The Kiss List

by Sara Jo Cluff

  “Prove to the world that Dylan is a jerk.” Hayley folded her arms and swung the star pendant back and forth on the chain.

  Kaitlyn adjusted her dress, which was basically an oversized shirt. She had it cinched in the middle with a belt. “Forget about Isaac for now. You were both high on music. Wait for a calmer moment.” Her tone turned seductive. “Just think about Alejandro.” She said his name with an exaggerated roll of the tongue. “You’ve already laid the groundwork for that.”

  I held up a finger. “I actually just turned Isaac down for you guys.”

  Hayley wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “I feel so special. But don’t expect to be getting any action here.” When I rolled my eyes, she kissed my cheek.

  The lights dimmed, and the crowd went wild. I took my friends’ hands and, for once, focused on the moment and having fun.

  Chapter 15

  It was almost two in the morning when we finally rumbled into my driveway. As soon as I put the car in park, I quickly turned off the ignition so it wouldn’t squeal like it always did. I was way past curfew and didn’t need my car shouting it to my parents.

  Since we were so late, Hayley and Kaitlyn came home with me. They texted their parents close to midnight and told them they were staying over at my house. Out of all our homes, mine was the easiest to sneak into without getting caught. My parents were heavy sleepers, and Seth was easy to bribe.

  As soon as Hayley’s head appeared from climbing out from the back seat, I whispered over the hood at her. “Don’t forget to lock the door.”

  “I can’t believe this is how our parents lived before modern technology.” Hayley made a show of locking the door, and then closing it. Then, as I had just done on my side, she pulled at the handle to make sure it was really locked.

  My car was old, but I loved it.

  “Our purses,” Kaitlyn said, pointing to the trunk.

  I used my key to open it, and we all went for our purses. Everything happened in the blink of an eye, but the next thing I knew, my keys were in the trunk, and Hayley slammed it shut. I would have made a remark about her waking up my parents with the noise, but all I could think about was the fact that my keys were locked inside.

  Hayley stared at the closed trunk in horror. “Please tell me those weren’t your keys in there.”

  “Those were my keys,” I whispered. The key to the house was on the chain.

  Hayley went to pound a fist against the car, but Kaitlyn stopped her in time.

  The brief fear clenching my airways closed suddenly evaporated. I couldn’t help the smirk that crossed my face. “Guess it’s time for monkey Hayley.”

  Kaitlyn returned my wicked grin.

  “No.” Hayley folded her arms. “No way.”

  When Hayley’s mom got sick, she used to sneak over to my house all the time in the middle of the night when she couldn’t sleep. She’d climb up the tree outside my window, let herself in, and snuggle in with me. Sometimes she wouldn’t wake me. It wasn’t until morning that I realized she was there, but I never cared.

  Hayley pointed at her tall, laced boots. “I can’t in these.”

  “Take them off,” I said.

  She jutted her chin. “I’m not as nimble as I once was.”

  “Nimble?” Kaitlyn stifled a laugh.

  Hayley answered by punching her on the arm.

  “You’re the one who locked my keys in there,” I said. “You gotta fix this.”

  With a grumble, Hayley fumed toward the tree. She untied her boots and tossed them on the grass. “You two owe me.” She rolled her shoulders—loosening her joints—and then jumped up, grabbing hold of the lowest branch and pulling herself up.

  “Climb, little monkey,” I said.

  She flipped me the bird instead.

  I think her anger fueled her. She flung through the tree with ease, bringing me back to her monkey days. Her hand reached out for the last branch before my window, her fingers grazing the branch, when she slipped, falling back. Kaitlyn and I gasped at the same time, both lifting our arms like we could actually catch her if she fell. At least with Kaitlyn’s tall frame and long arms, it wouldn’t be as far of a fall for Hayley.

  The inside of Hayley’s knees curled around the branch and stopped her from completely falling. But now she was upside down in the tree, head and torso dangling in the air, her skirt flipped, exposing her red cotton panties.

