“Why would I think it’s gross?” she said, a little uncertain.
“Because,” Brian said a little too loudly for his own comfort. He stopped and recomposed himself. “Because I’ve never done it before, so I might suck at it.”
Sally smiled at him. She tried to give him a reassuring look.
“Well, I’ve never kissed a boy before,” she said. “So if you do suck, I probably won’t notice.”
Brian smiled. He still looked embarrassed, but he seemed comforted.
“Cool,” he said.
They stared at each other for a moment. Sally’s heart raced. She suddenly felt very hot, and she wasn’t sure what to do or say.
“Ah, there’s my Romeo and my Juliet,” Mr. Pipich said as he entered the auditorium. “Couldn’t wait to get started today, eh?”
They both jumped away from one another and pretended to be going through their scripts. Brian looked as though he’d been caught stealing.
“Uh, yeah,” he said. “Sally was helping me out with Act I.”
“Oh, good,” Mr. Pipich said, sounding pleased. “I like to see you guys working together. This can be a difficult play. If you have any questions or need additional help, just come see me, okay?”
“Okay,” Brian and Sally said in unison. They shared a conspiratorial glance and then separated in preparation for practice.
***
Rehearsal rolled by quickly, and Sally found herself having enormous fun. Now that Brian and she were friends, the ninety minutes after school were her favorite part of the day. As much as she enjoyed telling Alison about rehearsal, Brian was right there with her. She found herself being drawn closer and closer to him, especially since yesterday’s unexpected round of true confessions. He was charming and funny, and she didn’t mind hanging out with one of the cutest boys in the sixth grade.
Afterwards, they packed up their books and walked out together. He walked her to her bike and waited as she unlocked it.
“Sally,” he said.
“Yeah?” she said.
“Are you sure you’re not nervous about us having to kiss or anything?”
“No, silly,” she said with a laugh. “I told you, I wouldn’t know if you were bad or good. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I won’t bite you.”
She giggled again. He looked at his feet for a moment. Then he met her gaze.
“Would you think about kissing me now?”
All the air went out of her lungs. She gazed on him like a mouse seeing a snake.
“For practice, I mean,” he added quickly.
He looked down at his Nikes and kicked at the dirt. Sally was finally able to breathe again.
“Why . . . why do you want to practice,” she asked.
Something shifted in her stomach. Why was he asking her this? Did it mean what she thought it did? Was Alison actually right?
Or was he afraid of her? What if they kissed, and he was disappointed? How would they be able to manage it on stage then?
“Well, I figured that, you know, if we got good at it, we could make it look good on stage,” he said.
“Won’t your mom be mad at that?” she said.
All the blood pounded in her veins. She could feel her temples throbbing. She was afraid she might pass out from . . . from whatever it was she was feeling.
“Yeah, probably,” he said. “I kind of like that idea.”
Her heart sank. It didn’t mean what she was hoping after all. She shouldn’t be surprised. He was beautiful – one of the most sought-after boys in the sixth grade. And she was an ugly, flat-chested nobody. She’d only gotten the part because she could read Shakespeare well. She didn’t deserve it.
“I don’t know, Brian,” she said. “I like you a lot, and I’m willing to practice whatever we need to to be good in the show. But I don’t want to be your weapon against your mom. I think you need to find some other way to do that.”
“Oh, that’s not what I meant at all!” he said. He took a step forward and put his hands on her arms. “I’m sorry; I would never use you like that. Pissing off my mom would just be a side benefit.
“I don’t want you to be disappointed in me, Sal! You’re so smart and talented, I don’t want to make you look bad on stage. So I figured that we should find out right away if I’m no good, so I can work on it if I need to.”
That still wasn’t the answer she was looking for, but she liked it better than just being his pawn against his mother. She began to fear kissing him more earnestly now. The more he talked about it and pushed the issue, the more afraid she became.
“What,” Sally began, but a lump came into her throat. “What if I’m no good at it?”
“You, Red?” he said. “No way. You’re a magical, fairy-tale girl. You were born for this.”
It was difficult to breathe. She liked Brian. She enjoyed his company, and he was so kind to her. He turned Little Red Riding Hoodie into a compliment, a virtue. He was so sweet, and so incredibly good-looking.
What if he liked her and wanted her to be his girlfriend like Alison said? Sally could blow the whole thing right here if she was a bad kisser and he decided he didn’t want to date her as a result.
“Besides, I could . . .” He tried to be smooth and failed utterly. His voice caught in his throat. He had to swallow to recover. He struggled to look at her. He was completely adorable.
“I could help you get better,” he said. “If you wanted.”
Suddenly, it was hard to stand. Her legs were weak, and she had to focus not to totter. Her hands were shaking. Her whole body trembled.
“You promise you won’t be mad if I’m no good at it,” she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.
“I promise,” he whispered.
“O-okay,” she said, leaning towards him already.
“Okay, uh, close your eyes,” he said.
She drew back, terrified. She looked at him suspiciously.
“Why?” she said.
“Because that’s what they do in the movies,” he said. “I figure they know a lot about kissing.”
