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“I have,” Lincoln said, preening slightly.
“That’s the spirit,” Mrs. Thompson said, shaking one fist. “Now, as the speech draws to a close, you’re going to share your first kiss with Helena.”
A bunch of people in the wings hooted. I felt like I was going to melt from the humiliated heat my body was generating. Lincoln was clearly amused by my flesh-eating blush, so I glanced over my shoulder at Faith, who just gri
“You truly believe you’re in love with her, but more than that you want to sell it to the Duke,” Mrs. Thompson said. “So sell it! And … begin.”
Lincoln reached for one of my hands and began his speech to the Duke, who was played by Tyler Dross, a junior from the wrestling team who was about double the size of anyone else on the stage. I tried to watch Lincoln with loving eyes as he explained his shift of admiration from Hermia/Faith to my character/me, but I could think about only one thing.
Lincoln and I were about to kiss. Lincoln and I were about to kiss. The lights were burning a hole in the back of my neck and I felt sweat prickle my underarms. My hand was growing clammy in Lincoln’s and I hoped he didn’t notice. What if I had bad breath? What if our tongues touched? What if we bumped noses or I stepped on his foot or, God no, slipped and bit him in front of everyone? Before I knew it, Lincoln was coming to the end of his speech.
“‘But, like in sickness, did I loathe this food,’” he said. Then he turned to me, and his eyes were so full of love, my heart actually skipped a beat. “‘But, as in health, come to my natural taste.’”
He lifted his free hand and cupped my face. His fingers were soft and long and warm. I knew I should do something. Tilt my cheek into his touch, or at the very least smile, but I was frozen.
“Now I do wish it, love it, long for it,” Lincoln said. He turned fully toward me, toe to toe, and released my hand, holding my face between both his hands now. “And will forever more,” he said with a dramatic pause, “be true to it.”
No one breathed. No one moved. No one spoke. Slowly, Lincoln lowered his face toward mine. Just before his eyes fluttered closed, he gave me the teeniest, tiniest smirk. And then, he parted his lips ever so slightly, and kissed me. I wasn’t sure whether it lasted five seconds or ten or a hundred, but I do know he tasted like sugar, and his lips were perfectly moist, and by the time it was over I couldn’t see straight.
“That was great, Lincoln!” Mrs. Thompson cheered. “Just great! Now let’s do it again, and this time, Ally, try to not look as stiff as a corpse.”
Everyone laughed. I felt like dying. “Sorry,” I muttered.
“She was nervous,” Lincoln explained, taking a step away from me. “Maybe I should slip her the tongue this time.”
The laughter grew and there was more hooting and hollering. I hit Lincoln’s arm with an open hand, but the embarrassed smile was stuck on my face.
“No slipping of the tongue will be necessary, Mr. Carter,” Mrs. Thompson said in a warning tone. She looked up at me and curled her script into a tube. “Now, come on, Ally. You’ve been after this guy the entire four acts. This is the greatest moment of your life. You’ve finally snagged the guy you love! Show me that!”
Faith took a step toward me from behind. “Just think of Jake,” she whispered.
A chill went down my back. The last thing I wanted to think about was Jake. Thinking about Jake would make me seriously tense. Like what if he walked in right now and saw me and Lincoln kissing? How would he react? Would he be pissed?
And then I thought, probably not. He’d be too busy wondering where Chloe was and whether she needed a foot rub or something.
Huh. Maybe I should let Lincoln kiss me with tongue.
“Okay, let’s run the speech again!” Mrs. Thompson directed.
This time, I turned to look at Lincoln with stars in my eyes, and this time—with Jake and Chloe in the back of my mind—I kissed him back.
jake
“All righty, then! Just a few small adjustments and you’ll get to see your baby!”
I looked at Chloe. She quickly looked away. Sometimes it seemed like all she did anymore was go to doctors. At least my dad had dropped the whole paternity-test idea once he’d heard the baby was being given up for adoption. That meant one less needle Chloe had to deal with.
The woman ru
“Ya ready?” the woman asked finally.
“Um, I guess,” I replied.
“Well, all righty, then! Here goes!”
The woman whipped out a wand with a ball thingie on the end and put it on Chloe’s stomach. I didn’t know what to expect to see on the screen, but it was nothing but a bunch of scraggly green lines. Chloe craned her neck to see and the woman tilted the screen in her direction.
“There you go, hon,” she said, moving the wand around the whole time.
Suddenly a baby-shaped thing appeared on the screen and my heart flip-flopped like a dying fish. I saw a head. I saw a nose. I saw a belly. I even saw an arm and a hand.
“All righty, now! And there’s your little one!” the woman a
“Oh my God,” Chloe said shakily.
“That’s really in there?” I said, glancing at Chloe’s small stomach. “How does it fit?”
The woman laughed as she hit a few buttons on a keyboard. “Well, it’s only about the size of a chicken nugget, hon, but it’s in there!”
Chloe tugged her hand out of mine and tears seeped out the corners of her eyes. She put her head down again and turned away from the screen, but I couldn’t tear my eyes off the baby. It lifted its arm and put it down again. It was moving around in there.
I leaned forward. The tech’s free hand flew over the keyboard, making beeping noises and a sound like a picture being snapped. I stared at the baby’s profile. That baby was part me. How freaky was that? Did it look like me? Was it going to be tall like me or short like Chloe? Would it have her green eyes, or blue ones like mine?
And then I realized I was never going to know. Because I was never going to meet this kid. My stomach suddenly felt like it was full of needles. For the first time I got it. I got what Chloe meant the other day at lunch. This was my kid. My kid. But it wasn’t going to be mine. My eyes prickled and blurred. What the hell was wrong with me? Was I going to effing cry?
Suddenly the baby rolled over. The humming lady and I both jumped.
“Whoa!”
“What? What is it?” Chloe asked, her head popping up again. “Is something wrong?”
“No, no, hon,” the humming lady said with a laugh. “Baby’s just real active right now.”
Suddenly my eyes were clear again and I couldn’t stop staring at the screen. If it moved again I didn’t want to miss anything.
“I didn’t feel anything,” Chloe said, blinking down at her stomach.
“You probably won’t for a couple of weeks now, but baby’s definitely awake in there. Have you eaten recently?” she asked.
“I had some ice cream about an hour ago,” Chloe replied.