“Parlez-vous,” Teeny repeats, keeping her voice in a low library voice. She peeks a glance at the librarian who’s keeping a watchful eye on us after she’d shushed us for the fourth time.
“Purrrr-lay?—”
Another set of giggles erupts from Teeny, but this time she muffles them using the sleeve of her sweater. “You sound like someone who’s really badly imitating a cat.”
“Can we take a break?”
“We just started,” she argues. “Plus, lunch is only thirty-five minutes.”
“How about we try again after school?” I offer.
She nods. “You want to come over to my house?”
“Sure,” I answer a little regretfully, inwardly hoping I’d be able to lure her away somewhere more private without the inquisitive eyes of her parents. The truth is that since our kiss at the party a week ago, I haven’t had a moment to talk to Teeny. We’ve always been around Josh or the entire varsity team or a grouchy librarian. “Come on,” I whisper, leaning close to her. “I have a book I want to check out.”
“Oh, okay.”
She follows me, leaving our backpacks at the table, and we stop when we reach an empty aisle just around the corner.
“What book are you looking for?”
I huff a shy laugh. “I actually wanted to just talk to you without the warden interrupting us.”
She laughs, her nose scrunching with amusement. Blood rushes to the apples of her cheeks, and it’s disarming. The charming way she smiles with her whole face travels all the way down to my stomach where butterflies take flight.
I take a step closer to her, forcing her back against a wall of books. My hand moves to rest atop a shelf right at level with the top of her head, and I lean down and kiss her. She responds with a sharp gasp and tilts her face up toward me, letting me explore her mouth.
Kissing Teeny feels like everything around me disappears. I don’t feel the weight of being the newest member of the basketball team, trying to find my place within a roster that’s already formed and established, or the awkwardness that follows whenever I walk through the hallways of a school that still feels too new and uncharted. In the midst of fluttering heartbeats and the rampant butterflies in my gut, I feel calm. Almost serene.
My hand slides down her arm, trailing to the inside of her wrist where I feel her pulse racing behind her soft skin. It feels rapid, almost erratic and fitful.
The bell rings and we pull apart. Instead of pushing me away, Teeny leans her forehead into my chest. I cup the back of her head with my palm and nuzzle my nose into my hair.
“So, the beach wasn’t a fluke.”
She peers up at me with a conflicting look of amusement and confusion, and a small smile twitching at her lips. “What do you mean?”
“I just thought that maybe…the second kiss couldn’t be just as good, but I was wrong.” I kiss her again, swift and fleeting, knowing we have about two-and-a-half minutes before we need to get to fifth period. “And I’m not getting sand in my shirt.”
She giggles, finally pushing me away and leading the way back to our table. I follow her, and we hook our backpacks over our shoulders. “I’ll see you after school, Hayes.”
* * *
As soon as I ring the bell at Teeny’s front door, I hear the sound of urgent pitter-patter on the other side. The door swings open, and I’m greeted by someone who isn’t Teeny but shares her bright smile.
“Hey, Andrew.”
“Everett!” Andrew squeals.
He tugs at my hand, dragging me inside. I follow, closing the door behind me, and when I walk into the living room, I find that it’s complete chaos. There are sprinkles of snacks strewn all over the floor. Teeny’s brothers, and some other guys I don’t recognize, are scattered throughout the large sectional couch, and they’re all cheering and shouting at the screen where a soccer game is on full blast.
“Everett!” Josh calls from the floor, a Barq’s root beer held firmly in his hand. Andrew joins him, grabbing his own can while mimicking his older brother. “Sit down! We have lots of food.”
Teeny comes bounding down the steps, rushing to my side. “Change of plans,” she says, squeezing my forearm. “We need to get out of here. James came down with his friends, and they’ve been at it for the last hour. I don’t think it’s going to let up anytime soon.” She looks annoyed and flustered as she starts to guide me back to the front door. “Some UEFA soccer thing with Barcelona and Westchester.”
“MANCHESTER!” a collective round of angry voices calls after Teeny, correcting her in unison.
She looks at me like she’s plotting their murder before she reaches for the keys hanging from a small hook near the doorway. “Josh! I’m taking the car!”
