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His eyebrow arches in my direction as I whip up the staircase with a beaming smile, sending a quick wave to my parents.
All is well. I’m totally not going upstairs to obsessively brush my teeth in anticipation of a game that involves kissing.
I shut the bathroom door behind me, then check the mirror. My hair is a little frizzy from the July humidity, but my loose curls have held up pretty well. I fluff them with my fingers, then pop on some more deodorant and Victoria’s Secret perfume. The indigo sundress I’m wearing complements my eyes, and the glue-on eyelashes help, too. Finishing up with a dab of shimmery lip gloss, I adjust my bra so my cleavage is more pronounced, and head back down the stairs.
Dazzling my family with another flash of white teeth, I wind through the kitchen and disappear outside.
“There you are!” Celeste announces, yanking our mutual friend, Genevieve, in my direction. Both girls wander up to me, and Celeste mutters under her breath, “Behind the big mulberry tree in five.”
My mouth dries up, and I instinctively smooth out my dress, as if that will prepare me for my first kiss. “Who all is playing?”
“Everyone,” Gen says. “We’re going to play in two separate groups, so everyone doesn’t disappear at once and send up red flags to your parents. But don’t worry… Marty will be in our group.” She winks at me.
I lift my wide, terrified eyes, searching for Marty. He’s laughing with two other boys, Hayden and Josh, leaning back against a food table. His short brown hair is smoothed over with hair gel, causing it to gleam beneath the lantern lights. “Okay.”
“You look like you might vomit, June,” Celeste whispers to me. “You sure you’re good?”
“Of course. I’m perfectly great.”
The two girls share a glance, then shrug. “Let’s head over now. The boys will join us in a few.”
I gather my wits and traipse across the lawn, meeting up with a few other girlfriends along the way. Gen pulls an empty Pepsi bottle out of her hobo bag, her thick black eyebrows dancing with trouble as she collapses, crossed-legged, in the grass.
My heart pounds furiously.
I take a seat between two friends, playing with my hair while I try to ignore the butterflies swimming in my belly.
Marty appears from around the tree a few moments later, accompanied by four other boys. “Hey, ladies. Got room for us?”
He’s grinning wide, devilishly.
He’s grinning right at me.
I gulp, forcing a smile that probably looks unhinged. “Of course. Come on over.” My voice cracks a little, confirming my derangement.
“Excellent.”
The boys situate themselves, forming a circle, Marty sitting directly across from me. One of my friends sets a piece of cardboard from our firepit stash in the middle as a flat surface for the bottle to spin.
“June, you go first,” Marty speaks up, his chocolate eyes starry. “It’s your party.”
The flirtatious smile hasn’t left his face, and my cheeks burn with horrible anxiety. I wring my palms together, nodding my consent. “Sure, okay.”
I’m damn near trembling as I reach for the glass bottle.
Humiliating!
Screaming at my arm to act normal, I laugh lightly while whispered chatter mingles around me. I suck in a quick breath, then flick my wrist. The bottle spins wildly on the cardboard, and I watch it twirl, over and over, slowing…slowing…
Marty reaches out, stopping it, the neck pointed directly at him.
My friend Arya giggles beside me. “That’s cheating,” she chides.
“Whoops.” He shrugs, clearly not caring. “Look at that.”
Fresh nerves sweep through me. My skin flushes hot, tingling with uncertainty and a trace of fear.
This shouldn’t be scary. This shouldn’t be scary.