  I was torn between being worried and trying not to laugh. Kaitlyn went into full-on warrior mode and hurled herself at the tree with a low growl, climbing up with an amazing amount of arm strength. Good thing basketball had her in the weight room a lot.

  “Hold on, Hayley,” I said. “Kaitlyn is almost there.”

  Hayley folded at the stomach, trying to reach up and grab the branch, and also push her skirt back into place at the same time. “Please, take your time. I’m totally fine here.”

  Kaitlyn was almost to her when she made the mistake of looking down. She was afraid of heights. She wrapped both her arms and legs around a tree branch, hanging on for dear life. Her dress had ridden up, showing even more of her incredibly long legs. “We’re going to die.”

  “We aren’t that high up,” Hayley muttered with a strained voice. She was still working to pull herself up, getting a nice abs workout in the process.

  “Guess it’s up to me.” I took off my shoes, stretched out my neck, and went to climbing, not being nearly as graceful as my friends. The bark rubbed against my palms as I ascended, and I had to bite back a yell. Problem was, when I was finally in arm’s reach of them, there was no room left for me to join them. There wasn’t a branch near enough that I could latch onto and help them out.

  Maybe I could get a ladder from the garage. But I’d have to get in the house to get access. “I’m going for the window,” I said. “Once inside, I’ll go get a ladder to rescue you.”

  “We’ll be dead by then!” Kaitlyn shouted.

  “Shhhhh!” I hissed.

  “Could you just call the fire department?” Hayley asked. “Get some hot firefighters to rescue us instead?” Then she took in her exposed underwear and shook her head wildly. “Scratch that idea.”

  I shimmied across a branch, working my way to my window. The closer I got, the lower the branch sagged. “Okay, maybe this isn’t going to work.”

  “Need some help?” My dad’s voice cut through the night.

  All three of us screamed.

  Dad leaned out my window, folding his arms along the sill. “You should really make less noise if you want to sneak back in.”

  “Don’t look at me!” Hayley screamed, putting all her effort in holding her skirt over her underwear.

  Dad sighed. “Fine.” He disappeared inside and shut my window.

  “Dad!” I screamed. He was seriously going to leave us?

  A minute later, his voice came from below, making us scream again.

  He’d brought the ladder. He helped us down one by one until we were all safely back on the grass.

  Suddenly, the front door opened, and Seth came roaring out like a gladiator, holding a bat high above his head.

  “What are you doing?” Dad asked.

  Seth froze, bat hovering above his head, and frowned when he saw all of us. He slowly lowered the bat. “I heard screaming. But apparently, no one needs to be saved.” With a dramatic sigh, he slumped his shoulders, lowered his chin to his chest, and sulked back into the house, the bottom of the bat dragging along the ground.

  Our attention turned back to Dad.

  “What were you doing out so late?” His eyes narrowed at me like he was switching to interrogation mode. Having a dad in the military sucked sometimes.

  “We were at The Shack,” I said. “We were dancing and lost track of time.”

  Dad didn’t say anything for a bit. The silence stretched on. Both Kaitlyn and Hayley shifted next to me, probably as uncomfortable as I was. But then Dad spoke. “Was it just the three of you?”

  I pulled back in su
rprise. “Yeah.”

  He nodded, satisfied with my answer. “Good. Just making sure.” He looked down at the grass, setting his hands on his hips. Not in his usual tough military stance, but in a way that said he didn’t know what to do with his hands. “I, uh, I thought that maybe you had a relapse.”

  I blinked a few times, trying to process his words and a response at the same time. He thought I’d been out with Dylan. “Dad, Dylan’s not a drug!”

  “Eh,” Hayley squeaked out. “That’s actually a perfect way to describe him.”

  Kaitlyn shifted her weight. “It really is.”

  I wanted to argue with them, but they were kind of right. I’d needed some major mental rehab thanks to the guy.

  “Since you were out with just these two,” Dad said. “I’ll let it slide this one time. All of you, in the house and up to bed.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Collins,” Kaitlyn said.

  Hayley saluted him.

