Over and Over

Chapter Three

Three

And what a party it was.  Dad had relented and given me rare permission to use our house to entertain the huge crowd of teenage girls and guys that had made it to the guest list.  The list was a long one as my circle of friends was very large and I couldn’t bare the thought of one of my bestys missing out on a shindig like this.  There was karaoke, party games like pin the tail on the donkey and even a piñata shaped like a whale.  No drugs or booze though as my dad was very strict on that sort of thing.  Besides, this was my sixteenth not my eighteenth.  Drugs and booze could wait.  Right now we lost in a teenage world of sugar highs, laughter and friendship.  What more could I ask? Well I did mention boy before didn’t I?

The boy in question was called Mathew.  He had sandy coloured hair. Long skinny legs and the kind of crooked smile that made girls melt.  He was a relative newcomer to our group having just moved to our school from another one.  He had caught my eye from day one and I had been hoping to put my brand on him ever since.  Not that he had noticed though.  I had tried every trick in the book that I knew of to try and tell him I was interested.  Was he thick or just not into me?  I spotted him over by the snack table and made a beeline for him.

“Hi Mathew, like the party?”

He nearly choked on a chip and turned to face me swallowing hurriedly before speaking.

“Geese Jess, don’t sneak up on a guy like that.”

“Sorry.”  I treated him to a mischievous grin.  “Perhaps I should wear a collar with a bell on it?”

He smirked.

“You mean like a cat?”

“Sure.”

“I hate cats.  It’s dogs all the way for me.  How bout you?”

“I really haven’t thought about it to be honest.  We don’t have a cat and our dog just died.”

He choked on another chip.

“Really?  How long ago?”

“A couple of months.  He was old and blind in the end we called him ‘Donkamen’ as he used to bump into things.”

“Donkamen?  Really?”

“Yep, his real name was Benjamin so I suppose Donkamen kinda flowed from that.”

“Uh huh.”

He had turned his attention back to the snack bar and was trying to see how much dip he could fit on a single chip.  I just stood there waiting for him to say something else.  But it soon became obvious that his words were going to have to compete with his stomach.  I tried again.

“Still in the band?”

“Yep,” he said without looking at me.  “Percussion, Friday mornings.”

“And you play kit right?”

“Yep,” he looked up at me.  “Do you play an instrument.”

“I have played the Bass guitar a bit.  But not often or much.”

“Uh huh.”

I looked around the room wondering what else to say.  He just stood there shovelling dip laden chips into his mouth and chewing like a cow. 

“Well, nice talking to you,” I said.

“Nice ring,” he said pointing to the dragon on my right hand.  “Birthday present?”

“From a great Aunt I didn’t know I had.  Cool hey?”  I flourished the ring so he could get a better view.”

“Very cool, hey, I haven’t given you my present yet.”

And he kissed me.  Suddenly, right there, in the middle of my parents house in the middle of my party he planted his lips on mine and pulled my body to his.  My eyes widened in shock then I relaxed and kissed him back.  He tasted like chips and dip, but it was a nice kiss as first kisses go.

“Hey love birds,” said my friend Vanessa walking up next to us.  “Get a room will ya?”

Mathew broke off the kiss and smiled his gorgeous crooked smile at me.

“Happy birthday Jess,” he said and walked off to talk to a couple of guys over by the stereo.  I glared at Vanessa.

“What’d you do that for?”

She shrugged and helped herself to a bowl of gummy bears.

“You can do better.”

“Since when have I needed your permission to snog a boy at my own birthday party?”

“Hey snog whoever you want princess.”  She flashed her eyes at me.  “Just be careful who you give your heart to.”

I punched her on the shoulder and she giggled.  I risked a quick look over at Mathew who was now drumming away on band hero on the X Box.  Do better?  I highly doubted it.