If We Kiss by Rachel Vail Read Free Book Online Page B

pretty, with the hall light behind her and her high cheekbones really noticeable.
    “Did you know they were going to be there tonight?”
    She took a deep breath in, seeming to consider her answer, which basically answered it for me. I closed my eyes.
    “Yeah,” she said, but when I opened my eyes, she was gone.

ten
    BREAKFAST WAS A little awkward, since Mom and I couldn’t quite look at each other or talk beyond, “Oh, did you want the juice? Sorry.” All very polite. I was early to the bus stop for once.
    At school Kevin and I avoided each other completely. Overall, though, this whatever-it-was, stress, turned out to be quite a boost for my schoolwork—I threw myself into concentrating in class. I copied over my notes at night and really studied, and got 100s on both quizzes (math and bio).
    I also swam thirty-six laps (there and back counts as one, by the way), which is a mile, every day after school. I even hurried through the woods. The woods make me think. Swimming makes me stop thinking.
    Wednesday night I went to the Board of Ed meeting. I took notes the whole time. I had no idea what they were talking about and I have to admit that some of my notes were doodles of the board members.
    Friday, Penelope stopped me in the hall. “Where’s your story?”
    “Not done yet,” I said.
    She looked shocked. “You better have it to me by fourth period. It has to be in final form by eighth!” She stormed away, muttering under her breath.
    I spent a big chunk of my lunch period writing the thing, while eavesdropping on Tess and Jen and Darlene’s gossiping—well, and sometimes adding my opinion. Occasionally. They were choosing new rings for all our cell phones, which was considerably more compelling as a subject than my boring article. It was just hard to care too much about a Board of Ed meeting. I didn’t even really get what was going on there, and couldn’t imagine any other student at our school caring one bit either. I was only doing it because I am an idiot and have this psychotic need to sit in a room with my best friend’s boyfriend one afternoon a week. I should just quit, but, as someone said one time, I am a good writer. And as someone else said, I am in need of a hobby. And see? I am a natural at quoting people—so maybe I will get used to it and have fun, as the first someone promised.
    I get distracted even inside my own head.
    I did what I could with truly anesthetizing material, then tore it out of my spiral and tracked down Penelope before fifth.
    “This is it?” she asked, holding the three ragged pages as if she could catch a disease from them.
    I shrugged. “Yeah.”
    Penelope sighed. “It’s supposed to be a fifty-word nugget, max.”
    “Fifty nuggets?”
    “Fifty words.”
    “Oh, are you talking about the article?”
    “What did you think I was talking about?”
    “A Happy Meal.”
    “A what?”
    “You said something about how many nuggets . . .”
    “That’s a news term. Fifty-word nugget, max.”
    “Not Max,” I said. “Charlie.”
    “I know your name.” She scrunched her face at me. “Are you kidding, or an idiot?”
    “Do I have to choose?”
    The bell rang before we could continue this enlightening conversation, so I bolted. Good thing Kevin isn’t on the football team; I’d get my butt kicked literally then.
    Friday night Tess came over for a sleepover. I had already showered after swimming and done all my homework for Monday before she showed up, sweaty from her bike ride. She takes the long way and zooms. “Want to swim?” she asked, breathless and sweaty when she came in. “I brought my suit.”
    I said okay, despite the wobbly feeling in my legs. I grabbed my only clean suit and we hiked up to the clubhouse.
    I signed in again and Chris, who is the cutest door guy, cocked his head to say Tess could just go ahead without being signed in and giving us a guest fee to pay on our bill.
    “Thanks,” she said to him, lowering her eyelids slowly.
    He winked