn jeans, a
wallet on a chain, and a black tank top.
 
He wore studded cuffs on each wrist and silver rings on most of his
fingers.
 
It was
hot
.
 
“And are you taller?”

He
grinned.
 
“Six-foot-one
as of two weeks ago.
You’re still Little Bethie.”
 

She
scowled at him.
 
“I grew, too.”

“Oh, how much?”

“An inch!”

“Ooo,
sproutin
’ like a weed.”

And oh my god, he’d added a tongue stud
.
 
“Shut up.”
 
Turning on her heel, she pretended to leave.

“Oh,
come in, already,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the
door.
 
“Brought you
some Cadbury chocolate.”

“We
have Cadbury here.”
 

They
reached his room.
 
Their decorating
tastes couldn’t be more different.
 
He
liked dark rich colors and nearly everything on the walls was music-related.

“Not
the same.”
 
He dug around in an overnight
bag on his bed.
 
“Here.”

“Thanks.
So…why the bleach?”

“It’s
my senior year, love. It’s all different now.”
 
He pushed the bag over to make room for her to sit.
 
“What did you do this summer?”

She
sat on his bed, and he joined her.
 
The
white hair made his eyes look bluer, something she didn’t think possible.
 
“N-not much.
We were
camping when you left, as you know. Um, Dad’s been traveling for work a lot, so
it’s me and Mom and our cameras. I learned how to develop my own prints. I
could show you later.”

“That’s
great, Bethie.”
 
He tugged a strand of
her hair.
 
“Where’s the rest of it?”

“Trash
can of Supercuts. It got in the way that long.”
 
He noticed she cut her hair?
 
Dad
didn’t.
 
Swoon
.

Jacob
dropped the strand.
 
“Shame.
I like the Princess Leia look.”

“Geek.”
 
His love for
Star Wars
was a secret, especially if
they were at school.

“Nerd.”

“Punk poser.”
 
The
walls were currently black, matching his wardrobe.

“Bookworm.”

They
grinned at each other.
 
“It’s good to be
home,” he said.

“Yeah?”
 
Her heart
swelled that she was part of that.

“Yeah.”

They
hung out every day until school started.

Last year of high school and less than a year ‘til he was eighteen
and finally out of here.
 
He was
counting down the days, chomping at the bit for a time when he could really
devote his all to music.
 

Not
all bad in L.A.,
of course.
 
He had a car and Mum, and
Bethie.
 
Loved shocking her with his new
look.

There
were plans for this year
that were
all his, though,
and he needed to do them alone.

His
senior classes weren’t near Beth’s and neither was the Senior Quad, so she didn’t
see him much on campus.
 
They didn’t get
the same period for Algebra 2, either, then she found out he joined the soccer
team after the fact.
 
Other than giving
her a ride to school in the morning, she barely saw him until October and he
needed her help again.

“I
see how it is. Too busy for ol’ Bethie unless you want something,” she said
when he rapped on her window.

“You
know it’s not like that.”

She
arched one eyebrow.
 
“Oh, do I?”

“Please,
Bethie? Name your price.”

Anything?
 
He must be
desperate.
 
“I want to go to Homecoming.”

He
squirmed.
 
“Uh, I already have a date.”

She
slammed the window shut.
 
“Then no deal.”

“Fine!
Plenty more tutors to choose from!”

“
Fine!
”
 

Not fine.
 
Dammit.
 
Ooops
.
 
Good thing I didn’t say that word
out loud
.

She
took the bus for a month just for spite.
 
Of course, she was dealing with a teenage
boy
.
 
A gorgeous
teenage boy that could sell ice to an Eskimo.
 
He had no problem getting help from the
senior girls and even less of a problem remaining eligible for all his
activities despite rarely being home to study.
 
She knew.
 
She peeked through the
fence to see if his light was on almost every night.

It
was a month before she saw him other than by a brief glance at school.
 
Their moms planned Thanksgiving again.
 
This time, they sat them right next to each
other.
 
He kept bouncing his left knee
and bumping her leg.
 

So
she bumped his leg back.
 

He
knocked her knee again.
 

She
did it back and bumped bone-to-bone.

“Ow.”

“Then
keep your legs to yourself,” she hissed.

“You
need less room.”

“You
need
manners
.”
  

“Pie?”
Beth’s mother asked, giving both of them The Look.

“Yes,
ma’am,” he said.
 
Suck-up
.

Beth
escaped to her room when the adults moved to the den, hoping he would stay out
there.
 