Sally nodded. It sounded reasonable. She said a small prayer that this was not a prank, that he was not going to betray her. Then she closed her eyes and allowed the magic to envelope her again.
She didn’t know what Brian was doing exactly, but she could sense him leaning closer to her. A moment later his face was so near hers she felt his breath on her nose and cheek.
Then his lips touched hers. They brushed only for a second, and Sally gasped. Brian pulled away quickly.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Huh?” she said, opening her eyes. “No. I—was that it?”
“Uh, no,” he said. “I was just getting started, but I thought I had done something wrong.”
“Oh,” Sally said, disappointed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “Do . . . do you want to try again?”
“Yes,” Sally said quickly, breathlessly.
Her whole body was on fire now. She found herself leaning forward again, almost begging him to kiss her.
This time, Brian put one arm around her waist and drew her to him. For a second, it frightened her. But a moment later, she relaxed into his arm, enjoying his strength. He put his other hand behind her head, cradling it.
“Close your eyes,” he whispered.
She snapped them shut. He paused briefly and then leaned in. Again his lips brushed hers. The motion tickled her in the most pleasing way. Then he kissed her a little firmer. He had large, soft lips, and they felt divine against hers.
She kissed back awkwardly, not certain what she was supposed to do. He parted her lips with his own and gently teased them. Then he drew away and took a breath.
Sally opened her eyes. Her vision was out of focus, and she felt as though she was gasping for breath. She was grateful Brian was holding her because her knees were even weaker now.
“So?” he asked, panting a little. “Was tha
t okay?”
“Wow,” Sally said. Was this a dream?
“You liked it?” Brian said.
Without realizing what she was doing, Sally stretched her arms around his neck and drew him into another kiss. It was as tentative as the first, but it was no less pleasurable.
She had been wrong. This was way better than pretzels and lemonade. Instead of her tongue aching for a drink, her whole body ached for more. Instead of her cheeks puckering, the most wonderful thrill of need coursed through her. After a moment, she withdrew.
“Yeah,” she said softly, “I liked it.”
Twelve
Sally could have floated home after Brian kissed her. She felt like the wheels of her bike had no chance to touch the ground. Her heart soared, carrying the rest of her along. Kissing Brian had been the most amazing thing ever.
But the sensation didn’t last. She climbed the hill on Parker Drive with the greatest of ease, but when she crested it, one of Shakir’s giant dogs was waiting for her. Its fur bristled, and it snarled as soon as it saw her.
Sally nearly crashed her bike when she spotted the demonic beast. She gasped and yanked on the handle bars to get away from it, which caused her to careen into the street. A car was coming along just at that instant, and it blared its horn at her. She swerved away from it just in time and almost put the bike on the ground as the tires skidded towards the dog.
She managed to right herself and keep going. Shakir’s minion snapped at her and barely missed. Sally’s heart, which had fluttered so lightly with the happy memory of Brian’s kiss only moments before, pounded with fear, pumping adrenaline through her.
She pedaled twice to get the bike going downhill and then shifted it into its highest gear. She barely noticed the extra strain with which she had to pedal. Terror gave her strength, and she put herself low in the saddle and churned her legs as fast she could.
The dog gave chase. Its thick, powerful legs and black, dangerous claws dug into the grass on the side of the road and propelled it after her with frightening swiftness.
Sally had never been so grateful for the steep grade on Parker Drive. It was the only thing that gave her the speed to stay away from the fiend that hungered for her.
She had just begun to think she might outpace her pursuer, when she saw another of the dogs up ahead. It came charging in from the left to cut her off.
Sally panicked. She might be able to outrun one dog, but if there were two, or if, like in her dreams, there was a whole pack of them, she didn’t know how she was going to escape. Moreover, she had to make the turn onto Jordan Avenue, and she was going incredibly fast. The only way to do that was to slow down, and reducing speed was the last thing she wanted to do under the circumstances.
She hit the bottom of the hill and flew onto the straightaway. Gravity would be her friend no longer. Now all she had was the momentum she’d built up and the speed her own legs could generate.
The dog ahead of her ran into the street and was hit by an oncoming car. Its body sailed through the air as the driver slammed on his brakes, but when the beast’s body hit the pavement, it vanished in a puff of thick, white smoke.
Sally didn’t have any time to be amazed by the dog’s demise. The one behind her was gaining ground, and she was approaching Jordan Avenue. She measured the distance in her head. It was coming up too fast. She couldn’t make the turn at this speed.
The wind whistled in her ears as she blazed ahead. She risked a quick look over her shoulder. There was no traffic behind her. A plan formed in her mind.
She drifted out into the middle of the street, still pedaling as hard as she could, keeping the bike locked in its highest gear. She got as close to Jordan Avenue as she dared. Then she cut right, swinging the bike in as tight an arc as she could manage without wiping out.
In her peripheral vision, she saw the dog that had been chasing her get a wicked, happy light in its red eyes. As she cut in front of it in her turn, the beast cast itself into the air, leaping at her with its claws outstretched and its jaws open. Sally realized it was on course to intercept her.
