Kiss List (The List Series)

by Abilene, J. S.

  “Legs?” I asked absentmindedly as I tried to think up some excuse to comment on his sexy body again.

  “No, my back,” he said. “I get stressed at meets and my back gets knotted up. It’s really tight. Know of any good stretches to loosen it up?”

  I thought about that for a moment. “No,” I finally answered. “I think only a massage can work the knots out.”

  “Oh man, that’d be amazing,” he said wistfully. Then he laughed. “Not a lot of back rubbing going on in an all-male team. Guys are a bit squeamish about that stuff.”

  That’s when I realized that all the pieces had suddenly and perfectly come together. I had the perfect excuse to put my hands all over his body and make him associate me with a warm, relaxed, fuzzy feeling.

  “I’ll give you a massage,” I blurted out.

  He looked at me in surprise. “You will?” he asked a bit incredulously. We still didn’t know each other that well and I think he was slightly terrified about the idea of an unknown girl feeling him up.

  I didn’t give his shy self an opportunity to reassert itself. “Of course,” I said quickly. “Take off your jacket.”

  David hesitated for a moment but then did as I instructed. I sat down on the ground cross legged and motioned for him to sit down in front of me. He stripped off his cool-down jacket, revealing only his running singlet underneath, and sat down.

  I laid my hands on his shoulders and marveled how rock hard his muscles were. This boy definitely did his pushups. I ran my hands across his back and felt the tension in his muscles.

  “Relax,” I said soothingly. I felt him exhale and saw his shoulders sag slightly.

  I started by kneading his neck and shoulder muscles with my hands. Then I explored his back, seeking out knots. When I found one I attacked it vigorously. I flexed my fingers and hands as hard as I could. David grunted as I pressed harder and harder.

  “Is that hurting too much?” I asked.

  “No, it’s good,” David said. I didn’t think he would have admitted it if it did hurt too much but he genuinely seemed to be enjoying it. His back was relaxing more and more as I massaged it and his grunts seemed to evolve into moans of pleasure. His head began to roll around and I thought his eyes were closed. He had gone from feeling self conscious to not caring; it felt too good.

  Finally, David was too relaxed to sit up straight. He sagged against me. That didn’t give me enough room to continue to rub his back so I turned my attention back to his shoulders. Then, taking a chance, I massaged his pecks and his head. He leaned back heavily against me as my fingers combed through his hair and worked his scalp. Some people held tension and stress in their scalps and for them a head massage was like flipping a magic switch. David was definitely one of those people.

  I looked around and saw that many people were now staring at us. David’s teammates were smirking, pointing as us, and making comments to each other. Several of the female spectators were looking at me enviously. No doubt they wished they could not put their hands all over David’s body as well. Sorry girls – at least for now, he was mine. Olivia had finally returned from talking to the boys on the other teams and subtly walking around with her phone held low in her hands as if taking photos. Did she think we were going to kiss right there in front of everyone?

  My abdominal muscles were now starting to feel sore from the effort of supporting David. He leaned back a little farther as though he had just fallen asleep and my muscles suddenly gave out. I fell backwards and straightened my legs as his body fell gently on top of me.

  “Sorry,” David said as he turned around, pushed himself up on his arms, and looked down at me. Then he froze. I was trapped underneath him. For a moment it felt like we were the only two people on earth. Then he lowered his head and his lips touched mine. We kissed and the sensation of his strong powerful body on top of me felt good, like a protective blanket. An extremely hot protective blanket with beautiful blue eyes, tussled blond hair, an enchanting smile, six pack abs, hard muscles...

  “Oh, I... sorry,” David said as he pulled his hips away. “I...” his eyes got a startled look as if just realizing what he was doing. The magic of the moment evaporated and the rest of the world - and all the people in it who were watching us intently - came crashing down on us.

  “It’s fine...” I started to say, desperate to reassure him.

  “No, I... I’m sorry,” he muttered. He looked around and saw everyone staring at us. “Thanks for coming,” he said, barely above a whisper.

