Aiden chuckled, like it was hilarious, but I knew it was just relief. He’d been scared, even more scared than he was letting on. Aiden had wanted to fit in with “the guys” on the hockey team. But he wasn’t like them. He was sweet. When he tried to be “tough” it just pissed everyone off. The guys on the team called him a “poser.” It hurt his feelings, and definitely if he got his face smashed in by The Griff that wouldn’t have helped.
So, deep inside me things were gushy and excited. My heart was doing acrobats. Griffin had let Aiden off the hook—because of me. Because of my kiss. How cool! My kiss had saved my boyfriend’s pretty face. Awesome, awesome!
I felt all warm and tingly and tried telling myself that it was just because I was glad Aiden was okay and intact and didn’t get pounded to the ground in front of his teammates. But I wasn’t really sure that was the only reason. I mean, I wanted it to be the only reason, but I was afraid it also had to do with The Griff—that he had let Aiden save-face (literally) because of me. I felt … touched.
Jazz raised her eyebrows then furrowed them, obviously astounded by the unexpected turn of events. “We’re square? Griffin said that? We’re square?”
She said it again, incredulously, like: No way.
Aiden shrugged, still smiling. “That’s what he said.”
Jazz didn’t look convinced. “Maybe he wants it to be a surprise attack.”
Aiden shrugged again. “I don’t think so. He seemed in a good mood—like he just aced a test or something. He let me off the hook—we’re square.”
“Griffin Piper doesn’t let people ‘off the hook,’” Jazz said knowingly, like she was all up on Griffin. “He’d beat you up on principle alone. You called him a Neanderthal.”
Aiden didn’t miss a beat. “He is.”
“Yeah, but see, that’s just it,” Jazz said. “He has a reputation to uphold.”
I traced my lips, still feeling the warmth of Griffin’s hot mouth, or imagining I could. Obviously, Jazz was wrong. Griffin didn’t care about maintaining his bad-boy reputation as much as she thought. Apparently.
Either that or … he wanted to kiss me pretty bad. The thought made my body kind of spastic and had all the hairs on my arms standing on end. Only that was nothing compared to my heart. It was beating all crazy. But it was dumb to get so worked up over the ridiculous thought. I knew that. It wasn’t like Griffin had a “thing” for me or anything. He didn’t. I knew that. I don’t think he even ever noticed me before.
Well, I used to think that—that Griffin didn’t notice me. But he knew my last name was Grange, and that Aiden was my boyfriend, so obviously he knew more about me than I thought. But we never had any classes together—and he never talked to me before. Well, except once.
It was a long time ago, though.
Back in junior high I’d been carrying an armload of books as I had to change lockers since the girl that had the locker above mine liked to make-out with her boyfriends at her locker, which was, you know, in the same proximity as mine—like right on top of it. And I totally hated to interrupt them to get into my locker, especially because the girl was kind of scary. I mean, I was actually slightly afraid of her. So, instead of being late for every class, or hauling my books around with me everywhere, I decided to change lockers.
Anyway, I was carrying an armload of books and some guys were joking around, wrestling with each other in the hallway and one of them, Jake Edwards, accidently bumped into me and knocked down the top couple of my stacked books.
Jake laughed about it and called me a “school girl,” and in case you can’t tell, Jake was a jerk back then (and still is, by the way).
But Griffin had been one of the guys messing around with Jake. He might have even been the one that pushed Jake into me. I’m not sure. But anyway, there were three of them—three big, bully-guys. So I was nervous and just wanted to get away from them. I even considered leaving the dropped books behind and just taking off. Seriously, that’s how bad I wanted to get away.
But as I contemplated making a dash for it, Griffin quickly picked up the fallen books. Only then he didn’t hand them back. At first I was terrified he was going to start chucking them at me or at random people as Jake and his friends would probably do something like that, and Griffin had seemed like that kind of jerky guy too. But he didn’t chuck them or do anything mean.
Instead he said, “Sorry, about that. Your arms are pretty full.” He started to take the rest of the stack from me. “I’ll carry your books for you, okay?”
