The Kissing Deadline (18 page)

Ryan was more forceful than Yourgath, but an
inch from her mouth, he stopped and let go. He ran a palm across
his eyes and put his hand on her waist. His head dropped back
against the door. “God. Sorry, Cass, I shouldn't have done that to
you.”

“It’s okay.”

“I'm sick of Amber's crap, but I'm not a
cheat.”

Cassie bit her lip, looked heavenward, and
shook her head. “Uh, then do you think this’ll count as one of our
trust-building exercises?”

Ryan smiled.

Cassie pressed her hand against a bale of hay
and drew out a piece. She poked him with it. “This straw kind of
hurts. I don’t know why people think it’s romantic anyway.”

“Well, if I was doing it right, you wouldn’t
notice the discomfort.”

Ooh, intriguing
. “Hmm, a true test of
love skills. I should bring all my dates to the haystack.” Cassie
put the piece of hay between her teeth and leered.

Ryan laughed at her expression, and used his
thumb to brush the piece of hay away. Cassie shivered.

He stared at her mouth.

Cassie’s lips parted, and she stared back. He
pushed his thumb against her bottom lip and rubbed against the edge
of her teeth. A tingle jolted from that spot through her body. Her
lips parted further. Ryan slid his hand away from her mouth and
into her hair. He leaned toward her.

The door opened, and they fell back into the
party.

Larry said, “Time’s up, dude.”

Catcalls and snickers greeted them.
Flash.
In addition to Paige’s zoom lens, a few cell phone
cameras snapped photos. Ryan untangled himself and gave her a hand
up.

Sierra tried to catch Cassie’s eyes, but
Cassie avoided her gaze and sank back in the circle. Ryan sat down
beside her. Sierra leaned across him and thrust the bottle into
Cassie’s hands.

“Spin the bottle.” Sierra’s words had more
solid command than the directive warranted, but Cassie knew why.
This was it. She placed it in the center and twisted her wrist.

Amber stepped into the circle. “First you
steal my part, and now you’re going after my boyfriend?”

Amber didn’t mention the messed up socks or
the plaid dress, but it showed in her angry expression. Ryan rose,
and got in front of her, blocking Amber’s path. He took her arm.
“Let’s go. We can talk about this privately.”

Larry slid over into Ryan’s place. The bottle
took a final turn, and the cap landed where Ryan had been sitting.
The bottle selected Larry.

Cassie was about to get her kiss.

* * *

Cassie’s stomach sank.

Flattening both palms on the floor, Larry
arched toward Cassie. His tongue jetted out repeatedly, like a
lizard sensing its environment. The Iguana on his shoulder
duplicated the motion.

Cassie leaned away.

“Lizard Larry, Lizard Larry,” the partiers
chanted.

Sierra stretched her arm out, put her hand in
the middle of Cassie’s back and shoved her forward.

At the same time, Larry’s mom swung open the
door from outside and breezed in, carrying several small plates of
cake. “Who wants vanilla?” In response, Cassie and Larry’s faces
whipped in her direction. Larry’s tongue retracted into his mouth.
The Iguana’s tongue slapped out against the side of Cassie’s face,
in a rough, wet brush.

With a horrified expression, his mom dropped
the paper plates, and cake pieces flew outward. The little terrier
rushed forward to enjoy the fallen slices. “What is this?” Larry’s
mom asked. “I believe it’s time for you kids to go home.”

Cassie sprang up, eager to comply with that
idea and made it to the door first. Sierra and Mike followed her,
along with other partiers who moved at a slower pace.

Larry’s mom took Cassie’s arm, and pulled her
aside. “You girls are always chasing Larry. Don’t call here.”

Cassie nodded and hurried to catch up to
Sierra.

Sierra raised her eyebrows in question. “In
the closet?” Sierra said knowingly, sure of the answer.

Cassie shook her head.

Sierra stopped, her hands falling to her
hips. “No freakin’ way. How is that even possible?”

“What?” Mike said.

“Nothing,” Cassie and Sierra said
simultaneously.

Sunday was Family Day at the zoo. It was
packed with tiny tots and strollers. Mom kept saying things like,
“I remember when you were that little,” and, “College is just
around the corner.” Mom seemed so sad about it, Cassie didn’t
protest when she bought her a drink in the cup shaped like a lion.
She envied Spencer’s monkey-head cup. He got to drink out of a
straw protruding from the monkey’s mouth. With the lion cup, you
drank directly from its tail. It didn’t pay to think about it too
much.