  He bolted away before I could respond.

  Chapter 7 – The Battle

  I was getting a reputation. On Tuesday morning when I got to school Alyssa rushed up to greet me at my locker. “Molly Tate said you and David Reagan were practically having sex at the cross-country running meet,” she said breathlessly.

  “Oh come on,” I said in exasperation. “Molly Tate wasn’t even there. David and I just kissed. That’s all. I’m sure Olivia showed you the pictures she took.”

  Gossip from Molly was just the beginning. My lab partner Lilly Wong asked if it was true that I had beat a girl up at the baseball diamond on the weekend. Sarah Thomas and Lindsey Ramen, two seniors from my soccer team, teased me about dating Dylan. By the time lunch rolled around, romantic rumors linking me to Sam, Dylan, and David were all flying around. That’s when people started connecting the rumors, transforming them from tiny snowballs into full-fledged avalanches capable of wreaking mass teenage destruction.

  “I’ve got your back,” Payton said at lunch, “but there’s a bunch of angry sophomore cheerleaders who think you cheated on Sam with both Dylan and David. They really like Sam. I’m pretty sure they were making shanks out of their school supplies and if they rush you at once I’m going to let them have you. I’m not going down like that. Those crazy girls can get real mean.”

  “Melissa Hoffman said she was going to kill you for breaking Dylan’s heart,” Alyssa said, wide eyed. “She sounded very serious. It was scary.”

  “Yeah, and Tim and Mike said you better not hurt David,” Olivia said. “Something about him being really sensitive and you being his first girlfriend. They got word that you were seeing other guys and told me to tell you to be straight with David.”

  “Are you girls hearing yourselves?” I exclaimed. “This is crazy. I’m not dating any of these boys. It was all just a silly game. We need to stop this now.”

  Payton opened her mouth to respond but just then Sam walked up to the table. A group of boys hung back a little ways behind him. Why did he always seem to have a posse following him around?

  “Sadie, can I talk to you?” he said quietly and a little sullenly.

  I immediately felt bad about the way I had treated him. He might not have taken care of me at the baseball diamond but I was the reason this had all started. I had sort of led him on and he deserved an explanation.

  “Of course,” I said to him as gently as I could. “Do you want to talk right now, or...”

  “Sadie,” Dylan said, suddenly appearing on the other side of the table. “I need to apologize for...”

  When the two boys saw each other they froze. Neither seemed to know quite how to act towards the other one. What had they heard? If the rumors flying around were any indication, it probably wasn’t good.

  “Do you two know each other?” I asked uneasily. “Sam, this is...”

  “I know who he is,” Sam said, interrupting me. He didn’t sound happy.

  Dylan’s eyes narrowed. “And I know who you are,” he said. “You’re a chickenshit little underclassman who doesn’t know how to be respectful to girls.”

  “Dylan!” I said quickly, desperate to neutralize the situation.

  Too late. Sam’s eyes had lit up with fury as soon as Dylan said the word “chickenshit.” His face grew red, he bit his lower lip and clenched his jaw, and then he started moving. He took three quick strides around the table. Dylan only hesitated for a moment before following suit. The word “Dylan!” had
barely faded from my lips when Dylan reached out to shove Sam. Sam didn’t bother with a shoving match. He led with his right fist. Dylan’s hands landed on Sam’s shoulder’s just as Sam’s fist connected with Dylan’s jaw.

  One of the girls screamed as Dylan’s head snapped back. Sam stumbled a few paces but recovered as Dylan staggered around clutching his face. Then chaos broke out. One of the soccer boys rushed past Dylan and dove at Sam. Sam tried to jump out of the way but the boy got a hold of Sam’s shirt and they both tumbled to the ground. Sam was on top, however, and I saw his arm plunging up and down as he pummeled the other boy.

