Part 17 (2/2)

”Don't worry about it. This has been fun.” I look over at Kent to see if he agrees and find I'm already nodding. ”Yeah. This is definitely better than yesterday.”

I follow Ken's lead as we take a left turn into an empty park. The playground equipment and path around the gra.s.s are all covered with the latest layer of snow, and there's no one else in sight. We end up on a bench near an old oak tree, and I huddle into my coat for warmth. I'm not even trying to hint at anything, but a minute later Kent hesitantly puts his arm around me and pulls me closer. ”This is okay?”

I nod, too nervous to speak. I don't think the two of us have ever been this close together, and even in this cold open air, I can almost sense the heat coming off of him and smell the faintest hint of cologne.

When I get up the nerve to look over at Kent, our faces are only inches from one another. He's already looking at me.

”Are you okay?” Kent asks already starting to pull his arm away.

”No, I'm fine. Don't go.” Kent smiles and settles back around me. I'm close enough to hear a small sigh escape his lips. ”Honestly, I'm nervous.” I don't say out loud why, but I'm hopeful he's reading the situation the same as I am. Because as far as moments for first kisses go, this one is kind of perfect. Now I need the courage to make to happen. My nerves are all based on my own possible inept.i.tude. I've never done this before, and I don't want to screw it up.

But first, I need to look at him long enough to give me a chance for this to happen at all. He won't kiss me if I keep looking away.

I force my eyes to stay locked on his, trying to convey my meaning in how I'm looking at him.

”I'm nervous too. Somehow, I've managed to get a date with this gorgeous girl, and now she's letting me hold her close to me. I'm going to mess this up at any second.”

”That's my life pretty much all the time. Just one stray thought away from ruining everything.”

”You've been perfect. That first day I saw you I knew you were someone I wanted to talk to, and you've blown me away every day I've seen you since then. You have nothing to worry about.”

I don't say anything because all thoughts have left my head. It seems like he's even closer to me now, like he's inching his way forward without appearing to move at all.

I'm not sure how I get up the courage, but I make myself move my head forward just the tiniest bit, angling it as I go.

This is happening.

Everything else falls away when his lips touch mine, at first just the softest graze against my bottom lip, but soon we're completely connected and my whole body is tingling.

Before I can let myself worry about anything like where I'm supposed to put my hands, or how much I'm supposed to move my mouth, Kent pulls away.

For second, we stay there, inches from one another, eyes locked. But then he whispers, ”Well, I think it's safe to say neither one of us screwed that up.”

I giggle and it's enough to erase any of the tension without ruining the magic of this moment.

”No. I think we can do better.” I bite my lip, and move toward Kent yet again, eager to see what else we are capable of.

Chapter 27.

Standing behind the curtain for my cue to go on stage, I'm more nervous than I have been for the rest of the semester. Combined. Knowing that Kent's out there with the other half of the cla.s.s, and that Mr. Sullen let me sneak Reece and Rhiannon in to see my exam performance as well, there's a good chance I made a major mistake. I'm about to embarra.s.s myself and I would be better off if a third of my family wasn't here to see the humiliation in person. Over Christmas I'd gotten it in my head that I'd be more confident having them here, but it only makes the stakes seem higher.

Kent's and Jen's performances already happened, Jen doing a cla.s.sic take on Alice in Wonderland with costumes that obviously exceeded the budget they were supposed to use, and actually some decent acting. Kent's group managed to make the cla.s.sic story much more violent than the original.

So far, three different people in my performance have forgotten their lines. So at least the bar isn't set all that high for my couple of lines as the king of hearts.

In the end, our group decided to gender swap Alice in Wonderland. I'm not exactly sure what kind of statement we're supposed to make, but it's been fun if nothing else.

And like that, the trial begins and I do my best to look confident as I walk onstage with everyone else. Most of the people from the last scene have disappeared to hide themselves in the small area available to us offstage in the cla.s.sroom. I can practically feel almost twenty sets of eyes on me directly, even though someone else is talking right now, so it could be all in my head.

But I'm here now, and this is happening. Besides, somehow my drama grade ended up being my best of the semester, at least going into exams. So if I can manage not to screw this up, I might actually have something to show for myself. Not a new potential career option, but still almost impressive showing in the cla.s.s that everyone probably thought I would drop out of as well.

And before I can overthink it, I'm saying my lines and gesticulating in what I hope is a dramatic fas.h.i.+on, pleading with my deranged spouse to spare the young boy who has shown up in our kingdom to wreak havoc unknowingly.

I end up getting my head chopped off and breathing a sigh of relief when my turn on stage is finally over. I do not understand how this plot twist ended up in our version of the script since I had very little to do with that and instead did most of the visual stuff for our group. And if nothing else, our version of Wonderland looks awesome.

I fish my phone out from where I'd been hiding it in my costume, and take a behind-the-scenes picture to send to Nadine later. Rhiannon has also promised to take pictures of my big moment to share with our parents. Or for me to accidentally delete so no one can ever see ever again.

The lights come up, and it's all over. Our group disperses after an enthusiastic round of applause from the audience. A few people are shooting my sisters weird looks, but I guess people at school don't get to see more than a couple of us together at any time. I rush over to them as they are talking with Kent.

”Well, that's done.” I lean my head against Kent's shoulder before he pulls me into a hug.

”You did great.”

I glance at my sisters for confirmation and find Rhiannon making a face. I can trust her not to lie to me. ”You didn't embarra.s.s yourself,” she says, grinning.

”I'll take it. That's all I was going for.”

”Thanks for coming guys, you should probably go before the cla.s.s wraps up.” They say their goodbyes and disappear back out into the hallway, off to eat their food in the limited time they have left in their lunch period.

”Don't listen to them,” Kent says. ”I thought you were awesome.”

”I definitely wasn't, but that was a lot of fun.”

”Still happy that it's over?”

”Oh yeah.”

”Well, I'm still holding onto hope of you joining drama club next semester. We've even dragged Rosie out a couple of times, so I'm not giving up on you yet.”

Drama club starts at the beginning of the next term, when the drama cla.s.sroom becomes a music cla.s.sroom and Mr. Sullen becomes an English teacher until the new school year.

As though summoned by my thoughts, our teacher joins us, Jen in tow. I'm pretty sure Frank is still somewhere in the back, taking off his costume. He had been banking on being the ches.h.i.+re cat before we went with our gender swap idea. Instead, he ended up as Dinah.

”Well done,” Mr. Sullen says, clapping slowly. ”We had a great showing this year. And I hope you will all be back next year for our junior level course.”

I smile politely, but don't commit one way or the other. I've kind of loved taking drama this semester, but the idea of doing it when there are other, non-public speaking oriented cla.s.ses available to me, still seems like a foreign concept. Somehow, I suspect I'll give in.

If nothing else, Mr. Sullen has become one of my favorite teachers. I'm already kind of hoping I can rework my schedule a little next semester to have him for English along with Frank.

<script>