by Beth Reekles
‘It’s not funny, Lee!’
‘Yes it is! You sh-sh-should’ve s-seen your . . . your face!’ He was holding his side now. I glared and grabbed my bag. ‘W-where you going?’
‘The locker rooms to wash this crap off of my face,’ I snapped. ‘And stop laughing!’
‘I can’t help it!’ he gasped, bent double. ‘Your face!’
I stormed out, slamming the door behind me. I thought I had a spare blouse in my locker. We’d be going for a burger later and I did not want to go out looking like a Picasso.
I always thought the locker rooms at school were really weird: a big communal corridor, with notices and stuff pinned up, which led to the ‘fitness suite’, with its treadmills and weights, and the fields outside. The girls’ were on the far left, the boys’ on the right.
Just as I came into the corridor, the whole football team poured through the door. I’d already yanked off my tie and undone another button; I hadn’t stopped to think I might not be alone.
The boys all slowed down seeing me, and I stopped in my tracks.
And then the laughter broke out, all of them finding me hilarious, apparently.
‘What happened?’ Jason asked, biting his lip hard to try and keep from laughing.
‘We were painting the banner for our booth,’ I said. ‘Lee had a bucket of paint. Do I need to say anything more?’
He shook his head. Most of the boys started trailing into the locker rooms, still laughing and looking at me. I caught a couple of them shamelessly checking out my semi-unbuttoned shirt and put an arm across my chest.
‘Aw, come on,’ I said, doing a twirl and giving them a big grin – I’d rather make a joke out of it than be embarrassed. ‘Do I look that bad?’
‘Well, I’d pay to see you in the art gallery,’ said one of the boys, laughing. I rolled my eyes at him and drifted down the corridor toward the girls’ changing rooms, calling a goodbye over my shoulder.
A hand caught my arm, making me stumble backward, and then steadied me before I fell.
I turned to see who it was. Then the smile on my face dropped. ‘Oh.’
‘What’re you doing?’ hissed Noah. ‘You don’t walk around half dressed, Elle.’
‘I’ll walk around however the hell I want, thanks,’ I snapped back, jerking my arm away. ‘It’s no big deal. It’s not like I’m prancing around in my underwear, for Pete’s sake.’
‘Yeah but still . . .’ His eyes trailed down me, then he gave me a stern look.
‘Leave me alone already!’ I exclaimed, glaring at him. ‘Honestly, it’s bad enough you’re being so overprotective, but you don’t have to be so . . . extreme!’
‘So what happened with you and Cody? I know for a fact the whole “being sick” thing was a lie.’
I gaped. Was he blackmailing me? ‘You didn’t tell anybody, did you?’
He smirked, giving me a patronizing look. ‘I don’t gossip. And no, I didn’t tell them. Because I figured you had a good reason. So what went down?’
I shrugged. ‘Nothing.’
‘Something clearly happened – I know you well enough to spot when you’re lying. So what’s the truth?’
I bit the inside of my cheek, debating whether to tell Noah or just ask him to keep his nose out of it. But I thought maybe if I didn’t tell him, he’d jump to the stupid conclusion that Cody had overstepped the line.
While I was debating this, I couldn’t help but notice just how hot Noah looked in his football gear, with the shoulder pads and his helmet tucked under his arm. His hair was a little damp with sweat and he just looked . . . wow.
Before he noticed I was checking him out, I finally answered him. ‘He was going to kiss me at the end of the night, but I kissed him on the cheek instead. He didn’t try to do anything, it was a totally normal situation, and I made a fool of myself by turning my head. It’s not a big deal. It got blown out of proportion. It’s just embarrassing.’
He studied my face for a moment before saying, ‘That’s it? You’re sure?’
I got the feeling he was trying not to laugh.
I huffed, just about ready to stamp my foot. ‘Yeah. Completely sure. Why are you always so dramatic? It’s not like any guy in this school is going to make me do anything I don’t want to do, anyway.’
He raised an eyebrow, as if to say I was way too naïve. I just shrugged it off.
‘Now can I go wash this freaking paint off, or does the Spanish Inquisition have more pointless questions?’
