Open My Eyes

{Ch. 18} Like Like ✓

I lied. The color red wasn't a throbbing hand after a too-hard high-five. The color red was hot cheeks and messed-up hair and smeared chap-stick; tiptoes and tongues and breathless smiles.

Long into the night, I saw red. Even at midnight, my lips tingled from the memory.

A part of me sat mortified: I just made out with Iggy at H and M, a place for LITTLE KIDS. And another part of me sat ecstatic: I just made out with Iggy. I just made out with Iggy. I JUST MADE OUT WITH IGGY.

I tossed and turned. I didn't want to wake up Kae to squeal over the fact that I had just kissed Iggy—he didn't care to hear about his little sister kissing someone. I didn't dare talk to Mom—mortified enough.

Groaning, I reached for my phone. It lit up, flashing Sam's contact info at me. I chewed the inside of my cheek, lips puckered as though preparing for a lemon.

Aware that if I didn't tell someone about this, I wouldn't sleep that night. So I huffed and pressed her number.

"Hey, Angie. Everything okay?"

"Sam, I think I'm going to explode."

"Why?"

A slow inhale entered my nostrils and exited my mouth. I plunged. "I kissed Iggy. Well, technically, Iggy – I mean Will – kissed me and – okay – well—"

"What?" she shrieked. "Whoa, wait, back up. You and Will kissed? When was this? What happened? I need details, woman!"

I spilled my guts to her. I talked so fast, my sentences became one long-winded word.

We squealed over it until two a.m., and she decided it would just be best if she came over. We only fell asleep once my words ran out and her excitement drained her—at five in the morning.

.

Sam continued our conversation when we woke up four hours later. How she had that much energy despite not being a morning person baffled me.

I groaned, "Sam, we've already been over this."

"Over what?" Mom asked, appearing by the couch with a spatula in hand. From the smell, she prepared scrambled eggs for breakfast.

"Yesterday, Angie and Will—"

I slammed my hand over Sam's mouth. I shot my mom an uneasy smile. "Flirted. We flirted, Mom."

She stared at me with her eyebrow quirked. "Well, alright. But I'll want the truth someday, okay?"

"Thanks, Mom."

When she disappeared back into the kitchen, Sam glared at me. "What the hell was that for? Why don't you want to tell Momma Duff?"

"Because!" I flung my arms in the air. When they fell back into my lap, I plucked at my sleeves. "Because – what if it didn't mean anything?"

Sam's eyebrow lifted and her lips pursed, incredulous. "Um, right. Do you really think Will would play around like that? 'Cause I didn't get douche vibes from him when we met."

"No, no, I don't think he's a player. Or into anything casual, really. I just." I sighed, glancing down at my hands. "I just don't know how he feels about me. I mean, I know that I like him. Like, really like him. But I don't know if it's reciprocal. What if he just kinda likes me?"

She released a barking laugh. "Okay, Ang, I love you. You know I do. But you're being ridiculous."

"What?"