Second Kiss (16 page)

“So according to Drew, you have ‘one of those names’”

Jess sneezed and wiped his nose with a tissue. He was lying in bed still, but he was well enough by the afternoon to see visitors-or at least to see me. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that everyone talks about you, everyone knows you, and everyone likes you.”

Jess sniffed again and let out a horse sounding laugh. “What, Drew knows two people who know who I am, and suddenly I’m a household name?”

“You’re popular. And you can’t deny it.”

Jess ignored me and steered the conversation another way. “How’s the situation with Drew and Trace? Have you given her any killer advice yet of how to get him to notice her?” Jess relaxed into his pillow and then added, “How do you get yourself into these situations?”

“I don’t think I have to worry about Trace anymore.” I pulled on the rubber of my sole, and it finally snapped off. “I think she has a new crush.” I looked at Jess, who still looked pale and clammy. “You.” I waited for Jess’s response, nervous that he would be happy to know that Drew liked him.

Jess scrunched his face. “Perfect. Is there a dance coming up soon? You could talk her into asking me to waltz.”

I threw a pillow at Jess’s face. “I thought I was doing you a favor.”

Jess laughed behind the pillow, and then his laugh turned into a series of raspy coughs.

“I’m sorry you’re sick,” I said guiltily. “I’m the one that should be sick.”

“I’m just glad you’re not at the bottom of the lake,” he said with a serious tone when he caught his breath.

“Yeah, that was pretty dumb of me.”

“Just promise me one thing.” Jess patted my knee as he closed his eyes and held onto his head with the other hand.

His touch sent a million flutters up my spine. I looked at him, waiting for the one thing I was silently promising.

“Next time you want my attention, don’t try to kill yourself. I kind of like having you around.”

“When’s your birthday, Gem?”

I had just dropped my biology book on top of Drew’s English literature book when she asked. I still wasn’t used to hearing the name she had taken to calling me ever since the lake incident. “September seventh,” I answered.

“Hmmm. That’s no good.” Drew was leaning her back against the wall next to her locker while I rummaged through my bag, trying to find my geography packet. Carmen still shared the locker with us, but Stella and Stephanie hardly came around anymore. They had decided to go on strike from being Drew’s friend until she appreciated them more. Drew seemed to hardly notice their absence. Carmen showed up at the locker a few seconds later. She had eased up around me since the other two girls weren’t around anymore. I guessed she figured it was easier to share Drew with one other girl rather than two.

“Carmen, when’s your birthday?”

Carmen stood up straight and looked Drew in the eye. It was apparent that she was hurt. “November third,” she spoke quietly but defiantly. I had a feeling that Drew hadn’t done anything for her birthday. Drew didn’t seem fazed by it.

“That won’t work either.”

I found the packet and stepped away from the locker so that Carmen could do what she needed to.

“We need to have a party.” Drew was still leaning against the wall. Her arms were folded, and she was looking at the blank brick wall across from us. I tucked my book in my backpack and zipped it up.

“Gemma, your parents are going to be out of town all weekend. We would be stupid if we didn’t take this chance to have a party.”

My stomach turned over inside of me. I should never have mentioned that my parents were going to Florida for a convention for my dad’s work.

Drew clapped her hands together. “You know what is even better than a birthday party?” She had bounced away from the wall now and was staring excitedly at Carmen and me. Carmen raised an eyebrow at me as we both waited for the answer. “A fake birthday party!”

“Fake birthday?” I more mouthed it than said it.

“Yes! It will be an experiment. Each of us will tell one person that its Gemma’s birthday and that we’re having a party at her house tonight. We’ll see how many people show up!”

Drew’s idea ran through my head. My parents had never left Bridget and me home alone overnight before, and I knew they were going to be strict about rules. I figured I could probably talk them into letting me have a couple friends over, but not a whole party. But, then again, nobody else knew who I was anyway. Who would actually go to a birthday party of someone they didn’t know?

“I don’t think anyone will come, but I guess you can invite one person.” I looked at her sharply in the eye and held one finger in front of her face. “Just one person.”

Drew beamed. “We each will invite one person, and I think your one person should be Jess.”

This aggravated me, but I pretended not to care. “No, Jess isn’t into parties. Especially fake ones.”

Drew raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Jess Tyler? Not into parties? I don’t buy it.”

“It’s true.” I flung my backpack over my shoulder and pulled a piece of gum out of my pocket.

Drew narrowed her eyes. “You know who he hangs out with, right?”

“Yeah, me.” I unwrapped the gum and folded it into my mouth. I had to chew with my mouth open to fit it all in.

“I mean at school and on the weekends.” Drew watched me carefully.