  That’s when boys from all over the lunch room rushed in to aid the soccer players. Unfortunately, Sam’s friends were already there and they were not about to stand idle while everyone ganged up on Sam. The fight magnified to 10 then 15 and then 20 boys. Soon there were too many to count. It seemed like the entire lunchroom had gone crazy with blood lust. I looked around for the other girls but they had quickly been overrun by the mob. I felt boys press in around me as they fought each other.

  “Sadie. Sadie!” someone yelled. Then David appeared at my side, shouldering past two baseball players. “Are you okay?” he asked with a worried expression.

  “Yeah,” I said, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. “I just don’t know how to stop this.”

  “You can’t,” David said. “Look, the teachers and hall monitors are trying. Leave it to them. Let’s get you out of this mess."

  I looked around and saw that he was right. Principal Everett and several teachers and hall monitors were yelling at students around the edges of the battle. Principal Everett’s voice had become shrill as she warned the students of the repercussions of not stopping. At least for now, no one paid any attention to her. But David was right. There was nothing I could do to stop this fight. My presence might even aggravate the situation and being in the middle of everything put David in danger. We needed to get out. I nodded in agreement.

  “Follow me!” he said. He grabbed my hand and pulled me after him through the mess of people. That’s when I saw Dylan lying on the ground with blood streaming from his nose.

  “Dylan!” I cried as I stooped down to help him. As I knelt I saw one of the baseball guys about to kick him. “No!” I screamed.

  David moved like lightening. He grabbed the guy’s knee and twisted and swept it with his leg so that the guy went toppling to the ground with David on top of him. Another baseball player rushed to help his fallen comrade but David leapt up to meet him and tackled him and the waist. The second player went down as fast the first had.

  I pulled Dylan protectively into my chest and cradled his head. “David, watch out!” I yelled as a third baseball player jumped on top of David. Fear seized my heart but David spun quickly on the ground and somehow the guy ended up underneath him. David twisted the guy’s arm and the guy yelled in pain. David rolled off of him.

  I breathed a sigh of relief as David started to get up again. He had taken on three of Sam’s baseball goons, whooped them, and emerged without a scratch. Thank goodness. I would have died if something bad would have happened to him because of me.

  Then Sam suddenly appeared out of the crowd directly behind David. His face was red and had scratches on it. His shirt was torn and he seemed out of breath and tired. When he looked down at Dylan in my arms, however, his anger seemed to reignite. Then he saw David. David had just gotten to all fours in the process of getting up. Sam got a wild, evil smile on his face as he looked from David to me.

  “Sam, don’t!” I screamed.

  His evil smile only grew. “This one’s for you,” he said in a hoarse voice. Then he planted his front foot, swung his leg back as far as it would go, and drove his foot directly between Sam’s legs.

  I play soccer. If the keeper had delivered that kick on a soccer field, the ball would have flown from the net to the halfway line. It was powerful enough to lift David a few inches up into the air. He landed in a heap.

  “Hah. Hah!” Sam cried manically. “How do you like that?” he screamed at me. “You played me. You made me look like a fool. I take you out one time and you yell at my friends and embarrass me in front of them. Then you go off an make a scene with other guys.” His eyes almost seemed to be glistening with tears. Then he smiled. “Well, you can have them. You can have broke-nose and numb nuts. See how much action you get from them now.”

  I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t scream. I was too horrified at his sudden display of evil and the thought that I caused it. I wanted to wake up and discover that this had all been one bad nightmare.

  “Hey!” someone said and clapped a hand on Sam’s shoulder. Sam turned around just in time to see Aaron Caldwell’s fist slam into his face. Sam fell to the ground in a heap. Aaron shook his hand as though the punch had been so hard it hurt his knuckles.

  Aaron looked down at me and took in Dylan and David. I felt like some type of barbaric beast who had just been discovered by a civilized human being.

  “Give him to me,” Aaron said.

  “What?” I managed to croak. I had no idea what he meant.

  “Give Dylan to me,” Aaron said. “I’ll get him out of here. You take the wrestler and do the same. Quickly. These guys have been through enough with having to get suspended or expelled.” He nodded to David. “Get him some ice and have him put it on his boys. Stay with him and if the swelling doesn’t go down after a while take him to the school office and get them to call a doctor. Now go!”