  “Thanks, Dad!” I grabbed both my friends’ hands and rushed inside before he could change his mind.

  Chapter 16

  A part of me hoped that Mason would call before he went on his trip, but he didn’t. It was basically radio silence on his end. He hadn’t even gotten on social media, so I couldn’t connect with him that way, either.

  I continued to go to the batting cages with Seth almost every day now that school was out and we had the summer hours to fill. We ran into Alejandro a lot. For some reason, adding a simple blue streak to my blonde hair upped my confidence. I just felt more like . . . me.

  Alejandro spent some time giving Seth pointers, and even more time flirting with me. Luckily, for the most part, Seth didn’t seem to notice the flirting. He was too wrapped up in thinking Alejandro was the greatest baseball player ever and making sure Alejandro remembered him when he went to the major leagues.

  “Just remember, I’m your number one fan,” Seth said as we were walking back to our cars one day.

  “Pretty sure my mom has that spot,” Alejandro said with a grin.

  Seth pursed his lips. “Yeah, pretty sure it’s me. No offense to your mom, but I don’t see her out here every day.”

  Alejandro stopped at the driver side door of his car. “Well, you see, she has this thing called a job.”

  Seth did his best job snapping his fingers. “I’ve heard of those! My mom has one, too.” He opened the passenger side door of my car and hopped in. “Bye, Alejandro!”

  “Bye, Seth.” Alejandro leaned his forearms against the side of my car and stared over the hood at me. His black hair looked gorgeous in the sunlight. Well, all of him did. “Hey, Camille, this Saturday a bunch of us are getting together for a baseball game before the camp starts. It’s for anyone who wants to come.” He tapped the hood of my car and backed away. “I better see you there. Noon at the school.”

  He waited for me to nod before he got in his car. I wasn’t sure what thrilled me more: spending more time with Alejandro, or getting back out on the field. I hadn’t played an actual baseball game in almost a year. I couldn’t believe that much time had passed.

  Just the thought of being out on the dirt, smelling the chalk and sweat, gave me a high nothing else could.

  Not even kissing.

  That night at dinner, Seth and I set the table as Dad finished preparing dinner. He was making his famous lasagna, and my mouth was drooling from the smell wafting from the kitchen. I loved when Dad cooked. He’d taught me some of his recipes, but I hadn’t mastered them like he had.

  “Hey, Dad,” I said, placing a plate on the table.

  He was wearing his US Navy apron that Seth and I had given him for Father’s Day once he had to throw in the towel after his injury. He currently worked at a local gun range.

  “Yeah, sweetie?” He pulled the lasagna from the oven and set it on the stove.

  “Next time you make this, will you show me how? I should’ve asked today, but we got back too late from the batting cages.”

  Dad beamed. “Of course.” He slipped off the oven mitts. “I miss the days of teaching my little Camille how to cook. I looked forward to them.”

  I rolled my eyes. “It hasn’t been that long since I’ve cooked with you.”

  “Yes, it has,” Seth said. His face twisted to the side as he lined up the forks perfectly parallel to the plates.

  I thought back, trying to remember the last time, and I couldn’t think of it. Where had I gone the past year? Oh, yeah, into Dylan’s mouth.

  “I think Camille should promise not to have another boyfriend until she graduates high school.” Seth put the last silverware in place with a satisfied nod.

  Dad brought the salad and garlic bread into the dining room and set them on the table, leaning a little on his good leg. “I like that idea. In fact, maybe she should wait until she graduates college.”

  Seth nodded. “Good call, Dad.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “I’m not promising anything.” I really didn’t want another relationship. At least, not yet. I just wanted some decent make-out sessions. No strings attached.

  Dad checked the clock hanging in the kitchen. “Why don’t we get started?”

  Seth frowned. “Mom isn’t home yet.”

  “I know, buddy,” he said, removing his apron and hanging it up in the pantry, “but she’s working with a client today, and I don’t want this to go cold.”

  I hated that Mom wasn’t there, but sometimes I had to push that aside for Seth. I sat down in my seat and dished myself a huge piece of lasagna. “What do you think Mom would do if she got home and all the lasagna was gone?”