He smirked a little. ‘Someone’s moody.’
‘I’m covered in paint and you’re giving me the third degree for nothing! Of course I’m not in a good mood.’ I stormed away to the changing rooms.
But when I saw myself in the mirror . . . even I had to laugh. I was such a mess! Paint flecked all through my hair, streaked over my face and dripping down my neck, patterning my blouse . . .
It wasn’t so funny when it wouldn’t come off, though.
Or when I found no spare clothes in my gym locker.
After about ten minutes of tireless scrubbing, I got some of the paint out of my hair and most of it off my face. It had dripped down under my blouse, so I was stood there in my trousers and bra when the door opened.
Thinking it was Lee, I didn’t turn around.
‘Hey, Elle? Lee said he’s going for some food with the guys, but if you want a ride home . . .’ Noah trailed off when he saw me standing there.
I froze, blinking at my reflection in the mirror. I felt my cheeks warm up, and twisted my head around, hoping I wasn’t blushing as hard as my reflection was.
‘What?’ I snapped.
‘Nothing.’
‘No – what were you saying?’
‘Oh. Oh, right, yeah, well, um, Lee’s leaving to grab some food with the guys, but he said if you wanted to go straight home, then I have to give you a ride. And considering you still look like some kind of Picasso . . .’
I looked at the flecks of pink paint splattered over my collarbone and laughed, trying to cover my awkwardness at him seeing me in my bra. He’d seen me in a bikini before, but that seemed . . . different, somehow. ‘Yeah. Tell Lee to go ahead.’
‘Sure. How long are you going to be?’
I shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Since you’re going to take me straight home, I can shower there, so . . .’ I pulled on my damp blouse and did the buttons up hastily, then slung my bag onto my shoulder. ‘Let’s go.’
I wasn’t really looking forward to being in the car with Noah – I was half expecting a lecture or something.
‘How’s the booth coming along?’ he asked conversationally as we walked across to the parking lot. I looked at him warily, and he caught my eye, shrugging a little. ‘What?’ he said. ‘I can’t talk to you?’
My only reply was to raise my eyebrows skeptically at him.
He shrugged again. ‘Whatever. So, are you going to answer me or not?’
I sighed, squeezing my eyes shut for a second. I felt like I should be mad at him, but I couldn’t seem to find a legitimate reason to be mad at him.
I guess Noah just had a strange effect on me. Although whether that effect was good or bad, I hadn’t figured out yet.
‘It’s going okay. We still have stuff to do before Friday, but we’ll manage – as long as Lee doesn’t start painting me instead of the letters again.’
‘Well, you made a good piece of Impressionism, I’ll give you that.’
I halted in my tracks, making Noah stop a few paces ahead when he realized I wasn’t with him. I raised my eyebrows at him.
‘What?’
‘I think that was a compliment. Noah Flynn just gave someone a compliment. Contact the newspapers, somebody.’
He gave a sarcastic laugh, but I saw the twinkle in his eyes. I smirked back and carried on walking with him.
‘Are you going to come to the carnival?’ I asked him.
‘Yeah. I kind of have to. It’s one of those things all of the teachers “encourage”
to show “school spirit” and shit.’
‘Thinking of stopping by the kissing booth?’
He cocked an eyebrow at me, with an obnoxious look on his face. ‘Why are you asking, Shelly?’
‘All the girls, especially the ones working the booth, are asking me to persuade you to stop by. The chance to kiss Noah Flynn is just too exciting a prospect for some.’
He smirked wider. ‘Ah. You’re not asking for yourself then?’
In my dreams.
‘No, definitely not.’
‘Well, I’m not making any promises. You can tell them I might stop by, though, when they ask again. And knowing me, they will ask again.’
‘You’re so full of yourself,’ I muttered, shaking my head. I paused, looking around for his car. He’d gotten out a set of keys, but I didn’t see it here.
‘Where’s your car?’ I asked, following him.
‘I didn’t bring it today.’
‘So . . . how’d you get here?’
‘I took my bike.’
