Kiss Me
“Weren’t you afraid someone would notice?” Katie asks.
“Did you notice I didn’t get up to cheer when Aiden made that great catch?”
“We thought you were boycotting Aiden’s catch.”
“Then when whoever scored, I was really happy about it.”
Maggie grins at me. “That is soooo bad! I totally want someone to do that to me. I bet it felt naughty. I wanna feel naughty. I’m sorta tired of being the good girl all the time. Well, not that I’m that good. I kinda hooked up with Parker last night.”
“You did? That’s awesome. I mean not that you hooked up, but are you going to get back together with him?”
“Probably not, but he’d be an okay Homecoming date. Logan told me you two have math together. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t think about it. But he is really cute. I sit right behind him. He has a sexy back.”
“It’s those lacrosse muscles,” she says. “Do you think I should go for him or Parker?”
“I don’t know. Who do you like more?”
“I was thinking more about who might look better in pictures,” she laughs. “The pictures I will show my kids someday.”
I think about how Dawson told me his goal was to ask Whitney to Homecoming. I push that to the back of my mind. “Back to being naughty. I want to do something like that back to Dawson. Any suggestions?”
“You could do something to him at a game, like under a blanket or with a sweatshirt across his lap,” Maggie suggests.
I look down at my phone for the time. “Oh, shoot. I have to get to the library. Aiden is having some French crisis.”
Annie says, “French kissing crisis?”
“Shut up. I like Dawson. Aiden just annoys me.”
I throw a sweatshirt over my head and leave on the yoga pants I’ve been relaxing in. I don’t care that my hair is in a ponytail, and I’m going to see the God of all Hotties.
I really don’t.
But fine. I do stop to brush my teeth.
And maybe put on a swipe of lipgloss.
Vote for letting him die.
7:50pm
On my way there, Riley calls me.
“What’s up?”
“I just dropped her off at her dorm and she kissed me.”
“That’s good. You sound happy.”
“I can’t say this when Dallas is around, but I feel really happy. She is so pretty.”
“Yeah, she is. Did you make out or just kiss?”
“Neither, she gave me a kiss on the cheek. It was such a turn on.”
“A kiss on the cheek? Was it sweet?”
“Yeah. Super sweet.”
“Did she slip you a love potion or something last night? You’re acting really weird.”
“Shut up. But maybe. We’ll see. She’s really pretty.”
“I’m just walking in the library. I’ll let you go dance in the rain or something.”
“No, wait. I called to ask you about today. What did you think? Do you think she likes me?”
“Yes, Riley, I do. She laughed and smiled when you were talking to her. When you wrote Riley in glue on her arm and covered it with glitter she practically swooned. And she wouldn’t have come to lunch with just us or kissed you on the cheek if she didn’t like you.”
“But what about the guy from home?”
“I heard they aren’t going out. So let her figure that out. If she likes you, he’ll be history.”
“But what if I’m history instead?”
“Speaking of history, you need to work on the script for our project tonight or I’m not letting you copy my worksheets any more.”
“Answer my question first.”
“I think she needs to see you shirtless. She won’t care about any other boy.”
Riley makes a satisfied noise. “I do have a good chest.”
“Yes, you do.”
“So how am I going to get her to see it?”
“I was sort of joking, Riley. Text her tonight. Be sweet. No player lines whatsoever. You understand me?”
“Yes, Mom.”
I find Aiden sitting in the back corner of the library. It seems to be becoming our corner. It’s behind some stacks and one of the more private tables in the library. He told me it was so we could quietly talk without bothering anyone.
I think he’s just trying to be sneaky.
Like maybe there is some time warp, or a valley of the gods under a secret seal below the carpet. Maybe the table rests on it, and when he needs his aura recharged by the gods, he just sneaks down there. Or maybe he goes down there to see his mother, Aphrodite. Come to think of it, that’s probably why Aiden messes with me, he’s got that spitefulness of his mother, who thinks love is some cruel, manipulatable game.
Whatever.
Okay. Tutor face on.
“Hey, Boots,” he says to me. “How was your weekend?”
“It was good. Really good.”
“Good for you. Okay, so, I don’t get this at all.”
We go over the workbook pages, and I start to think maybe he does need to go get his aura recharged or something because he doesn’t make fun of me and Dawson. He doesn’t slam me in any way.
“What’s wrong with you?” I finally ask.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re being nice to me. It’s kinda scary.”
“I’m always nice to you.”
I look at him, eyebrows raised, calling bullshit.
“I just thought it would be nice if we could try and be friends, so I guess, yes, I’m trying to be nice.”
“That’s cool.”
“Well, it may be cool, but it sucks. I wanna hear your weekend with Dawson sucked. I want to be tutored in my room, so we can have some privacy. I also want you to stop flipping your ponytail around. Your hair smells like cotton candy and it reminds me of the stupid Ferris wheel.”
“Ha! There’s the Aiden I know and love.”
He cocks his head at me and grins. “You love me?”
“It’s just an expression. It doesn’t mean anything.”
He leans a little closer toward me. Thank God there is a table separating us.
“Still, there are lots of expressions out there. You picked that one. You’re just trying to tell me you love me, it’s okay. I already know.”
My phone buzzes on the table and up pops a text.
Dawson: I miss you