They got their photo with the panda, the
lemur, and the puffins before Spencer’s antics started. He imitated
whatever animal they neared. “Caw.”

“What next?” Mom said. “Petting zoo?”

“Yes.” Spencer jumped on the idea with such
enthusiasm that it did not bode well for the baby lambs. Cassie
knew his mischievous behavior was about to escalate. Spencer led
with the map, and Cassie brought up the rear. She wanted to be able
to keep an eye out, and she could do that best from the back of the
group. Cassie took a big suck on the lion’s tail to fortify
herself, and that’s when she saw them.

Ryan and Amber sat on a white bench by the
romantic reflecting pond. Cassie lowered her lion cup to her side,
holding it in a loose grip.

Mom detoured toward the couple. “Look, it’s
your friend from the play.”

“Mom, petting zoo is this way.” Spencer
scooped his arm to encourage them in the other direction. Cassie
took a step toward Spencer. But, oh no, Mom was not to be deterred,
her steps continued toward the bench. Cassie bit her lip, slowed
her steps, and followed.

Spencer said, “Look, there’s a wedding.”

Sure enough, at the other end of the
reflecting pond stood a bride in white and a groom in a tux. A
waiter circulated through the guests with a tray of canapés and
Spencer bee-lined for the toothpick-impaled treats. Dad followed
him. Cassie knew Dad wanted to snag a free snack for himself as
much as he wanted to corral Spencer.

Amber wore high-heeled sandals and a tank
dress. Cassie tugged her t-shirt lower over her shorts. Ryan stood,
wearing his usual two shirts and a pair of shorts. “Hi, Mrs.
Jones.”

“Hi, Ryan,” Mom said.

Ryan thanked her for the cookies and
introduced Amber.

“So you like the zoo too?” Mom said. “See
Cassie, you’re not the only teenager at the zoo.”

Cassie pressed her lips together and nodded.
Amber’s sneering gaze rested on Cassie’s lion cup.

“Between Cassie’s description of Family Day
and Larry’s party last night, it put me in the mood for the zoo,”
Ryan said.

Cassie giggled. Larry’s house had so looked
like a zoo.

“Larry’s party?”

Cassie shook her head behind her mom’s back
and indicated for him to kill the topic with a swipe of her hand in
front of her neck. Her parents knew she went out with Sierra. She
just hadn’t mentioned a party.

Ryan shut up, but Amber said, “Oh yes, you
know the usual, Seven Minutes in Heaven, and Spin the Beer
Bottle.”

Cassie’s mouth fell open.
Amber!

“Yeah,” Ryan said. “Too bad you missed it,
Cassie.”

Cassie rewarded him with a smile. She’d make
sure he got cookies all week for that save.

Turning to Ryan, Amber put her hands on her
hips. “If it wasn’t you hooking up with Cassie in that stall, then
who was it?”

“We’ll see you kids later.” Mom moved away,
bowing to discretion, and Cassie followed her, keeping her gaze
averted so Mom wouldn’t read any guilt in her eyes.

Behind them, Amber’s complaints grew louder.
“You chose the zoo because she’d be here,” and “Zoo’s smell,” and
“Because the monkeys were flinging pooh.”

When they caught up to Spencer, he had a
toothpick between each finger. He bobbed his head up and down to
nibble on his four snacks one at a time.

Mom started to take some away so he could
hold them properly, but Spencer pulled back. “I’m a porcupine,” he
said. “Hey, look, that hot chick just threw Ryan’s cell in the
reflecting pool. Dude, if he leaves it, I’m going. I could use a
free upgrade.” He jumped onto the water-retaining wall and
tightrope-walked his way toward Amber and Ryan.

Amber stomped off. “You can ride in the zoo
mobile for all I care.”

Ryan stared after her.

Mom stepped forward. Cassie tried to restrain
her, but Mom offered her phone to Ryan. “Do you need to call your
parents, dear?”

“They’re out of town.”

“Who are you staying with then?” Mom
pried.

Ryan shrugged. “I’m by myself.”

Cassie noted that he didn’t mention the
multitude of staff at his house.

“Would you like a ride home? We’re just
finishing up here.” At Ryan’s nod, Mom said, “Come on Spencer.
We’re giving Ryan a ride home.”