I groaned, lagging behind, then stopped entirely, noticing the sleek red and black motorbike he’d created from the piece of junk he’d had sitting in his shed. It looked awesome, don’t get me wrong. But I’ve never been on a motorbike in my life; it scared the hell out of me just to think about it.
And here I was with no option but to get on a two-wheel death trap. With Noah, no less.
‘If I die, it’s all your fault.’
‘You’re not gonna die, Elle. Here. You can even have the helmet.’
‘You only have one helmet? But then, what if—?’
‘I’ll be fine,’ he interrupted me. ‘I haven’t crashed this thing yet.’ He patted the handlebars firmly, as if to show how sturdy the thing was.
‘But what if you fall off? What if you crash? You’re supposed to wear the helmet for a reason! Do you have some kind of death wish?’ My voice got more and more hysterical with every syllable. I had my eyes on the bike the whole time. It seemed more monstrous and intimidating by the second.
‘Worried about me, Shelly?’ Noah teased.
My eyes narrowed. He was smirking, his eyes sparkling at me, tossing the helmet gently from hand to hand. I snatched it off him.
‘You don’t have to be scared of the bike,’ he said, patting it like it was a loveable pet dog. ‘It won’t bite.’
‘Maybe not, but you might,’ I muttered under my breath. But he heard me, and chuckled. He tucked his bag into the hollow space underneath the seat, and put my bag in after.
I rammed the helmet onto my head, gritting my teeth. I so did not want to have to do this . . . But I had no choice. I had to get home somehow before I went to join Lee and the guys. Though I’d rather have gone out like this than get on the bike with Noah.
I fumbled with the straps. The helmet was huge and I couldn’t see what I was doing. It smelled kind of citrusy. Like Noah’s pillow had. It was a nice smell.
I jerked my thoughts back to the matter at hand – getting the helmet on so I wouldn’t be so likely to die.
‘Here . . .’ Noah’s hands brushed over mine and fixed the helmet for me. His fingertips tickled my neck, and for some reason I felt all shaky. Weird . . . I shook it off, attributing it to dread at having to get on this so-called vehicle.
‘Don’t look so scared.’ He smiled at me – another real, genuine smile that showed his dimple. It made my heart somersault. I loved seeing that smile.
He slid onto the bike and I cautiously slipped on behind him. Thank God I’m not in a skirt was all I could think.
Noah reached behind him and his hands found mine, pulling my arms around his waist. I stiffened a little, and he told me to ‘Just relax, Elle.’
With a kick, the bike roared to life and growled beneath me. We hadn’t moved half an inch but my arms squeezed him tight around the waist and I pulled myself as close as I could get. My heart pounded, terrified.
I heard his laugh over the rushing blood in my ears and the menacing growl of the engine.
Then we were off.
I wanted to yell at him, and scream, ‘Slow down! You’re going to kill us!’
Except when I opened my mouth, any sound I might’ve made was snatched by the wind rushing past us. We were hurtling along the roads, slipping through traffic and zipping past lines of cars and trucks.
My hair was whipped out from under the helmet and my blouse was buffeted against me. I couldn’t hear anything except blood rushing in my ears, the roar of the bike, and the wind.
When Noah yanked the bike around and came to a sudden, smooth stop outside my house, I couldn’t move.
My arms were still curled tightly around his toned stomach. My legs were as close to him as I could get them.
Noah slowly peeled my arms away, and that jerked me back to life. I slid off the bike, my legs feeling so wobbly they made Jell-O look steady, and my shaky hands fumbled with the helmet.
Noah undid it for me in one swift motion and pulled it off my head.
‘Your hair’s all static,’ he said, and reached up to ruffle it.
I scowled, and my trembling hands smoothed it out – which was impossible. It felt like a bird’s nest. It’d take me hours to brush all these knots out. The leftover paint I’d missed wouldn’t help much.
‘Oh come on,’ he said, leaning on his bike casually. ‘Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that.’
‘I hated it,’ I told him truthfully.
‘You didn’t love the wind in your hair, or the freedom, or the sheer speed of it?’
I shook my head. ‘Not a chance. I hated it.’
