Kiss Me (32 page)

“As in, skimpy?” Logan says. “Hell, I’m a fan of the idea already.”

Peyton flirts, “Well, sure, dancing's hard work.”

Whitney scowls. “There’s no way the school would pay for all that.”

Peyton slumps down. She likes to dance as much as I do. “You’re probably right.”

“So why don’t we?” Aiden says, smiling at me.

“We what?” Whitney scoffs.

“We pay for it. Or get our parents to. Get sponsors or something.”

Brad says, “I don't know about your parents, but I’m pretty sure mine would be cool with it.”

Whitney surprises me when she agrees with Brad. “I think having a few people sponsor it is a good idea.” Then she spoils it when she looks at me and adds, “That way we can make it exclusive and only invite the coolest people.” 

Which, I’m pretty sure, would not include me.

“No way, Whitney,” Aiden and Brad say at the same time. Brad continues. “If we want the dean to approve it, we need to invite everyone. If you want to have an exclusive party, you’ll have to do that on your own.”

Is it bad I almost want to applaud?

“Besides, if we have it at a club, we want the place packed.” I grin and think of something to make us all happy. “But, Whitney, that doesn't mean we can't have a special VIP area.”

“How would you decide who would get in there?” Peyton asks.

“Just like anything else in life. The biggest donors get the VIP treatment. We can have levels of giving once we figure out what it will cost. We’ll need to pay to rent the club, hire a sweet DJ, snacks for when we get there, lots of energy drinks. Then, later, we should serve breakfast.”

“That’s a lot to plan on such short notice. Plus, I don’t really want to be working,” Logan says.

“That’s a good point. We need an event planner to just do it all.” 

“Let’s get it approved first,” Brad says. Then he turns to me, “You’re up with the dean again.”

As Aiden and I are walking out, I say, “So why Greek and togas?”

He stops and looks at me. “I shouldn’t tell you this.”

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“Okay, fine. Don’t tell me.” I start to walk away.

He reaches out and puts his hand gently on my shoulder. Shivers run down to my toes. 

“This sounds kind of stupid now, but that day when you kicked the soccer ball at my head, the way the sun was shining behind you all I really saw was your face, outlined by golden rays. You looked kinda like a goddess. I honestly thought I was dreaming. Then, when the soccer ball went whizzing by my head, I realized you were real. I’m glad you’re real.”

I laugh. 

He says, “See, I knew you would think it was stupid.”

“Aiden.”

“What?”

“I’m laughing because before I knew your name, I had a nickname for you.”

He tightens his jaw and squints his eyes at me. “Do I even want to know?”

I smile and say, “Probably not, but let’s just say this themed weekend is very appropriate. If it turns out good, I’ll tell you. When you’re in your toga. Gold laurel wreath on your head.”

“I’ve never worn a toga, and I thought the wreaths were supposed to be green.”

“Not yours.”

Sucking your face.

Lunch

 I sit at Dawson’s table. I call it Dawson’s table because I refuse to claim it as my own, even though I seem to sit here most days. The usual suspects are here: Ace, Jake, Whitney, Peyton, Tyrese, Bryce, and the other pretty girls who seem to have no desire to ever speak to me.

When we sit down, Whitney says to the table, “All this Social Committee crap has made me realize we need to get the hell out of here. I say next weekend we all drive up the coast. Stay somewhere fabulous. Relax all day, party all night.”

“That sounds awesome,” Jake says. I can see his mind running wild about being in a hotel room alone with Whitney.

The girls next to her all giggle, hold hands, and look at Whitney in awe, like she just announced she discovered a cure for cancer, not suggested a weekend away. 

Peyton says, “Somewhere with a spa sounds incredible.”

Whitney says, “Of course, that’s how we’ll relax.”

Bryce and Tyrese say at the same time, “I’m in.”

Whitney turns to Dawson. “What about you, Dawes? You in?”

Dawson cocks his head and shrugs his shoulder. “Sure, why not.”

Whitney smiles and clasps her hands together indicating that it’s a done deal. “Mark your calendars and I’ll take care of everything else.”

I finish my lunch quickly and go off to do more campaigning. 