  It took me a moment to process everything Aaron said. By then Aaron had grabbed a hold of Dylan. He lifted Dylan into the air, slung him over his shoulder, and dashed through the crowd. I looked at David. He was still lying in a heap and moaning and clutching his groin. Then I saw Principal Everett over the heads of the students. She looked angry and was forcing her way through the mob in our direction.

  I needed to make a split-second decision. Should I stay and get David some help and risk Principal Everett’s wrath? Should I flee? Or should I try to escape with David before Everett reached us?

  I was rooted to the spot as David’s moans filled my ears and the principal’s angry face grew closer. I had no idea what to do.

  Chapter 8 – The Aftermath

  A sudden burst of adrenaline hit me and I jumped into action. I ran to David and pulled one of his arms around my shoulders. He moaned. I clasped him around the waist and heaved as hard as I could. He finally managed to get to his feet, though his knees wobbled like they were going to cave in.

  “We need to go!” I whispered urgently. David didn’t respond verbally but he nodded his head in agreement. I stayed as low as I could without falling over and shuffled off through the crowd with David’s arm around my neck. David half walked and half clung to me.

  I wound through the hallways. Excited students were running around, shouting, and pressing against each other to get closer to the lunch room. No one noticed us as we quietly escaped. I finally got us away to the area by the west gym. There I led David down a flight of stairs leading to the locker rooms and physical therapy room. The physical therapist only came in after school hours when the sports were going on but my soccer coach had given me a key to the room so I could ice during my open period. I flicked on the lights and dragged David to one of the examination tables. His moaning grew louder as I rolled him onto the table but then subsided when I let go of him and he was able to curl up into a fetal position.

  I rushed to the ice machine and pulled open the drawer. Luckily whoever had used it last had left it on and it was full of ice. I grabbed a plastic bag and filled it. Then I rushed back to David. “Here, you... you need to use this,” I said in a shaky voice. “Aaron said you need to ice your... you know.”

  David just moaned in response and shook his head.

  “Come on. Please,” I said. “You need to. Please, for me. I need you to feel better.”

  I gently brushed the hair out of his eyes and rested an arm on his shoulder. I didn’t know what else to
do.

  David kept his eyes clenched shut but finally he held out his hand. I sighed in relief and handed him the bag. He tried to slip it under his shorts but his belt was too tight.

  “You need to take those off,” I said. “I’m sorry, I’ll look away.”

  “It’s fine,” David grunted. His voice was very strained. He slowly unbuckled his belt and pushed down his shorts, revealing a pair of black boxer briefs underneath. Then he took a deep breath and wedged the bag of ice between his legs. He suddenly gasped and his eyes shot open as a high-pitched little squeal escaped his lips. Then he moaned and rocked back and forth as he forced himself to endure the discomfort.

  Seeing that he had things under control for the moment, I rushed over to the ice tub and began running cold water into it. Ice packs were good but I knew from personal experience that nothing could match an ice tub full of ice. I took the ice scooper and began shoveling the ice from the ice maker into the ice tub as it filled up. I continued until I had emptied all the ice into the ice tub. I put my hand in and it instantly went seized with a frozen-burning pain. It was the coldest ice bath I had ever made. Good. I wasn’t taking any chances. Not with David’s... “boys” as Aaron had put it.

  I went back over to David. “Come on,” I said. “Let’s get you into the tub.”

  He opened one eye and to glance at the tub. Then he squeezed it shut and shook his head. “No,” he said. “I’m feeling quite a bit better now.”

  I let out another sigh of relief. David’s voice sounded almost normal and it seemed like his shyness and possibly even his sense of humor was returning. That was good, it meant the pain had subsided to the point that he could think clearly. Well, the ice bath would have him crying for his mommy for a while, but then he might even be back to normal.

  “I know a big brave wrestler like you isn’t afraid of an ice bath.” I said. “Come on, let’s go.”