“No one, but remember Olivia Reeder last year? How that jerk, Ian, told everyone she was like kissing a bottle and had no idea what she was doing?”
I fall back down to my heels. She’s right. Olivia missed a week of school until her parents forced her to go back. Ian and his friends still pick on her when they finish their Snapple bottles, sticking their tongues inside and pretending to make out with them.
“Colton’s the safe bet,” Emily says.
“What if it changes things?”
She tugs the arm of my sweatshirt. “It’s Colton. Please. A kiss can be just a kiss. You overthink everything.”
She practically pulls me down the stairs, and when we reach the bottom, Colton looks up as he positions his shot on the table. Xavier eyes the bottle in Emily’s hand.
“Guess what we’re going to play now?” She holds up the bottle.
Xavier ditches his pool cue on the table. Colton stands up straight and looks at me.
“Spin the Bottle.” Xavier meets Emily, who’s already sitting on the floor in front of the couches.
“Why?” Colton asks.
“What kind of guy are you? Get your butt over here.” Emily pats the spot next to her.
But Colton continues to look at me, questions filling his eyes. He’s not like Xavier and the other boys. He’s never been rumored to have kissed anyone, but then again, he’s usually with me on the weekends.
I shrug and sit down. This is the best thing for both of us, even if he doesn’t know it yet. How great would it be if both of our first kisses are with each other? If one of us messes up, we’d never tell anyone else.
“We need music.” Xavier stands and fiddles with our stereo until the Black Eyed Peas play, which means Brooklyn was listening to it last. He sits back down between Emily and me.
Colton fiddles with the shoelaces of his Converse, looking at me out the corner of his eye.
“Okay, remember if it lands on the same couple three times, that means tongue action. Juno’s house, so she goes first.” Emily eyes Xavier and they share a laugh. They’re all about this game.
I twirl the bottle with my hand and swallow, watching the bottle spin and spin, releasing my breath when it bypasses Xavier. At this point, I’d rather kiss Emily than Xavier. It slows between Emily and Colton. We look at them for the answer since this is their game.
“Midway always goes to the right. You and Colton,” Emily says.
We look at each other and I press my hands on the floor to lean forward. He does the same and our lips meet, pressing together for the briefest moment. Then I’m back in my space as quickly as possible. That wasn’t so bad. Colton continues to play with his shoelace and all I can feel is how red my cheeks are.
Xavier and Emily stare at us as if we’re about to rate the kiss. When neither of us says anything, Xavier spins the bottle and it lands on Colton, to which Xavier says redo. Then it spins and points at Emily. They kiss with tongue on the first go. I guess once you go tongue, you don’t go back. Emily spins, and it lands on Colton. I watch as he kisses her just like he did me, glancing in my direction. Colton spins, and my heart is in my throat as it stops between Xavier and me.
“That’s you, Juno,” Emily says.
“But you said—”
“I’m not kissing him,” Xavier says.
“Come on, Juno. It’s only the second time,” Colton says.
I lean forward and our lips stay connected a little longer than the first time, and I realize how soft his lips are. He got his braces off last year and he’s been obsessed with Chapstick since. I vow to never make fun of his addiction again.
Emily wiggles in her spot, almost clapping and giddy as if she had the kiss.
I spin the bottle and it lands on Xavier. He gets the quickest peck ever from me and I run my hand over my lips after. Emily’s spin lands back on Colton, and I watch them kiss again.
As Colton’s hand covers the bottle, my gut twists, and I have no idea if it’s because if it lands on me, we have to use tongue, or if it’s the fact that if it lands on Emily, his first tongue kiss will be with her.
My eyes follow the bottle’s movement, and I realize as it slows down that I’m holding my breath. It comes to a stop right between Colton and me, and a rush of hot air flows out of my mouth.
The room seems so small, as if there’s a spotlight above us as our eyes lock, both of us conveying that this is it. We’re going to have our first kiss in front of our friends.
We lean in toward each other and our lips touch.
“You have to use tongue,” Emily says.
Colton presses a little firmer, his tongue sliding between the seam of my lips. I open for him, not sure what exactly I’m supposed to do. All I can think about is that Colton is kissing me, his tongue is in my mouth, and a funny feeling rushes to the pit of my stomach. I kind of like kissing Colton. I mean, it’s not horrible.
Then the lights flicker on and footsteps barrel down the stairs. “What’s going on here?” Brooklyn says.
Colton and I fly apart, and I wipe my mouth.
“Your friends have to leave,” she says, turning off the radio. Her eyes are red and swollen. “Where are Rome and Denver?”
“Why do they have to leave?” I stand up and press the stereo back on.
A minute later, more footsteps sound on the stairs.
“Brooklyn!” Grandma Dori yells downstairs. “I’m calling Austin and then Savannah.”
Brooklyn presses the stereo off. “I told you, Juno, your friends need to
