The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles Read Free Book Online Page A

go parading yourself around, do you? You have some decency. One drunken mistake, and those guys are practically undressing you with their eyes.’
    I sighed. ‘Come on. I’m not
that
hot.’
    ‘Have you looked in the mirror lately, Miss Thirty-Four C?’
    ‘Lee!’ I shouted, smacking his arm. I felt my cheeks go red. ‘Don’t say it so loud!’
    He laughed at me, slinging an arm around my shoulder. ‘I can’t believe this is the same girl who would’ve gone skinny-dipping and stripped off for a load of guys—’
    ‘Shut up.’
    ‘Sorry.’
    ‘We have a meeting for the carnival at lunch,’ I reminded him as the bell went. While I was a chemistry kid, Lee was biology. It was the only subject we didn’t have together.
    ‘Yeah, I know.’
    ‘See you.’
    ‘Bye, Elle.’
    I went to take my usual seat in the chemistry lab, but then I heard, ‘Hey, Elle! Come sit by me.’
    I looked over my shoulder and saw Cody pulling out the chair next to him.
    ‘He’s dead,’ I heard Dixon mumble behind me.
    ‘And that’s not even mentioning what Noah will do,’ Cam agreed, and they smiled at me before sitting down. I just shot them back a baffled look, thinking:
Boys
.
    ‘Uh . . . sure, okay,’ I said to Cody, and went to sit next to him. I didn’t know him too well, but he seemed like a nice enough guy. He had dyed black hair and a tongue piercing, and he was also an amazing classical pianist; I’d seen him play at a school concert once.
    ‘I heard about that fight yesterday,’ he said conversationally, doodling squiggles on the corner of his textbook. ‘I can’t believe they said those things to you.’
    ‘Oh, well, um . . .’ I laughed nervously, unsure of what to say to that.
    After a few moments he said, ‘Is it true you and Lee are doing a kissing booth? For the Spring Carnival?’
    I nodded with a grin, grateful for the change in topic. ‘Yup! Cool, huh?’
    ‘Yeah,’ he agreed with a smile. ‘Are you going to be working it then?’ He raised an eyebrow, his green-brown eyes flecked with amusement and a suggestive smile on his face – though I could tell that he wasn’t entirely serious from the note of laughter in his voice.
    ‘No,’ I laughed. ‘I’m not.’
    ‘Shame. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to embarrass myself here.’
    ‘Oh?’
    ‘You wouldn’t want to . . . you know . . . uh, go’ – he cleared his throat – ‘go see a movie, or something . . . with me . . . sometime?’
    I wanted to laugh, just because he was so nervous.
    But I managed to stop myself.
    Instead I gave a wry smile and said to him, ‘Aren’t you afraid Noah will break your arm or whatever?’
    He shrugged. ‘I think I can take a risk for a nice girl like you.’
    ‘Well, when you put it that way,’ I said with a smile, ‘why not?’
    ‘Really?’ His eyes brightened.
    ‘Really, really.’
    ‘Cool. Well, I’ll call you sometime.’
    I nodded. Then I realized – ‘I don’t have your number.’
    ‘Here.’ He uncapped a biro with his teeth, and grabbed my arm, turning it over. He was pretty skilled to write his number all the way down from my elbow upside-down, I had to admit.
    ‘You could’ve just put it in my phone.’
    ‘But there’s no fun in that.’
    I laughed.
    Meanwhile the teacher had come in. ‘All right, everybody, shut up and settle down. We’ve got a lot of work today. Now open the textbooks to page one hundred and thirty-seven. Last lesson we looked at the production of ethanol and its commercial uses and social implications . . .’
    ‘Yeah,’ some boy – I think it was Oliver – called out jokingly. ‘Making Elle strip!’
    I blushed, and retorted, ‘What would you know? You were passed out by that point, you lightweight!’
    ‘Nice.’ Cody laughed appreciatively; the others started jeering at him, but I gave him a smile.
    Lee wouldn’t mind when I told him I had a date with Cody. He knew Cody a little better than I did, too. It was Noah I