His friends razzed him for that, making kissing noises and saying, “Aww, Griffin’s all soft for School Girl.”
But Griffin just quirked his eyebrows at them like they were idiots—which made me right then and there instantly get a monster crush on him—and secretly keep it for the whole next year, though Griffin never talked to me again and immediately started dating skanky girls—one right after the other.
So, that was that.
Until that day—
When Griffin kissed me and didn’t bash in Aiden’s face.
***
I hope you liked the sample
HIS KISS is available now and only costs a dollar.
http://www.amazon.com/His-Kiss-Young-Adult-Romance-ebook/dp/B00631JXEO
Other books in the HIS KISS series by Melanie Marks:
High School Boys:
The book includes two novels: The standalone novel, High School Boys; plus: More Of His Kisses, which is the sequel to the book, His Kiss.
Summary of
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS:
Nicole and Matt have been best friends forever. Sure Nicole has always fantasized about being more than friends, but Matt goes through girlfriends like lightning. So, Nicole figures her heart is safer if they just stay buds. But then—gasp!—one night Matt kisses her. And it’s everything Nicole dreamed it would be—everything—hot, tender, perfect, everything … except now it seems their friendship is ruined. Nicole desperately wants things to go back to the way they were. But the kiss changed everything.
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS is available now.
(The book also contains, as a bonus, book #2 to the His Kiss series—with Ally and Griffin)
http://www.amazon.com/High-School-Boys-Plus-More-ebook/dp/B00AT4BH0Y
HER Kiss (Griffin)
(This Novel is Griffin’s version of Melanie Mark’ book, HIS KISS)
http://www.amazon.com/Her-Kiss-Griffin-Melanie-Marks-ebook/dp/B00KR0UHW4
Back in middle school, she gave me a cookie. No other girl had given me a cookie before. Hickeys, phone numbers, semi-dirty messages—those were the kinds of things I was used to getting from girls. It intrigued me. The home-baked cookie thing.
We’re not in middle school anymore … but she still gives me cookies. (“Anonymously” … she thinks.) I had to trick her into kissing me. But she wanted to do it, I could tell. Pretty much. She just didn’t “want” to want to do it. Maybe because she had a boyfriend … and I was known at our school as a “heartbreaker.” Or so I heard. But I had no plans to break that girl’s heart. I planned to give her mine.
This is my story.
Who am I? I’m hockey playing, Ally lovin’, high school bad boy (what???), Griffin Piper.
(HER Kiss is available now.)
Note: The book “GRIFFIN” is also available now, but read His Kiss, HER Kiss, and High School Boys first. (Well, you don’t have to, but it’s suggested.) (Note: Griffin #2 is available now as well. But read the other books first.)
Note: There is no swearing in any of the books.
The Kiss
Below is a short story added as a bonus. It is called, The Kiss. Don’t confuse it with Melanie Marks’ book, ‘HIS KISS’—which is a story about Ally and Griffin.
****
The Kiss
By Melanie Marks
Don’t crowd me. I can’t believe Matt said that to me. To me. It’s not like I’m one of his Barbie doll girlfriends. I don’t hang on him, drool on his shoes. We’r
e friends. We’ve been friends since the first week I moved here, back in middle school. Suddenly I’m crowding him?
He passes me a note, telling me to meet him after class. Yeah, right.
Ever since that don’t crowd me night he’s been jumping through hoops, trying to apologize. What a jerk. I mean, why go to all this effort? If he honestly feels this bad why did he say it in the first place? And why in front of all my friends?
After class Matt comes to my locker. “Why didn’t you wait for me?”
“Oh, I forgot,” I murmur distractedly as I rummage through my shambles of books, looking for nothing.
He’s silent for a moment, watching me. “Are you even looking for anything? Come on, Nicole just give me a second. Okay—I’m a jerk, but don’t I at least deserve a second?”
I shut my locker with a slam. “Look, could you just not crowd me?”
“Nicole.” He grabs my arm, almost angry. “Man, just calm down. What do you want me to do? Just tell me and I’ll do it, okay?”
“You can’t do anything. You’ve said you’re sorry. I forgive you.”
