Second Kiss Read Online Free Page A

about once on a rerun of Friends, and my mom had made me change the channel.
    “Did you look at it?” I knew I had no right to ask, but Jess and I asked each other questions that we had no right to ask all the time. Jess was still looking down at his yo-yo, which he was now holding still in his clutched hands.
    “No, but the other guys did. I didn’t know what to do, so I just kept coloring in maps for our project. It was the worst feeling.” Jess ran his fingers through his hair. “I hated it.”
    “Did they make fun of you?” I kept swinging my legs to act as natural as possible.
    “Yeah, sort of, but mostly they were just embarrassed I think. After it was over, when one of the guys’ moms picked us up to take us home, it was so weird.” I studied Jess’s face for a couple seconds and then looked out ahead at the forest of tree. “I’m telling you this,” Jess continued, “because I don’t want you to think you’re alone in this whole weird growing up thing. And I’m sorry I said that nothing could happen with that Trace kid. He probably does like you, and I hope you get to dance with him.”
    “The last dance,” I grumbled.
    “Yeah, the last dance.” Jess weakly raised one corner of his mouth. “And look how mature you are-we both are-sitting here on this wall having a grown-up conversation and all. It feels nice.”
    I was still quiet. I hated the idea of growing up.

    I hated bras, and I hated dances, and I hated grown-up conversations.
    “Do you want a bite of my granola bar?” I asked Jess-trying to change the subject. He grabbed the granola bar from my hand and took a bite off the end.
    “The last dance,” Jess repeated as he chewed. “I wouldn’t dance with a girl on the last dance if someone paid me.” I jerked my gaze toward Jess’s face and angrily grabbed the granola bar back from his hand.
    “Why not?”
    Jess shrugged his shoulders. “Because, the last dance is always blown up into being such a huge deal like you’re supposed to end up marrying the person or something.”
    “But what if someone asks you to dance the last dance?”
    Jess looked at me surprised. “What are you so uppity about?”
    I squeezed the granola bar tightly in my hand and felt it change form. “You can’t just decide that you’re not going to dance, Jess! If someone asks you, you can’t say no!”
    “What’s the big deal?” He was eyeing his yo-yo again as he spoke.
    I took the last bite of my granola bar and talked with a full mouth. “I just don’t want you to be socially awkward. People see me with you every day, and it would be bad for my reputation.”
    Jess twisted his mouth. “Trust me, Gem, I think taking pictures of guys in class will do far more damage to your reputation than me not dancing the last dance.” Jess laughed and threw his yo-yo across the lot onto a pile of dirt. “I’m terrible at those things. Come on,” he pushed himself off the cement wall, “let’s get you home.”

Chapter 4
    Ten minutes later I opened the door to my house and took a deep sigh. I knew I was getting older when I started sighing. I tossed my backpack onto the floor and headed into hte kitchen. My mom was in hte same place that  I had left her that morning. She had the same apron on - different clothes underneath it - and the same happy Mom smile to say hello that she had worn when she said good-by eight hours before. I was glad that Mom was home because I needed to tell her about school. I needed to tell her about all the weird things that had happened since I left that morning, and I needed her to tell me that everything would work out. I made sure that I made a lot of noise as I collapsed in the barstool behind her.
    She had obviously gotten the hint. “What’s the matter, Gemma?”
    “Today was the worst,” I huffed. Mom kept stirring her sauce or soup or whatever she was making, but she was looking at me with a furrowed brow, and I knew I had her attention. I told her about Nina and