  Dad snatched the spatula from me, taking a large section for himself. He rolled his neck out. “I accept your challenge.”

  Seth’s frown was quickly replaced by a smile. “Oh, man, she’d be so shocked!” After he got himself a piece, we all held up our forks and clinked them together.

  By the time Mom finally got home, there was only one tiny section left. All three of us were slumped in our seats, completely full. The good kind of full, like you’d just had the best meal of your life.

  Mom didn’t look up from her phone when she came in the kitchen. “Smells good in here.”

  Seth snickered, covering his mouth with his hand.

  Mom glanced over her phone at him. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing.” He cackled, throwing his head back.

  Mom’s narrow eyes took in the lasagna dish, and she put a fist on her hip. “That’s what you left me?”

  Dad stood from his chair and rubbed her back, pulling her close to him. “You know food goes fast in this family, babe.”

  She kissed him on the lips before she took a seat at the table. “Sorry I’m so late. Court went long.” She grabbed the pan of lasagna and set it in front of her, eating straight from it. “It’s been way too long since we had this.”

  “Hey, Mom?” I asked.

  She took another bite, and then wiped her mouth with a napkin before she finally looked up at me. Her eyes went wide. “When did you add blue to your hair?” A frown rested on her lips. Total opposite reaction my dad had given me. He’d loved it. He used to dye his hair all the time before he joined the Navy. Once he retired, I tried to get him to color his hair, but Mom wasn’t having it.

  I stole a glance at Dad. Seriously? She was just now noticing? “On Sunday.” I’d tried to show her when I got home, but she was occupied with her phone. I needed to change the subject before I completely lost it and either blew up at her or broke down crying. Neither options were tempting. “I was wondering if we could go shopping on Saturday early evening. I want to get new cleats for softball camp.”

  She furrowed her light eyebrows, her gaze lingering on the blue in my hair. “What softball camp?”

  Dad stood, removing empty dishes from the table, and not doing a good job at hiding his disappointment.

  “I told you about it,” I said. “Like two weeks ago.”

  She twisted her lips to the side. “Huh.” Her pho
ne vibrated, so she checked it.

  “So, can we go?”

  “What?”

  “Shopping? On Saturday? To get new cleats.”

  Mom finished off the lasagna in the pan, staring at her phone the entire time. She licked her lips. “Have your dad take you. Looks like I got a new case.” Her fingers flew across her phone as she stood and walked into the downstairs office, shutting the door behind her.

  Dad took my plate. “Of course I can take you. Maybe we should get you some new batting gloves while we’re out. I noticed yours are starting to fray.”

  “Yeah,” I said, trying to conceal the sadness from my voice. “Sure. That sounds good.”

  Dad kissed the top of my head. “I’m sorry, Camille. She’s just really . . .”

  “Busy.” I stood from the table with a little too much force, sending my chair flying backward. “Like always. I’ll be in my room if anyone needs me.” I left without looking at my dad or brother. Seeing their anguish would only make things worse.

  Just once, I wanted my mom to be there for me. I had Hayley and Kaitlyn, but sometimes a girl just needed her mom.

  Chapter 17

  Kaitlyn was excited when she found out about the baseball game and wanted to join. After some begging, Hayley finally agreed to at least sit in the stands and watch. I think she was looking forward to heckling the other team.

  The sun sat high in the blue sky, with only a couple of fluffy white clouds to join it. It was the perfect day for a game.

  “We better be doing something fun tonight,” Hayley grumbled, kicking her boots along the concrete as we took the path toward the baseball field behind the school. Her tall black combat boots covered up most of her legs.

  “My dad’s taking me shopping for some new equipment,” I said, “but I’m free after.”

  Kaitlyn held out her arms. “This is amazing. We are getting our Camille all to ourselves on a Saturday night.” She had her curly hair in a messy bun on top her head.

  I adjusted my softball bag on my shoulder. “You’ve had me the past couple Saturdays.”