“Yeah, you keep saying that, but when I call you won’t talk to me. And you’ve moved to the front of the class to get away from me—”
“I told you, I need glasses. I can’t see the board.”
He gives me a look of disgust. “Okay,” he says. “You’re not mad. So, you’ll come hear my band tonight, right?”
“Well, I can’t. I have to …” I’m so flustered I can’t think of an excuse, not even something dumb. The phrase “wash my hair” keeps wanting to pop out of my mouth.
His eyes are fuming. “Okay, don’t come. Don’t talk to me. Do whatever you want.”
The bell rings, and with my stomach in a ball of knots, I watch him walk away.
Why can’t I just forgive him? Why can’t I do it? He’s called excessively, apologized profusely. What does he have to do?
I wish I knew because I’d have him do it in a heartbeat. We’ve been friends forever. I miss the jerk. I want to forgive him and go back to the way things were. I want to stay up all night like we used to, playing pool in his basement and writing songs. I miss being able to call him when my car breaks down, and having him come to me for advice about his latest Barbie doll girlfriend. I miss him telling me I’m too good for Shane, that I should get over the two-timing slug.
But weeks go by with me sitting in the front of the class. Matt still goes out of his way to be massively nice, but he doesn’t call anymore; doesn’t pass me notes.
I don’t know what to do. I miss him so much I cry practically every night. But he hurt me so bad. I really don’t think I can get over the pain. Don’t crowd me. Why’d he say that?
In College Theme Writing our teacher, Mrs. Walker, has us sitting in a circle. She’s going around the room, asking us these embarrassingly personal questions she pulls from a box. My question is: If I could be any person in the world who would I be? I answer with the first person that comes to my mind: “Synyster Gates.” I feel dumb now though, because everyone’s looking at me like, “Who?” So, turning red, I babble that he’s this awesome guitar player, and that I’m working on a song of his, and that it’s giving me a lot of trouble. I ramble on and on and through my whole, big, involved explanation I keep wishing I’d just said Taylor Swift.
When Mrs. Walker gets to Matt he’s reading a magazine. He doesn’t seem to have a clue what’s going on. Mrs. Walker pulls his question from the box and reads, “Who is the most important person in your life?”
Matt looks up at me and answers, “Nicole Gladstone,” then goes back to reading his magazine.
I’m shocked. So is the rest of the class. They’re making shocked noises. My best friend Sara gives me her right-on-girl smile. I roll my eyes. But inside, my heart is thumping out of control. Why’s he doing this to me?
At lunch break Cammy Armstrong, who’s not even in my College Writing class, and who I seldom ever speak to anymore, comes over as I’m waiting for Sara at my locker. “I heard Matt finally declared his undying love to you.”
“Well, he didn’t,” I tell her, finding it difficult to keep from gritting my teeth.
“Well, Jade’s really mad. She basically broke up with him.”
“More power to her,” I murmur, wondering why Cammy and I only talk when she’s seeking information these days.
“Well, don’t you think you should talk to him? Forgive him? Nicole, he feels really bad.”
Cammy is tall and thin, like a tree. She’s lived down the street from me ever since I moved here, and has always been like this. Little Miss Get-Into-Everything. But the thing is, she’s really nice. She just has this motherly instinct to fix things—things that are none of her business.
“Jade really broke up with him?” I ask skeptically.
Another thing about Cammy is she often doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She has this delusion that she’s some sort of expert on Matt and his life. But the truth is, if she didn’t happen to sit next to him in Government, and constantly let him borrow her notes, he would probably have trouble remembering her name. Not that he doesn’t like Cammy. He does. But she’s like a fond memory of his childhood, not a living being thriving in present life.
“Well, yeah. I mean, isn’t his girlfriend supposed to be the most important person in his life?” Cammy gazes at me. “He’s really got it bad for you.”
That is such a laugh. “He’s just playing games,” I assure her.
“Well, he had to know it would get back to Jade.”
Sara arrives and smiles her most patronizing smile. “Talking about Matt?”
“Yeah. Jade broke up with him,” Cammy informs her.