When I hand out all the candy in my bag, I find Katie, Annie, and Maggie sitting with Riley and Dallas and some other guys. 

I sit down next to Dallas. 

“We’re going to the cave tonight,” he whispers to me. “I don’t care how much homework you have or how tired you are. You’re going. You, me, and Riley. Don’t invite anyone else. I mean, we can’t stop people from being there, but, you know, we don’t have to tell them we are going, and we don’t have to invite them. And that includes your boyfriend.” 

“He’s not my boyfriend. Stop calling him that.”

“I don’t care what you call him. I just want to talk to you without him sucking on your face.”

“Okay, fine.” 

“Tonight, baby.” Riley grins at me.

“How’s the campaigning going?” Dallas asks me, Katie, and Maggie.

“It’s going great,” Maggie says. “It’s a great way to talk to everyone. We handed out a ton of candy, and I had three seniors ask for my number.” 

“What do you think of my competition?” I ask Annie, who is probably the most informed. 

“Well, I’d say your only real competition is Benjamin. He wants to be President someday, he’s very serious, and he would probably do a really good job. He’s talking about all sorts of important issues, like funding and economic change.” 

“It’s freaking Student Council, people, he’s not going to affect funding or economic change here.” 

“Well I don’t know, he just sounds good when he talks, and he’s kinda sexy, in that nerdy kind of way.” 

Great. 

I silently curse Bill Gates and all the other rich internet techno whiz geeks for making nerds in vogue. 

Riley’s like, “The guy’s a douche.”

Dallas interrupts, “Riley and I have an idea that could get you more votes than the douche.”

“Really, what’s that?”

“Let’s shoot a video promoting your campaign. We can dress you all sexy, and then you can look like you’re going to undress, like those web domain commercials, and say if you vote for Keatyn, you will get a special access code to get on the web to see what happens next. All the guys would vote for you for sure. And most of the girls, too, just because they would want to see what you did.”

Riley’s like, “It’s a good plan, Kiki. YouTube’s where it’s at.”

“So, basically, I could vote for Benjamin, tell you I voted for me, then you’d give me the code?”

Dallas scrunches up his nose. “Oh, yeah, well, we might have to rework that.”

“And what would I do in the access code video?”

Riley says, “Well, uh, we thought maybe take your shirt off.”

“ARE YOU NUTS?!”

“Calm down, it was just an idea. We’re trying to help you here.”

“I’m not buying votes with nakedness. I’d probably get kicked out of school for that.”

Riley leans over and whispers in my ear, “Wouldn’t be the first time you did something that could get you kicked out.” 

I punch him.

Dallas scratches his head. “We didn’t really think of that either.” 

“How’s your speech coming?” Annie asks. “I think the speeches will be important.”

“My speech sucks.”

“Let me see it; I’ll work on it.”

So I give her my little cards.

Dawson comes up behind me and says, “If you’re done, let’s go outside.”

And I happily do. 

We sit on our bench.

He kisses me sweetly and then a little not-so-sweetly.

“Dawes, we can’t kiss like this out here, or we’ll get in trouble.”

Kissing is pretty much okay, but sitting around seriously making out in public is sorta against school rules.

“I can’t help it. God, you’re sexy. I’m the luckiest guy at school. The library was amazing. Like, crazy amazing.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what got into me. Well, actually I do. That was payback for what you did to me during the game last week.”

“When I had my hands under your sweatshirt?”

“Yeah, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

He kisses me. “You liked that, huh?”

“I did, obviously.”

“So, I talked to my parents last night.”

“Oh, what about?” 

“About you.”

“Why?”

He kisses me sweetly. “Because Riley and my little bro, Braxton, have been talking. About how nice I’ve been lately. Brax told Mom. They wanted to hear about you. Then my mom got off the phone and my dad was like,
So, why are you so happy? 

“What did you tell him?”

“I just said you are amazing.”

“And?”

“He said I seemed more carefree with you, happy. I was finally like,
Dad
,
is happy supposed to be code word for are we having sex and is that what is making me happy?

And my dad was like,
I’m old, I don’t get to date pretty young things, so yes, that’s what I was wondering.”

“Did you tell your dad?” My eyes get huge.

“You told your mom and stepdad.”

