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The World as I Know It- Chapter 5
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Prose/Short Stories Chapter 5
That’s the background describing why I am the way I am and what has changed over the years. Now we’re up to the present day: my sophomore year of high school.
As I said, I spent the last two years reinventing myself, wiping the slate clean and starting from scratch. The thing is when you try to change yourself little pieces of you remain untouched even some areas you forgot were there akin to dusting a room just on the surface, while dust hides in the crevices.
At the beginning of the school year, James and his girlfriend broke up. I realized this as an opportunity to move in by taking the role of consoler. By this time, James and I had developed something of a friendship- not best friends, but more than acquaintances.
A month after the break-up I invited him on a date even though we didn’t call it as such. It was a platonic rendezvous to anyone who asked. On this “date”, he said he was so thankful for my friendship and didn’t want that to change but that he had feelings for me.
I reciprocated his words by leaning and puckering my lips. He said he couldn’t resist me. That was the moment of my first kiss.
I don’t care what anyone says, a first kiss is disgusting whether you are 5 years old or a teenager. It was slimy and I didn’t know what to do. But as he kissed me a few more times, my reaction came natural. That same day I both hated and loved making out.
The following school day I wasn’t sure what we were. No label had been verbally agreed upon. I wasn’t sure if I could say I was dating him or that we were friends with benefits or simply friends. However, I was determined to find out without asking outrightly.
We had two classes together: homeroom and American history. I talked to him in homeroom and tried to see if I it felt like there was a difference or if he said something to answer the lingering, unasked question. No luck. In history, I just couldn’t wait any longer.
I blunted out: “So what was that kiss about?” It scrambled out so quickly I doubted that he heard me. He was silent for a moment and I was sure I wasted my chance to ask because there was no way I was going to repeat it.
He answered, “I don’t know. But I’d like to do it again.”
