Beauty and the Geek Boy

Chapter 14-Will

*Geek Boy*

I kissed Ellie Kent.

And she kissed me back.

The thought reverberated through my mind, bouncing off my skull as I refused to accept it.

I couldn't believe it had happened.

Catherine and I had been sitting in my car for the last hour. Despite the smothering silence, all I could feel was a happy warmth filling my entire body. My heart still raced and, even now, I could barely breathe.

Ellie Kent had kissed me back.

This was a dream. It had to be. Any moment now, I would wake up, feeling a sense of loss and pain at this not being reality.

And yet I was still here. I could still feel my rapid pulse, stuttering within my chest. I could still hear Ellie's breathy voice asking me to kiss her. I could still feel the burning warmth of her red lips against mine. Her sweet strawberry lip gloss lingered on my lips and I could still taste the flavoured mint on her breath.

It was very much real.

And I still couldn't believe it.

The sound of Catherine's breath shattered the silence, bringing me back to reality.

This was uncommon. Whenever Catherine was upset, she'd usually storm off till she cooled down. She often held grudges but she would never just sit there in silence. She would either be yelling or she would have been gone by now.

And the way she'd reacted when she'd seen Ellie and I together...it wasn't like her.

"Catherine," I began.

"Did you kiss her?" Catherine asked, her voice low and quiet.

I bit my lip, staring out the windshield. "Yes."

"Do you like her?"

I paused.

"Yes."

Catherine laughed, the sound sarcastic and trembling. "Wow, William Johnson, education centred guy who doesn't care about relationships likes Barbie doll queen Ellie Kent. This is right out of a bad movie."

I sighed. "Catherine, please don't call her that."

"Amazing!" she exclaimed, her voice falsely cheery. "And you're still defending her!" Her voice trembled.

I sat still, unsure of what to do, or how to comfort her.

"You're not gonna say anything?" She asked. She turned to me and her gaze met mine.

Her eyes were watering.

"Catherine, please don't cry." I reached out, rubbing away a tear that streaked down her face.

Catherine glanced down at my hand, then back up at me. Her hand reached out, cupping my chin. Then she leaned in closer.

She kissed me.

It felt all wrong. Unlike kissing Ellie, I felt nothing except a vague shock.

I leaned back abruptly.

"Catherine! Why'd you do that?" I rubbed my lips with the back of my palm, staring in shock at her.

Catherine was silent, her gaze focused on the floor, her hand caught in mid-air.

She sucked in her lips. "Funny, you can kiss gorgeous Barbie girl cheerleader but you can't kiss me?"

"Catherine, why did you do that?"