He didn’t.

“What
is your problem, Beth?”
 
He shut the
door.

“I
thought
we were friends.”

His
brows furrowed in the middle.
 
“We are
friends.”

“I
never see you anymore, and you have
new
‘friends’.”
 
He was in the top five of
most popular seniors, maybe
the
most
of the whole school.

“
You’re
the one who refused to let me
take you to school.”

“Because you only want my brain power.”

He
sighed.
 
“I’m sorry I’ve been busy, but
that’s how this is. You’ll understand when you get there.”

She
crossed her arms over her newly-A-cup chest.
 
“Oh, so it’s all okay because you’re a senior?”

“Now
you’re
twistin
’ my words. Bethie, you still matter,
okay? We’re just
livin
’ two
diff’rent
lives right now.”

“You’ll
be gone in six months, so how is that going to change?”

He
sat on her bed.
 
“More like seven and a
half.
If
I get
accepted to university.”

“Where
have you applied?”

“Some here.
Some in London.”

“Oh.”
 
Away from me.
 
I’m going to lose him to another continent
.

He
bumped her shoulder.
 
“We’ll keep in
touch. Swear on my guitar.”
 
A pretty serious declaration.
 

“Which one?”

“Does
it matter? I’d give up my car before I’d part with either of ‘em. Hell, I’d
give up my
soul
before music.”

She
smiled.
 
“I know.
The big dream
.”

He
nodded.
 
“Too bloody
right.
And you get the first copy of the album, after me.”

“And
you’ll sign it for me?”

He
grinned.
 
“Love and
kisses, baby.”
 

She
socked his shoulder.
 
“You’re so corny.”

“Forgive
me?” he asked hopefully.

“If you’re staying for Christmas.”

“Brat.”

She
stuck her tongue out at him.
 
“I want
best friend time. Deal with it.”

He
smiled.
 
“Yes,
Your
Highness.”

At
least soccer was done, so he didn’t have to stay after school for practices
anymore.
 
Beth allowed him to be her
transportation again…which worked most of the time.
 
Friday and Saturday nights were rarely hers,
and she
hated
it when he ditched her
to feel up some girl.

Well,
she assumed that’s what they were doing.
 
It’s not like they
talked
about it.

Mrs.
Lindsey stayed in L.A.
this Christmas, then left him home alone for the days surrounding New Year’s, Beth’s
mother informed to randomly check up on him.

“Any
New Year’s Eve plans?” Beth asked while he played a video game.
 
She lay on his bed with one of his pillows
under her chin.
 

He
sat on the floor with the controller.
 
“Officially—no.”

“Unofficially?”

“Somethin’
might come up.”

With
his hair right in front of her, she was tempted to play.
 
The bleach had grown out a bit and waves were
starting to form.
 
He had the most
perfect hair that did whatever he asked it to.
 
So not fair.
 
“I’m not going to be
your alibi.”

He
glanced up.
 
“I only did that once.”

“If
you go out that night, you’ll have to tell my mom.”

“Don’t
even know if there’s somethin’ to go out
to
.
It’s just a rumor.”

“How
come you won’t take me to one of these parties?”
 
She wasn’t great in groups, but staying home
every night was getting to her.

“You’re
a sophomore.”
 
Like that explained it
all.

“
So
?”

“So…you’d
be the youngest by a lot. And you hate crowds.”

She
rolled onto her back and stared at the stars on his ceiling.
 
“Just say the truth: I’m not cool enough.”

“Bethie…”

“You’re
rarely seen in public with me if there’s a chance someone from school will see
us, Jacob. I’m not an idiot.”

He
paused
the game.
 
“I don’t care about that.”
 
He
rose up on his knees so he could see her face.
 
“If anything, I’m protecting you.”

“Me?
From what?”

“From
the jerks who think I’m bein’ nice because you’re young and impressionable.”

“What
does my age have to do with anything?”

He
smiled at her, an expression that said he had wisdom she didn’t.
 
“An easy lay with a little manipulation.”

“Why
would they think—? How
dare
they—?
It’s not like that!”
 
Of all the stupid
—
 
“
You’re my
neighbor
. My dad would
kill
you.”
 
Yeah, part of her wanted him to be her first,
but not at fifteen.
 
And it was downright
insulting
anyone thought she was
gullible
.

“Believe
me, I know. It’s just high school, Bethie. Most of it’s bleedin’ stupid.”

“Have
you ever, um…?”

He
turned back to the game.
 
“Nope.”