There I Go Again

Chapter 2

Hey, Kass…” Olivia said hearing the back door slam.

”Well, I’m glad you finally showed up…I thought Janie had left you at the airport…” Kassie’s father, Tom, responded. She hugged her father quickly running into her room.

”Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit…what the hell…what the hell…oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…” she gasped throwing herself on the bed.

”Kass?” she heard her sister come into the room. ”What happened?” she asked.

”Bruno…he..he..oh my god…we kissed.” she responded.

Olivia started to laugh at her sister. ”It wasn’t your first kiss, sweetheart…” she told her sister.

”I know that…you idiot. It should have been like kissing a brother…but it wasn’t….” she admitted. ”It wasn’t bad….I’d do it again…”

**

”Kass….are you going to Bruno’s thing tonight?” Kassie’s friend Jordan asked her.

”Umm..I don’t know. Janie wants to go out for dinner which means I get to babysit the monsters..” Kassie made an excuse not to see him again.

”You’re lying…your sister is babysitting them….Brock told me he was going to go over there tonight to hang out with Olivia tonight…what the hell is going on? You never miss these…”

”I don’t feel good. That’s it..” Kassie continued to make excuses.

”Whatever. I don’t know what happened between the end of May and now..but you’re being super stupid, girl.” Jordan rolled her eyes at her friend’s reaction.

”If I feel better maybe I’ll show up later…” Kassie decided.

”You’ll know where I’ll be…in the back…” Jordan told her.

**

Kassie put her long sun streaked brown hair in a ponytail. She slipped on flip-flops, a sleeveless red shirt and short black shorts. Her sister handed her some lip gloss as they walked into the small venue where Bruno was performing with his family. She leaned against the wall where she always did. There were a lot more people there than usual, probably because of the summer season. It impressed her, she wasn’t going to lie. He was good, but so were The New Kids on the Block at one point in time. She wasn’t sure what she was thinking. She saw his hair fly all over the place and his dimples. Her usual preference in guys was athletes. She had left a crush on a soccer player at home with her mother in California. Before she left for Hawaii she had told the boy, Nathan, that she would be counting down the days until she was home to see him again. And then, Bruno decided to kiss her. And she had forgotten about Nathan- completely. She was snapped out of her thought process by a large amount of applause. She instinctively started clapping unaware that Bruno had finished performing.

”Kassie!” she heard Bruno say excitedly coming toward the back of the theater to see her. ”I didn’t think you would come tonight…” he said quietly.

”We have to talk about that…” she told him quietly. She was being gutsy. She usually didn’t respond to things like this. She wanted it to go away. Even if she was feeling weird about it, what she really wanted was for him to be her annoying neighbor again…

”You’re going to the thing tonight, aren’t you?” he asked about their annual bonfire.

”Umm…I think so…” she told him.

”I’d be sad if you didn’t, Kass…” he said taking a bottle of water from his dad who was walking by.

”Hi, Kittie…” his dad smiled at her walking away.

”Well, come on. Let’s go….” Bruno said walking outside. She followed him out the door toward the beach. They walked together not saying a word to each other. As they started to get closer to where they were going she moved in closer to him. He didn’t step away from her. He took her hand gently from her as they rounded the corner. She saw one of Bruno’s friends walking toward them. She dropped his hand quickly. He raised his eyebrow at her. She shrugged at his reaction.

”What?” she asked.

”Whatever, Kassandra…play your fucking games…” he said frustrated walking toward his best friend Ryan. She followed behind him shuffling her feet upset at Bruno’s reaction. She had no idea what was going on.

They didn’t talk to each other for the rest of the night. Kassie caught up with other friends, as she hasn’t seen them for a year. She glanced over looking at Bruno playing his guitar, like he always did. He smiled at her a few times even winking at her once. It made her melt for some ridiculous reason.

”Kass…why are you looking at Hernandez like that?” one of her guy friends asked.

”What the hell? I’m not looking at him any different than I look at you…” she responded.

”Whatever, you’re a loser.” he told her.

”My brother lovvesss heeerrrr….” Tiara chimed in.

”Ugh…whatever. That’s dumb.” Kassie answered.

”He told me…” Tiara leaned over letting her best friend in on her brother’s secret.

”I don’t believe you one bit.”

”One day you will, Kittie…” Tiara winked at her the same way Bruno had winked at her earlier in the evening. Damn this family, Kassie thought to herself.

A few minutes later Kassie got a text from her sister telling her she needed to go home. She stood up grabbing the same hoodie she had two nights ago putting it on over her head messing up her ponytail. Tiara said she would walk back to the house with her signaling to Bruno that it was time to go home. He got up from his seat on the beach saying good bye to his friends. The three started to walk home, Tiara, obviously aware of what happened earlier in the week. She walked well in front of them so they could talk to each other.

”Bruno…” Kassie paused at an intersection underneath the street light.

”You hurt my feelings tonight…” Bruno admitted.

”I know I did. I’m sorry…” she responded bravely. She looked at him making a sad face. He responded making the same exact face just a bit more dramatic, sniffing to add dramatic effect.

”You’ll get over it, Brunz…” she said closing her eyes as he leaned in wrapping his arms around her tightly to kiss her. She pulled away hearing voices behind them. He pulled her back towards her kissing her even more. He put his fingers through her hair that had fallen out of the ponytail. She didn’t stop him.

”I told you, that’s why she was looking at him that way!” they heard someone yell.

”Don’t stop, get it, get it…” they heard another person yell.

”I have to go….” Kassie told him pulling away touching his hand.

”Let me walk you home…” he told her wrapping his hand around the hand she was touching.

”Okay…” Kassie agreed headed up the street to her house. Bruno held her hand looking into her eyes.

”Good night, Kitte…” he smiled walking toward his house.

”Good night, Brunito…” she told him closing her door behind her.