‘Even cuddling up to me?’ he asked with a cocky smirk. ‘Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that.’
‘Noah, that was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. I don’t care how hot you are, I hated every second of that.’
‘You think I’m hot?’ His smirk grew wider and I felt my cheeks get warm.
‘Oh, shut up. It’s not like you don’t know you are.’
‘True. But it’s nice to hear you admit it.’
‘You’re such a jerk, you know that? And I’m never getting on that bike ever again in my life.’
‘But I’m a hot jerk, right?’ he teased.
I glowered. ‘Shut up already. Just get my bag out. Please,’ I added.
He rolled his eyes but handed me my bag.
‘Thank you,’ I said curtly, and marched up to the door.
‘Oh, Elle?’
‘What?’ I sighed, turning around to give him an exasperated look.
‘You have a little paint . . . Just there.’ He brushed the side of his face to demonstrate, a giant smirk on his face. I glared and slammed the front door behind me.
‘Elle? Is that you?’ Dad called. He popped out of the kitchen and did a double take. ‘What happened?’
‘You don’t even want to know.’
Chapter 9
WE JUST ABOUT got the booth finished in time. On Friday, we had to work through the whole lunch hour, and stay until six putting it together.
Girls at school kept asking if I knew whether Noah would stop by the kissing booth. Every time, I replied the same thing: ‘He said he might, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up.’ And every time, I could see the excitement flash over their face as they got their hopes up.
I hadn’t seen Noah since he’d dropped me off on Wednesday. I had a feeling the next time I saw him I’d end up getting teased for letting slip he was hot. He’d make a big deal of it just to humiliate me, I knew it.
Saturday morning, Lee picked me up bright and early, at eight o’clock.
‘I hate mornings,’ I muttered, climbing out of the car at Starbucks. I was desperate for my half-fat latte with whipped cream. I was still half asleep. I decided to ask for an extra shot of espresso in the hopes of waking myself up.
‘Tell me about it,’ Lee grumbled in agreement. We stumbled up to the counter and he ordered our coffees, handing over the money.
The carnival
started at ten, but we needed to be there at nine to make sure everything was ready. We stayed to drink our coffees and eat brownies. Yes, it was first thing in the morning – but I didn’t care. I needed the caffeine and I could definitely do with the sugar rush.
Lee practically inhaled two brownies before I’d even finished my one. We left just in time to be at the school by nine.
‘Nice and early, I see. As always,’ Tyrone laughed, shaking his head when we turned up at two minutes to nine. ‘Your booth is over there, near the cotton candy stand.’
‘Awesome,’ Lee said, and we both headed over.
We set up four stools inside, and put up the crepe paper decorations. We both put up a bunch of posters advertising our kissing booth around the field.
Everything else looked pretty impressive. Some of the games were awesome. There was even a bouncy castle with a ball pit for the little kids. It was all starting to come together, and I had to say, it was surpassing all my expectations.
I headed back to our booth, where Lee was flirting with Rachel, one of the girls in his biology class. She was one of those girls who’re really perky and bright all the time, but not in a bad way. And I knew Lee liked her – he’d barely shut up about her lately. I never saw them together, though – all I could do was hope she liked him back.
That is, until I walked up to the booth. Then I had a pretty good feeling that she did like him back.
‘I see the kissing booth is already hard at work,’ I teased: Rachel was twirling her hair and leaning close to Lee.
She blushed; he rolled his eyes at me.
‘Lee was just asking me to go see a movie, actually,’ Rachel told me.
‘Aw!’ I said, smiling brightly. ‘Well, you kids have fun. When are you going?’
‘Tomorrow night.’
‘Awesome,’ I said. She had this smile on her face that was bordering on goofy, and there was a twinkle in her eye. I glanced at Lee and gave him a barely perceptible nod. Rachel was most definitely into him.
Lee hadn’t had a girlfriend for months. I just hoped that this time, his new girlfriend didn’t get fed up with us being attached at the hip. That’s why they usually broke up: his girlfriend got sick of Lee spending so much time with me, and Lee got sick of her complaining about me, and then – bam – they’re both moving on.