“They didn’t break up,” Sara says. “She’s just mad at him. But I think he wants her to break up with him. I think he’s after Nicole.”
“Me too!” Cammy exclaims. “He’s always talking about her in Government—saying how she won’t forgive him, asking me what I think he should do.”
They go on talking, but I’m not listening anymore. What they don’t know, because I told no one, is I know for a fact Matt doesn’t want me. He made that perfectly clear. See, a few weeks before he told me not to crowd him, we’d had this moment. I mean, it was incredible. It started out casual enough. We’d been down in his basement one night, around two, and he was teaching me how to play “Fade to Black” on the guitar (he’s way better than me now) and suddenly he leaned over and kissed me, and I have to say that it was the most gentle, passionate, wonderful kiss I’d ever experienced in my entire life. But when we pulled away we were both breathless and terrified.
“It’s late,” I said. “I need to go.”
“I’ll walk you.” He jumped to his feet, not even trying to dissuade me from leaving.
So, we walked across the street to my house in silence. But before I went inside, he gently backed me up against my front door, and kissed me again. And again, it was the most tender, amazing kiss I’d ever encountered. “You’re getting good at the guitar,” he whispered as I went inside.
I didn’t know what to make of it. Matt and I had never kissed before. Ever. Sure we’d had crushes on each other in middle school—back before he became the object of every girl’s desire. But we had never kissed.
We had though been getting closer since I’d broken up with Shane. But Matt had a girlfriend, so we’d been incredibly tight, without getting romantic. We were buddies—only friends. But his kiss … It suddenly made me think of him differently.
Not that I hadn’t always loved him; I had. But us getting together was like a fantasy, something I liked to think about, but didn’t expect to happen.
So, needless to say, the night he kissed me I was excited and confused. I couldn’t sleep. I was too wound up to believe I could ever sleep again. At first I was simply elated. Elated by his kiss. Elated that he’d done it not once, but twice. But then, I started thinking about Jade. Until that night I’d thought she was a psychotic freak f
or giving me dirty looks whenever Matt and I started goofing off together. I thought she was a lunatic for acting jealous of me.
And then I started thinking about Matt. He’s not like Shane, my two-timing ex-boyfriend. Matt’s a good guy. I mean, he doesn’t go around cheating on girlfriends. He’s incredibly honest and sweet. Yet he kissed me—not once, but twice—and he had a girlfriend. It made me suddenly wonder what was going on with him.
But all my confused feelings seemed to be a big joke once I saw Matt again. Basically everything was exactly how it had always been between us. I mean, we were slightly awkward around each other (kind of like, please, please, please don’t mention the slip-up), but besides that, it was like the kiss never happened. And I began to think maybe it hadn’t. I mean, I thought maybe I misunderstood it. Like, maybe it was just a friendly, showing-your-affection type kiss, not an I-think-I’m-in-love-with-you-lets-find-out type. I read too much into it. At least that’s what I decided until I saw him that night at Graff’s and he told me not to crowd him.
***
A few days later I’m at school, fighting off this stupid junior that has a locker near mine. He’s always leering at me—he’s gross. Today he started rubbing up against me. The first time he did it, he just like, grazed me and I thought maybe it was an accident. But this time I know it isn’t. I turn around and slug him as hard as I can, and after he gets over the slight pain, and intense shock, he lurches at me. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Matt’s on him. He throws the creep against the lockers and starts whaling on him.
“Matt, stop!” I yell, but he’s out of control. The poor stunned junior is bleeding all over the place.
A teacher comes and breaks up the fight. She makes them go to the office. I stand at my locker, wondering if I should go with them, wondering if I should explain. I don’t though. Instead I go to class.
Earlier today Cammy invited me to a slumber party at her house. That’s what she called it, a slumber party. When we were in middle school she used to have them all the time. They were fun. But that was a long time ago. Normally, I’d probably think slumber party? Lame. But it’s more of a for-old-time’s-sake type thing. See, Jenny Holt, who moved away in the eighth grade, is visiting Cammy for the weekend. They’re having the old “group” from middle school over.
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