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“Yep.” Grinning with mischief, she wrapped her arms and legs around me and leaned in close. “I sure did.”
“What about the whole waiting thing?”
“I’ve done the waiting,” she replied, leaning in close to stroke her nose against mine. “Sixteen years’ worth.”
“But I’m telling you now, Gerard Gibson, that I’m not the girl for flings and whimsical fleeting feelings, so if you can’t give me one hundred percent, then you need to say it,” she warned, brown eyes locked on mine. “This is your last chance to get out.”
“I’m in,” I heard myself tell her, and never in my life had I spoken more truth than I had in those two words. “I’m in, Claire Biggs.”
“Good.” She smiled. “Me too.”
And then she kissed me right there in the middle of the field, with the whole school watching.
Holy fuck did she kiss me.
62
After-School Pacts
CLAIRE
Okay, so the repercussions of my impulsive behavior resulted in the following:
One full week’s worth of lunchtime detentions for me, due to my inability to follow school rules. Ooh, and I had been given my very first red card from the referee, which I thought was kind of strange considering I had only kissed Gerard and hadn’t participated in any illegal tackling.
Either way, it was so worth it.
When I was finally released from the office, after enduring a twenty-minute lecture from both Coach and Mr. Twomey on the importance of not mounting rugby players, Gerard was waiting outside for me. The moment my eyes landed on him, freshly showered and looking divine in his gray sweatpants and a long-sleeved black T-shirt, all of our principal’s words of warning went clean out the window.
My heart boomed like a drum the entire way home from school, because it knew it was in trouble with this boy. Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” drifted from the stereo, but I couldn’t hear a word of it over the sound of my thundering pulse.
I had a boyfriend.
Yep, me.
Better again, that boyfriend was Gerard.
When he parked up at the footpath outside my driveway, I couldn’t stop myself from springing into action. Unable to cope with the frenzied energy whizzing around inside of my body, I unfastened my seat belt and crawled over the console, not stopping until I was straddling his hips.
“Jesus, Claire-Bear.” Gerard chuckled, reaching under his seat for the lever that allowed him to push his chair back and give us a little more room. “You’re happy.”
“I am happy,” I agreed, resting my hands on his broad chest. “I am deliriously happy.”
His hand slipped under the hem of my skirt, fingers grazing my bare thigh, and I felt like I might pass out.
Because I wanted him, I realized.
More than anything.
More than my next breath.
“Hey, is that Mark?” Distracted by the sight of Mark Allen packing the boot of his father’s Land Rover with suitcases, I turned back to Gerard eyes wide with excitement. “Oh my god, is he leaving?”
“Let’s hope so.”
“Yeah, let’s.”
Gerard didn’t bother to look in Mark’s direction, keeping his entire focus locked on me instead. “I love you, Claire.” Inhaling a deep breath, he studied my face for a long moment, thumb grazing my chin, before exhaling. “I really love you, girlfriend.”