“What are you talking about?”

“He’s a partier.” Carmen chimed in. I looked at her satisfied expression then at Drew, who had confirming eyes.

“What do you mean? Like with girls and alcohol?”

Drew nodded with one eyebrow raised. “I don’t think you know Jess Tyler as well as you think you do.”

I was positive they were wrong. Jess and I told each other everything. Besides, I had been in junior high long enough to know how rumors were started and blown up. “You’re wrong,” I said. “He’s not like that.”

Drew and Carmen glanced at each other skeptically. “It’s not just a stupid rumor, Gemma.”

There was no way it could be true. Right? I mean, Jess was always with me. Well, not always. I chomped harder on my gum. My jaw was starting to hurt.

Drew raised her eyebrows and sighed as she lifted her backpack off the floor. The bell rang. I was late for class. But I was always late for class these days.

“Invite Trace Weston, then.” Drew had changed the topic of conversation as we headed to our classes. I couldn’t even remember what we had been talking about before.

“Invite him to what?”

“Your birthday party!”

I remembered the fake birthday as she slipped into her fifthperiod classroom. And I was suddenly left standing alone again in the hall, questioning everything I knew.

Drew and Carmen sat quietlyon the leather couch in my front room. Carmen was flipping nervously through the Guinness Book of World Records that was set out on our coffee table, while Drew twirled her chewed bubble gum around her finger, peering at the book from time to time over Carmen’s shoulder. My parents had left a list of chores on the kitchen counter, which I scanned briefly before taking the girls the cups of fruit punch I had offered them a few minutes earlier.

“I’m telling you, no one is going to come,” I said as I handed them their drinks. Even though Carmen was always around, I constantly felt like I was solely talking to Drew.

“So what if they don’t? We’ll just play Pictionary without them.” Drew seemed genuinely okay with the idea. I just couldn’t figure her out. “Who did you invite anyway?” she asked as an afterthought while chomping on her hardened gum.

“Uh,” I stalled by taking a big drink of punch, but I was saved by the ringing of the doorbell. My stomach did a summersault as I jumped to my feet. “Someone’s here!” I whispered.

Drew was beaming. “Awesome!” For some reason she whispered too.

“Who did you invite?” I shot Drew a panicked look. Bridget was upstairs in her room reading. What would she do? The second I let one more person into our house I was violating my parents’ rules. They had specifically told me that I could have no more than two friends over. I really hadn’t thought that anyone else would show up!

“I just told Stella,” Carmen whispered as she twisted her punch glass in her hand.

“I just told my brother,” Drew whispered innocently.

“Your brother?” I screamed, still using my whisper voice. “Isn’t he in high school?”

Drew chuckled. “Yeah.”

My hand shook as I placed my punch cup on the coffee table. I stood up from the couch and smoothed out my jeans and my new purple v-neck sweater. I walked eagerly toward the front door. I held my breath as I turned the knob and pulled. By the time I got the door open, I felt like I was in the middle of a bad dream. I didn’t even recognize my front porch or the seven tall guys standing on it, waiting to come into my house. Not one of them looked slightly familiar. The two guys standing closest to me looked as confused as I was.

“Uh,” the biggest one started, “is Drew Markoviak here?”

I became aware that my mouth was wide open with shock. I found the strength to nod my head once and stand back so they could come into my house.

“Hey, guys!” Drew acted so calm. “Come in!” She looked at me hesitantly as I stood holding the front door with horror written on my face. “Guys, this is Gemma.” She pointed to me from across the room. “It’s her birthday today.” Lie. “She’s turning sixteen.” Bigger lie. I finally gained the sense of mind to start closing the door when I heard another group of people coming up our walkway. I squinted into the dark and counted at least ten people-boys and girls this time-headed toward the front door. They all filed past me into my house. One girl handed me an unopened bottle of designer lotion with a bow tied around it. It took me a second to realize that it was a birthday present. I set it on a table next to the door and walked into the front room where everyone was gathering. Someone had turned on the radio that was above our television set, and a couple girls had found the punch in the kitchen and were bringing cups of it to everyone in the room. A moving body caught the corner of my eye, and I looked up toward the staircase where Bridget was standing in total shock.

“Gemma!” she mouthed as she waved me over to her with her hand.

I quickly weaved in and out of the people in the room and those who were still filing in-at least three other groups had shown up-until I reached the staircase.

“Are you insane?” she yelled at me over the music that was now blaring from the living room. “Mom and Dad are going to kill you!”

“I had no idea! I didn’t think this many people would come! Please don’t call Mom and Dad. Please!”

