T E S S A ' S P. O. VAt 14, I was beginning to blossom through the stages of puberty. My glasses were still a permanent fixture, although my mother allowed me to buy a pair more suited to my appearance. My acne was beginning to clear up, and the retainers I wore every night allowed my teeth to correct their awkward ways.
I had grown taller too, not staggeringly so, but compared to my petite best friend I was a giant. I didn't mind my height though, it made me appear older, more mature and intimidating to my former bullies.
Kiara ran our school now. She was the shining diamond of our grade and I was the less dazzling gem by her side.
About a year ago I learnt the importance of hair care. I watched so many videos and asked Kiara's mother for help to fix my scraggly blonde hair. It was strange how much hair could define a person. Now, I was renowned for my long blonde locks that exemplified a natural shine.
I was changing, in all the ways I ever wanted to change. Yet inside, I was still terrified of talking boys and there was still one boy in particular I couldn't stop pining after.
"Tessa, it's your turn." I was pulled back to the present by Kiara waving a glass bottle in front of my face. Her lipgloss was already smudged from making out with Trevor and Finn.
The rest of the circle egged me on as I watched the bottle spin round. I cringe inwardly as it landed on Will. Kiara has been pushing me to make a move on him, since she knows he likes me. He's too awkward to ever actually ask me out though.
"You don't have to..." Will was nice. Sometimes too nice.
"I want to." Everyone awed and began to chant for us to kiss. It would be my first kiss, in-front of a dozen of my classmates, with a boy who wore a bow tie to a party. Oh well, it has to happen sometime.
I lean forward, crawling forward on my knees until I'm in-front of him. He placed a hand on my waist, the other stiffly on the back of my neck and leans in with puckered lips.
All I can think about is the sheen coating of sweat across his upper lip. Uh. Maybe this was a bad idea instead?
"Okay, party's over!" The lights suddenly flicked on, the harsh brightness causing my eyes to squint. Will loses his balance and lets his hands slips from my body, quickly shuffling away.
I sit there, dejected, as he runs out of the basement with the rest of his friends.
"Kalen! What the hell?" Kiara screams in his face. She began to rant, declaring how unfair it is for him to break her party when he promised to let her have it.
He casually leans against a wooden beam, sipping small gulps of water from his bottle. "I said a party, not an orgy. Spin the bottle was never promised."
"You play it all the time with your friends."
"I'm 17 Kissing is natural for me, but not for my little sister."
"You're still 16 asshole, and I've been kissing guys since I was 10."
He cringes. "I didn't need to fucking know that. Just go to bed, mom and dad will be home soon anyways."
Kiara scoffs in true fashion, before storming up the stairs. I'm still hovering by the washing machine, unsure of what to do.
"Oh, Tess. Hey," I smile and wave back. He's the only person who calls me Tessa. From anyone else's lips, I would hate the nickname but from his, it makes me melt.
"Are you parents coming to pick you up?"
"It's late, so I'm staying over." Kiara gets so mad sometimes she forgets about the people around her i.e. me.
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𝐾 𝐴 𝐿 𝐸 𝑁
RomanceTessa wants the one man who's off limits. Her best friend's brother. The solution? Forget him. Should be easy, right? Except she's haunted by him everyday, forced to watch him exist without her, as her love for him blossoms. Kalen knows getting...