Kiss Me

 I make myself blink. It seems to help fight his powers. Breaking the spell for a moment or something.

“Yeah,” I say, a little too breathlessly. But what I’m thinking is Kiss me. Please, Athena, Zeus, Apollo, whoever, make him kiss me.

Shit. How does he do that to me? It’s like he telepathically puts thoughts into my head.

I don’t want to kiss him. I like Dawson.

He leans in and gets as close to my lips as possible, without touching them. “Too bad you have a boyfriend, or I’d be kissing you now.”

I swallow hard.

Because I had momentarily stopped breathing, a pile of spit had collected in the back of my throat. It was either swallow or choke.

“He’s not my boyfriend.” As my lips move to speak the words, they just brush against Aiden’s, and the feeling is more electrifying than if I had actually kissed him.

I pull back, shocked.

“I really have to go,” I murmur, and then get the hell out of there and race to my dorm.

But I’m seven minutes late.

Which is like a half a second in god years, so you’d think it wouldn’t be held against me, but it is.

I now have seven minutes times three of detention.

Twenty-one minutes of detention.

Where I am supposed to sit and think about why I am there.

Fan-freaking-tastic.

Monday, September 12th

It’d be way hot.

Ceramics

Today I officially start campaigning for Student Council office. A

I have three things going for me. First, our signs turned out awesome! They are sparkly and full of school spirit! If you don’t know who you’re voting for, that’s okay! Vote for school spirit!

I hope.

Secondly, I have candy. The Milk Duds have been a big hit already. And Milk Duds are like the Holy Grail for those still in braces. Which is most of the freshman class, which happens to be the largest class in the school. And, since they are all new, like me, I figure they should be a big focus. This school does voting for Student Council different than my old school. Instead of each class voting for their class officers, the entire school votes for each grade’s representatives. The person with the most votes is the president of their class. The second is the vice president. And the third and fourth most votes are class representatives. So my goal is to get enough votes to at least make representative.

And, thirdly, if I do have a platform, it’s social events, which I would like to see more of.

So, during lunch, I’m going to hand out a bunch of candy, introduce myself, and ask for votes. I wore a really cute look today, one that I think looks respectable and responsible; preppy, but sweet. I’m wearing the longer navy pleated skirt. An Escada pale blue ruffle-front blouse. Simple gold jewelry. Navy blazer. Sweet little white socks. Navy Rag & Bone platform Mary Janes. Hair twisted up into a cute little bun.

But right before I walked into ceramics, Dawson pi

Now I’m worried about how I look. I want to ask Bryce and Jake about it and also about possibly doing something fun for Dawson to repay him for the bleachers, but Jake is too busy complaining.

“I can’t even get her to go down on me. She used her hand. We’ve been going out for two weeks and dating for three.”

“I heard she doesn’t do that.”

“She didn’t with Dawson either?”

“Um, I think only when she was, like, super drunk.”

“Time to get the girl super drunk, I think.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” Bryce says.

“What is something a girl could do to you, possibly in public, that would make you really hot? Like, worship-her hot.”

Jake laughs. “So you wa

I can feel my face get hot and know my cheeks are turning red. “Uh, maybe.”

“Road head. A girl does that to me, she goes way up in my book,” Jake says.

Bryce says, “True. But messing around somewhere that’s risky would be fun too.”

“Anywhere around school that feels risky, but isn’t really that risky?”

Jake considers that for a moment and scratches the side of his face. “I’ve always thought the private study rooms at the library. I tried to get a girl to do stuff with me once. We made out, but then she chickened out.”

“Any other thoughts?”

“I have dirty dreams about a girl coming in our locker room during halftime to help motivate me for the second half. She’s wearing nothing but a team jersey,” Bryce confesses. “But I think that would be impossible. What about the football field at night? The bleachers? Specifically, the lacrosse field bleachers. They’re the most private. And what about the cave?”

“Maybe.”

“Some people go in the cars that are parked at school. If it’s dark, no one would notice. Dawson has his car, but you have the back seat that folds down.”

“Have either of you ever done any of that? Or anything you thought was really hot?”

Bryce grins. “Football field, late, a few times, but the best was the bathrooms by the concession stands during a girl’s soccer game.”

Jake looks at him, shocked. “Who was that and when?”

“That Amanda chick who got kicked out and sent to rehab. It was fun, but she was kinda skanky.”

“So was the fact that she did you in the bathroom what made her skanky?”

“No, it was the fact that she did everyone in the bathroom that made her skanky.”

“So, Jake, if Whitney tried that on you would it be hot or skanky?”

They both agree. “It’d be way hot.”

Never putting my hair in a bun.

Lunch

Since Dawson already thinks I look like a naughty librarian, I decide to go with Jake’s suggestion of the private study rooms in the library.

I walk over to Riley and Dallas and give them some candy. “What do you think is better in reference to sexual stuff: getting completely surprised with it, or being surprised, but knowing a surprise is coming?”

“As long as you end up coming, what difference does it make?” Dallas quips.

“I’m serious.”

“Tell us your evil plan, mistress,” Riley says. “Hey, has anyone told you you kinda look like a hot librarian today?”

“What is it with you Johnson boys and librarians? All I know is I’m never putting my hair in a bun again! So? Answer my question. I’m ru

“I’d like to know the surprise is coming,” Dallas says.

“And I’d like to be completely surprised,” Riley says.

I know that Dawson likes to be surprised, but I also know he likes the anticipation just as much, so I walk over and whisper in his ear. “We do need to talk about your fines. You’ve been a very irresponsible boy. Meet me in the library at six.”

Then I keep working my way around the lunch room.

After lunch, Dawson is waiting for me outside. He looks me up and down and says, “You’ll totally get my vote. You look sexy, Keatie. Why six? That’s usually when we’re eating di

“Exactly, and I’m hoping the library is empty.”

“Oh, really,” he grins sexily. “Why’s that?”

“I already told you. You’ve been bad. So when you come to the library, you better be ready to pay your fines or offer me something in return.”

He grabs me around the waist and kisses me. “I’m so not going to be able to concentrate in class.”

Your lips are my what?

French

I sit down in French and tell Aiden, “I have twenty-one minutes of detention today after school because of you. Which means I will miss twenty-one minutes of dance, and your sister will yell at me.”