Bridget looked over my head at the twenty to thirty kids filling our living room and kitchen. “Okay, but if they find out, we’re both going to get in trouble, and then you’ll be doing my chores for the rest of the year.”

Bridget wanted to be a lawyer some day, and she was already an expert at making deals.

“All of your chores?”

Bridget gave me a threatening look.

“Fine!” I whispered and turned to go back downstairs. I was standing on the bottom step, scanning the crowd when the same big guy who had asked about Drew Markoviak yelled over all the noise of the house with a big voice.

“Listen up, everyone!” A couple people made shushing sounds with their teeth and soon the room was quiet. The big guy continued, “Okay, listen up! It’s Gemma’s birthday today, and she’s turning the big one-six!” Thirty heads looked around trying to find this “Gemma” that the big guy was talking about. I knew that none of them knew who I was. “And I’ve been told that Gemma has been waiting for her sixteenth birthday to have her first kiss.” He continued as the room filled with hushed laughter. “So, I was hoping that the birthday girl might accept my request to be her very first kiss.” Everyone in the room broke into cheering and clapping. A few guys were howling and whistling and patting the guy on the back. I saw Drew’s face in the crowd. She was looking at me from the corner of her eye while holding a cup of punch up to her lips and smiling. Someone over by the stereo yelled, “Who’s Gemma?” And someone by the door yelled, “I think this is her house.” Someone else in the kitchen yelled, “I think she left.” Again I heard some shushing sounds, the main one coming from the big guy doing the talking. “Please! Please be quiet! Gemma’s the beautiful sixteen-year-old on the stairs. This is her house, and it’s her birthday. Show some respect.” I couldn’t tell if he was mocking me. He didn’t sound entirely sincere. But he continued, “Now please be quiet. I need an answer from the birthday girl.” The room was dead quiet again. Everyone in the room watched me with anxious eyes. I had read in a lot of books the description of someone’s knees going weak when they felt nervous, but I had never quite understood the reality of the feeling until that moment.

“Uh.” My voice was shaking, and sweat was building up in my armpits. I tucked some hair behind my ear. “I don’t even know you.”

“Oh! I apologize!” The big kid set down his own cup of punch on the coffee table and weaved in and out of people until he reached me at the bottom of the stairs. I was standing a step above him, but he was still as tall as I was. He stuck his large, tan hand toward me, and with a big, white-toothed smile he introduced himself, “I’m Greg Markoviak.”

Markoviak? Was this Drew’s brother? I had always pictured anyone in Drew’s family to be smaller. He had black hair just like Drew, but other than that they didn’t look a thing like each other. He had a dark tan complexion and silvery gray eyes. His pearly white, perfectly straight teeth took up half of his face. He had a profound nose that only someone as good looking as him could pull off. I looked across the room to Drew and found her watching me with curious eyes. Another big handsome high-school kid had his arm draped around her shoulders. I realized that the room was still quiet, and everyone was waiting for my response. I lightly grasped Greg’s outreached hand in mine. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Tell you what.” I assumed Greg was still talking to me, but he turned around so that everyone in the room-and the house for that matter-could hear what he was saying. “I’ll make you a deal, Gemma. I have a quarter here in my pocket.” Greg started digging through every pocket in his jeans. After a couple awkward seconds, a boy who was leaning on the doorframe leading to the kitchen stepped forward and offered Greg a quarter. “Thanks, Tim,” Greg said as he took the quarter. “Gemma.” He turned back to me. “Here’s the deal.” He held the quarter above his head so everyone could see it. “I bet you this quarter that I can kiss you without touching you.” There was a laugh from somewhere near the television. Greg hushed the laugh and continued, “No really, I think it’s possible. I think I can kiss Gemma here without even touching her.” Greg turned around so that he was facing me again. “So the deal is, Gemma, that if I can kiss you without touching you, then I get to keep the quarter. But if I can’t, then I’ll give the quarter to you.” My head was spinning with confusion, embarrassment, and fear. First of all, I couldn’t figure out what he was even talking about? Kiss me without touching me? Was that even possible? I didn’t know much about kissing, but I thought the main gist of it was the touching part. And second of all, what if he did kiss me? In front of all of these people? I had been waiting for my first kiss all my life. I had pictured it being a lot more romantic than this. And preferably with someone I had known longer than ten seconds! I looked at all the exits in the room. The front door as well as the hall to the kitchen were both blocked by wide-eyed spectators. The only way was up the stairs. Then I caught a glimpse of Drew from the corner of my eye. All of her friends were here. And the guy standing in front of me was her brother! I couldn’t bolt now. At least thirty pairs of eyes were watching me in silence, waiting for me to answer.