Desperately, she pedaled harder to give the bike more speed, and at the last second, she ducked. The dog sailed over, snapping at her again as it passed. It landed clumsily on the opposite side of Jordan Avenue and tumbled into a parked car. Sally kept going.
Her home was only seven houses away now. She lived at nine-nineteen. Almost there.
The first dog recovered as she went by nine-forty-three. It renewed its pursuit, but Sally had a lead now. She thought she could make it as she zoomed by nine-thirty-nine.
At nine-thirty-five, though, another dog joined the chase. It emerged between houses across the street, running at full speed towards Sally. She just got ahead of it, and it slipped trying to corner on the pavement, giving her a larger lead.
Then, at nine-thirty-one, a third dog appeared, this time on her side of the street. It leaped a fence to get to her, and she swerved into the street to avoid it. If a car had been coming, she’d have been dead.
The new attacker landed just shy of her in the path of its comrades. They crashed into it and rolled forward on the blacktop, buying Sally a little extra time.
She didn’t waste it. She continued to pedal as hard as she could. Her legs were screaming at her, but her fear drove her on. She stayed in the middle of the street as she went by nine-thirty-one, knowing she would have to pull a turn like the one from Parker Drive.
The dogs were on their feet and running again. She could hear their claws skittering on the street, desperate to find purchase.
When she got to nine-twenty-seven, she angled the bike towards the curb. She put her head down and found one last desperate burst of strength in her legs, pushing the pedals at incredible speed.
She shot up the driveway opening of nine-twenty-three, veered to the left and rode her bike across their lawn and hers. She had to stop pedaling to avoid crashing, and the rougher ground bled off her speed, allowing her pursuers to gain on her.
As she neared the front steps, she squeezed hard on the rear brake. The tire dug into the ground, and the bike skidded up to the stair.
She leaped off it as the dogs made it to the yard. She nearly collapsed when she dismounted, discovering running was a very different motion than pedaling. She stumbled to the door as the lead dog hit the first step.
Sally turned the knob, put her shoulder into the door, and nearly fell into the house. She turned around and slammed it shut as the lead dog launched itself at her.
She got it closed just in time. She heard and felt the beast crash against it. A moment later, its mates were on the porch too. All of them growled and barked and scratched at the door, just as they had done in her dreams, angry with their inability to sate their hunger for her.
Sally collapsed to the floor, panting.
“What the hell’s the matter with you?” her father said.
She turned her attention to the interior of the house, trying to shut the growling and snapping on the other side of the door out of her mind. Her father stood with a drink in his hand next to the couch. Tommy was at the kitchen table. They both stared at her as though she had arrived from Mars.
“Some giant dogs chased me home and tried to kill me,” she gasped.
“What?” her father said.
Tommy’s eyes got wide.
“Three huge dogs chased me home!” Sally practically shrieked. “Actually, it was four. One of them got hit by a car. They tried to kill me, I barely got in the house in time.”
Tommy dropped the pencil he’d been working with. Her father continued to stare at her as though she weren’t making sense.
“Oh, my god, Dad, can’t you hear them?” she wailed.
“No,” he said.
He crossed the living room to the front window and looked out. Then he looked back at Sally concernedly.
“There are no dogs out there,” he said.
“What?”
It couldn’t be. She could hear th
em on the other side of the door, trying to tear it down with their claws, so they could get to her.
“Come look,” her father said.
Shaking, she got up off the floor and trudged to the front window. When she looked out, she saw nothing. Her eyes grew wide.
While she was staring out the window, her father had gone to the door. He put his hand on the knob.
“No!” she screamed, but it was too late. He pulled it open.
No dogs leaped through the threshold to devour him. No barking in malicious delight roared in her ears. The porch was empty. Her father looked at her like she was crazy.
“Sally, there’s nothing,” he said.
She blinked at him. It couldn’t be. They had chased her. She hadn’t imagined it. Had she?
Tommy continued to stare at her in abject horror. He knew what she was talking about. He didn’t doubt her.
“They must have left,” she said, trying not to feel stupid.
Her father stepped out onto the porch and searched the street.
“I don’t see anything,” he called.
He came back inside and shut the door. Then he looked Sally up and down.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Sally,” he asked. “You don’t look well. Maybe all this extra work is too much for you.”
No!” she said quickly. “It’s not!
“Look, Dad, I know there’s nothing now, and I know it seems strange, but a pack of giant dogs really did chase me home. I’m not lying, and I’m not sick.”
He examined her further. After a moment, he turned away and sipped his drink.
“If you say so,” he said. “I’ll make dinner tonight. You look like you need some rest.”
He wandered into the kitchen past Tommy, who continued to stare at her wide-eyed. She mouthed the words, “It’ll be okay,” to him to comfort him, but he obviously didn’t believe her. She couldn’t blame him. She was still shaking.
“How’d it go with Tommy at work today?” she said, changing the subject to try to calm her heart.
Little Red Riding Hoodie: A Modern Fairy Tale Page 15