“Oh, gosh. I’ll never be able to look at him.”

“I just told him he was right about you making me very happy. So, he knew. Plus, he and I talked before about how, you know, Whitney never seemed like she wanted to with me, and I wondered if it was me, if I was doing something wrong. Actually, I tried to have that talk with my older brother, but dad overheard us and, since then, he’s been kinda anti-Whitney. They want to meet you soon.”

“Oh, if he’s anti-Whitney, then he’s my new favorite person. I’d love to meet your parents.”

I grab his face in my hands and plant a big kiss on him just as the bell rings.

“Damn classes,” he says, “just when things were getting good. You going to the game with me tonight? Or you hanging with your friends?”

“Both?”

“So the guys and I have a little tradition of going to this Mexican restaurant before the Freshman games. Taco Tuesday.”

“Oh, okay. Then I’ll just hang out with my friends and see you later.”

“I have a better idea.”

“What’s that?”

“Come with us.”

“No. I’m not intruding on boy night.”

“They suggested I bring you. So, tonight, if you want, you get to be one of the guys.”

I smile. “I’d like that.”

Love the boots.

1:15am

Riley, Dallas and I are lying on a blanket, having already smoked a bit and are just big chilling. 

“So, tell me about your new girls.”

Dallas says, “Well, I got another pair of panties after the game tonight.”

Riley is like, “Whose?”

“That Sarah chick in our math class. What’d you and Ariela do?”

“Just kissed.”

“Kisses are nice,” I say dreamily.

“Especially the places you’ve been getting kissed,” Riley says.

“You don’t know anything.”

“I have a really good imagination. And don’t think my brother doesn’t confide in me, because he does. He and I have gotten closer this year.”

“What’s he been telling you?”

“Just that you turn him on. I guessed about the library thing. When it was just us throwing at practice today, he confirmed it. He told me that tonight he wanted to try and make you feel really good. I’m assuming, based on how dreamy you’re acting, and the fact you left at half, that he succeeded.”

“Wait,” Dallas says. “What happened in the library?”

“Kiki was naughty in a private study room.”

“How naughty?”

“Not all the way naughty, but pretty naughty. My brother is lucky.”

Dallas rolls over toward me, close to my face. This is usually how he starts to kiss me. Then he just looks at me and says, “Yeah, he is.”

It makes me want to kiss him. I even grab his face and hold it in my hands, just looking at him. He’s so adorable.

“So, I’m really nervous about this whole campaign speech thing on Thursday. It just seems so short. How am I supposed to convince people to vote for me when they only give you four days to campaign? What do you think I should say? Part of me wishes I hadn’t done it. With soccer, dance, Social Committee, French club, tutoring Aiden, homework, and Dawson, I’m majorly crunched for time. Plus, I hate not winning. And I’m new. I probably don’t stand a chance.” 

“You have a good chance. How’s tutoring the god going?” Dallas asks.

“It’s fine. Sometimes I think we might be able to be friends. So, what should I say?”

Riley says, “I don't think it matters what you say. Just look hot. All the guys will vote for you.”

“And what do guys find hot?”

Dallas says, “The boots. Love the boots.”

I get back in through my window and am trying to quietly get to my closet to get undressed, when I trip over a box lying in the middle of the floor.

“Keatyn, what are you doing?” Katie says groggily.

“Oh, I was just . . .”

“Getting back from sneaking out to see Dawson?”

“Uh, no, with Riley and Dallas.”

“Take me next time. Riley is hot. I don’t think I would mind if that boy used me. And Dallas is
adorable
. I think he’d be fun to kiss. Oh, and that box you tripped over was delivered for you today. I forgot to tell you earlier.”

I take the box into the closet, turn on the light, and open it. Inside are a pair of gorgeous cowboy boots. They are black, navy, and brown, with cut-out designs in red and golden-yellow leather. I look at the name on the box. It’s from the boot shop in East Texas where my grandpa has his boots custom made. Custom boots and a brand new truck every year are his two big splurges. 

Inside one of the boots is a note from Grandpa.

Can’t let my Hotshot get all uppity out there or turn into some damn, Yankee. Had Javier make these for you. Don’t be afraid to kick some ass and raise a little hell.