Spencer gave up his intense visual search of
the reflecting pool’s water and hopped down from the wall. “What?
You don’t have a car?” He flung his toothpicks behind him into the
water.

Ryan shook his head. “My ride left.”

“None of my dates ever ditch me,” Spencer
bragged.

“Spencer,” Mom said. “Show some sensitivity,
please.”

Spencer nodded. “What cheers me up is a good
IMAX. Are you an IMAX man?”

“Sounds good.”

The five of them walked over to the Houston’s
Science Museum and caught the next 3-D show.

Cassie whispered in Ryan’s ear, “What are you
doing?”

He pushed a piece of salty popcorn into her
mouth and didn’t answer. Cassie chewed, trying not to think of the
brush of his fingers on her lower lip. When Spencer laughed at
something onscreen, Cassie leaned back, adjusted the rim of her 3D
glasses, and paid attention to the film.

On their way out, Mom asked Ryan, “What are
your plans for dinner?”

“I don’t know.”

“Would you like to join us?” Mom asked. “Mr.
Jones can run you home straight after.”

“I’d love to. Sometimes Cassie brings
leftovers and shares with me.”

Mom’s face melted.

Cassie stared. Other than cookies, she’d
given him one roll, once. And it was off her school lunch tray.

* * *

Ryan ate two platefuls of mom’s homemade
lasagna, a side salad, and scoop of broccoli. He seemed genuinely
appreciative, which was easy, because Mom was a good cook.

As they ate, Spencer regaled them with a
drawn-out story about his future girlfriend and how he planned to
snare her. “I’ll seal the deal with karaoke. Cassie’s going to rent
a karaoke machine for her birthday.”

“No, I’m not.”

“
Yes, you are.”
Spencer held up an
imaginary microphone. “This one’s for the ladies.” He followed with
a rendition of a love ballad. “I love you, don’t pass me in the
hall, I love you, please take my call. Come down from that tree.
Marry me.”

Dad shut him down before the last verse.

* * *

Ryan clicked his remote, and the tall, double
gates glided open on silent tracks. Dad let off the brake, and the
four-door sedan moved forward. Welcoming lights shone through the
windows of both stories. Ryan’s red Ferrari was parked in the
center of the circular drive.

“Nice shutters,” Dad said.

“Thanks.”

Cassie couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth
from pinching in.

Dad handed Ryan his doggy bag. “Looks like
they might be able to feed you in there.”

“Yeah,” Ryan said, “but our Cook’s not as
good as Mrs. Jones.”

Dad nodded and made a fishing-reel motion.
“She cooked for me on our second date. I never looked back.”

Cassie wished she could walk Ryan to his
door, but with her dad there, that wasn’t happening. “See you
tomorrow.”

* * *

Trallwyn High School Dragon Scoop Monday
March 19th

Shelter-in-place drill may or may not occur
this week.

The Biology lab lesson began with a
demonstration on hand washing. Each table had its own bowl, timer,
soap, paper towels, and a nailbrush.

Cassie whispered to Ryan as she set the timer
to twenty seconds. “Someone told him about the sugar, I just know
it.”

Coach said, “Rub front, back, entwine those
fingers and get under those nails.”

“Stop being paranoid, no one told him about
the hand-licking.”

Their table got the first inspection from
Coach. The blue germ-finding light highlighted their efforts and
she couldn’t see any germs.

Coach made them re-do the task anyway.

Cassie raised her eyebrows and nodded at Ryan
with an
I told you so
expression.

* * *

“My hands feel raw,” Cassie said, flexing her
fingers as she walked down the hall with Ryan.

She didn’t know what he would have said,
because he froze at the sight in front of them: Kristnaldo and
Amber were entwined, kissing, with her legs wrapped around his
waist.

“Amber,” Ryan said in a flat voice as he
strode forward.

Amber jerked free of Kristnaldo and moved
toward her boyfriend with a panicked expression in her eyes.
“Wait,” Amber said. “I can explain. It’s only a greeting. It’s how
people from his country say
hi
.” This argument had worked
for other girls at school, a lot of other girls.

Ryan’s expression didn’t change. “We’re
through.”

Kristnaldo took a step forward and shoved a
hand into Ryan’s shoulder. Ryan grabbed his wrist and ended the
fight before it started, putting him into the wall with two quick
moves.

“You do not get to keep all the women,”
Kristnaldo muttered, his face pressed against the wall.