Page 7 of That Time I Kissed My Brother’s Best Friend
An air horn wailed, and I flinched. The tang of copper flooded my mouth. It tasted like suspicion. Was this guy joking? Beau’s half a foot taller than me, so I tweaked my neck just looking up at him. His chestnut-colored hair was messy from his graduation cap. Waves of it swooped into his eyes. They were the color of the lake. Like mossy water. I saw no trace of teasing in them.
Hmm.
He stuck out his hand. “No hard feelings?”
I was half expecting Beau might be hiding some kind of buzzer in his palm to zap me, but I let him take my hand anyway. And oh, wow! Did I ever get zapped. But not from any hidden buzzer. Just from Beau’s touch. His whole hand wrapped around mine, so warm and strong, I felt like my fingers might fall off. I yanked back and looked down at the ground.
“Thanks, Beau,” I mumbled.
“Listen. I’ve been kind of a jerk these past few years. And I’m really sorry. If you’ll accept my apology, I have something I want to give you. Call it a peace offering before we both leave for college.”
I lifted my chin to meet his gaze, and my stomach swooped.Hey, guy. Don’t look at me all warm and sincere. Aren’t you aware I hate you?But he was being so nice. Maybe I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Or in those big, lakey eyes. “I mean, I guess that’s fine,” I stammered.
“I don’t want Brady to see us though.” He shifted his weight. “You know how it is with him.”
I tilted my head. “No. How is it?”
Beau’s brows pulled together. “Your brother doesn’t exactly want me hanging with you.” He glanced around. Was he actually nervous? “Maybe you could meet me back behind the gym.”
“Just the two of us?” When I started blushing, Beau’s mouth tipped up on one side.
“Don’t worry.” He chuckled. “I’m not going to try to kiss you, Kasey. Please. You’re like my sister.”
Sister. Gross.
Beau’s actual sister, Natalie, was a year younger than me, and even meaner than Beau. Ugh. Still. His insult did give me an idea. So I told Beau I’d meet him behind the gym. Then I shrugged like I didn’t much care. I told myself I didn’t much care.
But maybe Brady would.
If my brother found out Beau Slater was giving me some kind of graduation gift, it might really freak him out. That could be good right? One last way for me to get my brother’s goat before I left for college. And what if Icouldget Beau to kiss me? Brady might absolutely implode. Of course,Ididn’t want to kiss Beau Slater.
But I sure did want revenge on Brady Graham.
When my mom tried to wrangle the whole family for pictures, I told her I had to run to the bathroom first. Then I sneaked away to slip off my graduation gown before my meet up with Beau. Underneath the gown, I wore a brand new dress, and not to brag, but the dress looked good. The material was silky soft and sky blue. The color really brought out my eyes. And if I was going to tempt Beau Slater, having eyes like the sky was a good first step.
More cherry lip gloss was the second. Three layers thick. Pucker. Blot.Ready.
With a tickle of butterflies in my stomach, I sneaked behind the gym all by myself. The red brick building was quiet in the shadow of late afternoon. Beau was just a few yards away, waiting for me under a cluster of dense pines. The grass below him had given way to dirt. A single ray of sunlight played across his face. He looked up and saw me.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey, yourself.” As he approached, I licked my lips hoping to make them shiny enough to kiss. And as it turns out, cherry lip gloss doesn’t taste nearly as delicious as it looks. I must’ve made a face, because Beau reached out for me.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded as he closed the space between us. Then he guided me back below the trees. A bird burst from the branches, cawing as it hit the sky. My tongue was knotted up tight, like the rope tying Uncle Cubby’s boat to the dock. At this point, Beau was so near to me, I was practically swimming in his scent. Citrus and spice. Salty and sweet. I wanted to bury my face in his neck.
Where did that feeling come from? No, no, no. This was not part of the plan. I was here to collect Beau’s gift, get my kiss, then tell Brady about both. He’d freak out and be furious with Beau. Two birds killed with one lip lock.
I bent my face up and closed my eyes, moving toward him inch by inch. My heart was a hammer in my chest. How would Beau’s lips feel? Would they be warm? Soft? Would he take me in his arms? I felt a hand at my waist. He was touching me. Beau Slater was touching me! My eyes flew open, and I saw our noses were practically touching. I could taste the peppermint on his breath. And in that moment, I realized this wasn’t about Brady.
I wanted this kiss. I did.
That’s when I heard laughter ringing from above. Beau jumped back, and a split second later, the first water balloon struck. Then another. And another. I was being pelted in big wet slaps. Splash. Splash! SPLASH! I stood there, gaping and frozen, while my special-occasion hair got soaked. Water streamed down my face into my mouth. Lip gloss and mascara streaked my chin. I looked up, and there was Brady, crouched in the tree, clutching a bucket.
He and Beau had set me up.
Humiliated and horrified, I unstuck my feet and began to run. I kept on running all the way to the docks. Then I hid on my uncle’s boat the rest of the night. I couldn’t face my brother or his smug satisfaction. Thanks to Brady and Beau, I missed graduation pictures. I missed our family dinner. When I finally dragged myself home, my parents were beyond hurt and furious. I’d scared them so much, but I was too embarrassed to explain. I couldn’t tell my parents what a fool I’d been, so I got in trouble. Big trouble. My usually-patient father grounded me, and I didn’t even argue. I broke my mother’s heart that night.