My Kissing Buddy | ✓

Chap1er one

LIFE WOULD MAYBE BE A little bit easier if I didn't always have to fall on my face. No, seriously. I run down the stairs and pain hits me like a bullet would a small piece of flubber; I bounce. 

I hear Dee's roaring laughter behind me as I stand and look at the front door where Bec, my wonderful friend, is standing too, looking down on me as I struggle to lift myself up. It doesn't help that I'd fallen right by her feet at all.

A smile is plastered on her face and I realize that I'm feeling something else rather than pain. I'm both annoyed and embarrassed.

My mother walks into the foyer from the kitchen and curiously looks around. "What was that loud thud?" she asks.

"Oh, just your daughter breaking her legs. No biggie," Bec answers for me (as if I didn't have a mouth for doing exactly that), making mum choke on laughter.

Great, now everyone's laughing at me. This is why I have self-esteem issues.

"Look, are we going to head out or what?" I ask in a clearly irritated tone. It's also clear that I don't like being laughed at.

Bec pouts and stretches her right hand over to my right shoulder then brings me close for a side hug. "Why are you always so clumsy?" she asks. It's like I'd know the answer to a question like that. It's like asking someone why they're old. People age so how can someone answer such a question?

"Ask Gravity. Maybe he has the answer," I reply with a shrug.

"What if Gravity's a she? Have you ever thought about that?"

"Bec, Gravity's not a living being." I pat her shoulder. "It doesn't care what pronoun you give it-- and since when have I always been clumsy?"

Bec laughs out loud this time. I'm glad that at least someone's having fun...

"I'm just teasing Jay!" she says then drags me out the door. We both say goodbye to mum and Dee making sure to close the door behind us. Bec walks over to the driver's seat and I to the passenger's. She twists the car key and the engines roar awake.

"You know, I'm just wondering when you're never clumsy-"

"When I'm not falling," I answer impatiently. "Now, can you drive?"

Bec shook her head with a persistent smile on her face. "Don't get too moody."

I decide to remain silent and look out the window. My cheek rests comfortably on my right hand as I open the window.

"I'm going to pick up Alex first, then we'll head to the game, okay?"

"Alex?" I might have sounded extremely fed up with Alex when I said that but I swear I wasn't. I nod. "Just as long as we get there on time."

Now, you may wonder who Alex is. Well,  Alexander Dimenti was what I call my best-friend-in-law. He's Bec's boyfriend and one of the few boys I ever talk to.

Yeah, big whoop! I don't talk to that many boys. Why? Because I'm shy. I'm afraid of boys and they make me nervous, okay? It's the hormones probably. There's something about having low self-esteem and having all these pretty boys around. You feel little and like they're always judging you.

After a short while, we stop by a fairly huge house at the end of a cul-de-sac. Alex and another one of his friends are standing outside the house playfully pushing each other around. When the car gets close, they stop and smile as they head for the back of the car.

"Hey Bec!" Alex greeted and gave Bec a quick peck on the cheek from the back seat. He turned to me and gave a slight nod. "'Sup Jay."

"Good," I answered simply. The other guy that sat behind me, had jumped into the car and made it sink towards his side, that is, the back right of the car. Not that he was plump, he was just... muscular.

I looked at him and waved slightly but he grabbed my hand and shook it instead.

"I'm Ryan-"

"My cousin," Alex said. That would explain why they both looked the same.

"Nice to meet you, Ryan!"Bec greeted enthusiastically. "I'm Bec and she's Jamie."

Ryan nodded and gave both of us a closed-eyes smile. I smiled back awkwardly at him and then faced outside my window immediately. I'd almost gotten a heart attack when he yanked my arm for a handshake!

"So, I hope you all have your tickets with you," Bec warned. Each of us checked our pockets and took out a ticket. "Great! We're almost there!"

"I just hope we'll get good seats!" Ryan commented which made all of us agree in almost-perfect unison and inaudible murmurs.

"So, front, back or middle?" Alex asked.

"Middle!" Bec and Ryan shouted.

"Back!" I shouted.

Everyone else in the car looked at me like I had a huge 'I'm crazy' sign on my forehead.

"What?" I asked innocently. "The back is where the view is spectacular! We'll see everything."

"Yeah, everything. Including those weird couples that have sex at the back thinking no one's watching," Bec disagreed. "The middle is where you get to see a lot of action, close up, without getting hit in the face with a ball. Plus, those hot-dog guys usually levitate around the middle."

Ryan nodded energetically as he held out his hand to Bec for a high-five. He sure was the friendly type...

"Fine," I agreed reluctantly, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest. "The middle it is."

Ryan and Bec howled a 'yes!' and high-fived each other again. Wait, isn't Bec the one driving?

I scoffed loud enough for them to know they were being annoyingly happy about it. And that I was butt-hurt too.

"We're here!" Bec screamed as soon as she parked the car.

"We have eyes, Bec. We can see the huge arena in front of us."

Bec rolled her eyes at me and unlocked the car doors. "Just get out Miss Moody. You too Dimentis."

All of us opened each of our respective doors and got out. I looked up at Ryan and saw him smile down at me. He wasn't that tall when he and Alex were standing side by side outside their house. Then again, Alex was pretty tall. And so was I; five foot nine, yet he looked like a skyscraper to me.

Damn, he was tall.

"Let's head in!" Bec said and we followed her inside.

The entrance was crowded with people being checked but when we finally made it through, we handed over our tickets and headed to the middle bleachers. Luckily, we found five empty seats next to each other. Just our luck!

"So, how are we going to sit?"

"Well, I'm sitting next to you," I whispered at Bec, nudging her by the bottom of her top. Bec laughed at this.

"Sure," she whispered back.

"I'm seating next to you babe," Alex said.

My heart beat as I eyed Ryan anxiously waiting for him to say where he'd be seated. The only spot he could choose would be beside me or Alex and he couldn't possibly choose a seat next to me...

"I'll sit next to Jamie then."

I looked at Ryan like an antelope would a lion, begging for mercy. And then, I heard myself gulp.