Tonight is Lisa’s fourteenth birthday party.
We have been planning it for months—actually, for years.
I think we started planning for her first boy-girl birthday party in fourth grade, but this is the first time her parents have finally agreed to let her have one.
This is the third one that I’ve been to.
Boy-girl party, that is.
The first one was a little boring; everyone was too scared to do anything fun.
But, at the last one, things got a little more interesting. We played Spin the Bottle and Seven Minutes in Heaven. I got stuck in the closet with Andrew Martin.
Gross.
I wouldn’t let him get near enough to breathe on me, let alone do anything else!
I’m hoping that, at this party, I will end up in the closet with Billy Prescott. He is way cute.
Lisa assures me that she has the drawing of one boy’s and one girl’s name rigged in my favor.
She lied.
I end up in the closet with Neil.
Right before we have to go in the closet, Neil runs over and breaks up with Mary Beth Parker.
Tacky. Very tacky.
Phillip told me that Neil has a crush on me. I let him kiss me, mostly because I haven’t liked Mary Beth Parker since fourth grade when she told everyone not to play with me.
When we come out, Neil has a huge grin on his face.
That’s when things get all dramatic.
Mary Beth is very mad at me.
She is all huffy and says bad things about me.
Of course, she changes her tune as soon as she gets sent into the closet with Phillip.
Then, she thinks she’s my new best friend.
God, I hope he didn’t kiss her!
Later on, I have to play Spin the Bottle.
Yes, I have to.
Lisa is making me.
She says I’ll ruin her party if I don’t.
I don’t need that hanging over my head, so I agree to play.
See? Have to.
Plus, since there are only seven kids left at the party, one of them being Billy Prescott, I figure the odds are in my favor that I still might get to kiss him.
Lisa turns off the light and puts down a bottle. Everyone gets positioned on the floor in a circle.
Neil is strategically trying to place himself across from me.
We go through four spins of the bottle without it landing on me.
Boohoo!
Then, it’s Phillip’s turn. He spins, and the neck of the bottle points directly between Mary Beth Parker and me!
I kid you not.
Mary Beth looks all excited.
I feel sorry for the poor guy. It’s like he has to choose between heaven and hell. And hell—Mary Beth—will get really mad and make his life miserable if he doesn’t pick her.
Phillip looks at her and then at me. He takes the neck of the bottle and moves it, so it points straight at me.
Really!
Both Neil and Mary Beth are looking pissed at Phillip, but he doesn’t seem to care.
He grins and then crooks his index finger at me, motioning for me to come and get him.
I am going to shake my head, but his grin gets me every time. I can’t resist him; plus, I kinda want to kiss him. So, I crawl through the center of the circle. It’s like his eyes are the light at the end of a tunnel, and all I can see is him.
I’m still not sure what happened, what Phillip did, or how he did it so fast. But, next thing I know, I am lying on my back across the center of the circle with Phillip lying on top of me, kissing me.
The boys are hooting and hollering, but it barely registers because Phillip keeps kissing me. I’m having a hard time processing anything other than the fact that Phillip is a really good kisser and that he is lying on top of me.
Around us, everyone gasps and jumps up.
I think this is exactly what Phillip hoped would happen.
I am slightly dazed though, so I can’t be sure.
Once everyone scatters, he stops kissing me, pulls me up onto my feet, and flashes me that adorable grin.
And I can’t help but fall a little in love with him.
“So, are you secretly in love with me, or were you just trying to break up the game, so you wouldn’t have to kiss Mary Beth?” I whisper.
“Oh, I am definitely in love with you,” he replies with a big smile on his face as he sees Mary Beth storming out of the party.
“Liar,” I say.
