Every Kiss (19 page)

FINALLY, SPRING HAS surrendered,
giving way to sunshine and lazy days on the beach. The air grows a little
thicker every day as the heat and humidity make a steady climb, but the warmth
on my skin is a nice change from the bitter cold. The arrival of summer also
brings with it the most important thing of all—the end of another year of
college. I just survived my last final as a junior, and I can finally consider
myself a senior.

Since we have to move out of the dorms for the summer,
Makenna and I are both moving back home. I’ve gotten used to having her around
every day, so I know I’ll miss her. Her parents moved a few months ago, so
she’s going to be two hours away, even farther away than she was before. We’ve
already planned to get together as much as possible, but we both know the
chances of that happening too often are slim. She’ll be farther from Shane,
too, so he’ll be fighting for her attention. And I know that, most of the time,
he’ll win. But I’m okay with that.

As much as I love her, it won’t hurt us to have a break from
each other. Besides, I haven’t been myself much lately, and I’d like some time
to myself to reset, to get centered again. Between all the nonsense a few weeks
ago with Wes and finals I’ve been studying hard for, I’m just bitchy, and I
hate feeling that way. It’s bad enough when other people point out how bitchy
you are, but when you realize it all by yourself? Yeah, it’s that bad.

“You’re finished packing already? When are you leaving?”
Makenna drops her backpack in my doorway and plops onto my bare mattress.

“Tonight. I haven’t seen my folks in almost a month, and I’m
kinda looking forward to getting the move over with. That way, I might actually
get to enjoy my weekend.”

She frowns. “Yeah, I guess I can understand that. I thought
we’d have one more night together before we’re gone for the summer, though. You
know . . . my parents rented that beach house at Gulf Shores again this year.
You should come with us next weekend. We had a lot of fun when you went with us
a couple of years ago. Remember?”

Oh, I remember. It was Makenna’s first foray into alcohol,
and it wasn’t pretty. We got invited to a beach party earlier that day while we
were shopping. She didn’t want to go, but those guys were seriously hot. I
wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

It took us nearly an hour of walking in the dark to get to
the secluded area of the beach, but we finally found it. There was a huge
bonfire, probably fifty or more people, and
lots
of alcohol. Makenna
never really had an opportunity to be part of that kind of scene before. Her
parents kept her on a pretty tight leash, and she never even gave it a tug. She
worked hard in school and really the only social life she had was with me.

I, on the other hand, wanted the full experience. Oh, I
studied hard, too, but I played just as hard. Not that I ever really drank
much, but I had before. And I never ever touched any drugs. I went to all the
parties, but I was there for two much more important things. Dancing and boys.
I considered those nights to be successful if my feet hurt from dancing too
much, and I made out with a guy. As dumb as it sounds, that was my kind of fun.
Still is.

But that night, it was Makenna who wanted to experience it
all. She’d never had any alcohol before, and she’d never been kissed, so she
was determined to remedy both that night. Problem was that she drank so much
trying to get up the nerve to kiss someone that she could hardly walk, and it
didn’t take long before she started telling me that she wasn’t feeling well. We
ended up leaving the party, and we didn’t make it halfway back before she was
throwing up. Since her parents had also gone out that night, I was able to get
her showered and in bed before they got home. The next day, she was violently
ill, but her parents believed our food poisoning story.

“I’ll see if my parents have any plans for me, and if they
don’t, I might come with you. It’ll be nice to relax and read on the beach for
a few days.”

She stares at me, her eyes bugging out of her head. “Are you
kidding me? Every other time you’ve come with us, you’ve had these grand plans
of shopping and partying. What’s with the sudden geriatrics?”

“I don’t know. I’m just tired, I guess. I’ve been really
busy the last few weeks.”

“No, you’ve been really depressing these last few weeks.
Tell me the truth . . . is this about Wes? You haven’t said a word about him
since he walked out of his parents’ house that day, he hasn’t been calling, and
Shane said he hasn’t seen him much lately. I’ve been patiently waiting for you
to finally give up and talk to me about what’s been eating at you, but my
patience is wearing thin. What really happened that day?”

I roll my eyes while taping the last box. “Mak, there’s
nothing more to tell. He got pissed at me for speaking my mind. It was just a
one night kind of thing, and we both agreed to that before it ever started. Wes
has his own life, and I’m not really a part of it. We’re just friends. Not even
that, really. We’re acquaintances, who used each other for sex. It’s that simple.”

“You’re not a very good liar.” She snatches the tape
dispenser from me and tosses it onto the bed, glowering at me. “Why don’t you
just admit it? I can see it. Shane can see it. You like him.”

“Of course, I do. Most of the time, he’s a decent guy, and
he can be fun to hang out with. That doesn’t mean I’m pining over him or
anything.”

But I am.

“Well, whatever. I know something is up with you. I also
know it has something to do with Wes. But I’m going to drop it for now because
you’re clearly not going to own up to it. So to make it up to me, you’re coming
with me to Gulf Shores. It is your twenty-first birthday next Saturday, after
all. I’ve been around for every one of your birthdays since you were eight, and
I’m not about to start missing them now.”

My eighth birthday was where it all began for us. My parents
were really busy with starting their careers, so they planned my party last
minute. I wanted to invite the girls from my dance class, but they sent out
invitations so late that everyone already had plans. Only one girl showed up,
and she’s stuck with me ever since. Even though Makenna is a year younger, we
seemed to click right from the start. She made me forget that no one else
showed up to my party, and that birthday ended up being the most memorable I’ve
ever had.

“Okay. You have yourself a deal. I’ll go, but you have
nothing to prove now. You’ve already had alcohol and your first kiss—among
other firsts—so there’s nothing left to experience. Let’s just keep it low key
this time, okay?”

She wraps her arms around me and squeezes tight. “It’s only
going to be a week before I see you again, and I already miss you.”

“I know what you mean,” I say, leaning my head over onto
hers. “I love you, too.”

GETTING SETTLED BACK into my old
bedroom is a lot less fun than I imagined. I was looking forward to being back,
but as I look around at all of the junk from high school plastered all over my
walls, I almost feel like I’ve been transported back in time. I’ve matured a
lot over the last few years, so seeing all of this is a little weird for me. I
don’t know why it’s never bothered me before, though.

“Hey, sweetie,” Mom sings, rushing into the room to hug me.
She’s still wearing her lab coat over her scrubs, and the sterile scent of her
office clings to her. But as always, her makeup and short blond hair are
flawless. “Sorry I’m so late. I had a couple of procedures scheduled this
afternoon, and they both took longer than I thought. What do you want for
dinner? Your dad was hoping to be back home tonight, but he won’t be coming in
until the weekend. They’re having some major issues at that nuclear plant he’s
working in right now. Maybe we can all go to dinner for your birthday when he
gets in Saturday. I know he’s excited to see you.”

Sometimes, I feel like I need to keep a notepad to keep up
with everything she says in a conversation. “I don’t really care what we eat.
I’m not really all that hungry. And I won’t be home this weekend. Remember? I’m
going to Gulf Shores with Makenna for the week.”

“Oh, yeah. I do remember. Well, maybe we can plan a little
birthday party for when you and your dad are back home. Whatever you want to
do. But why aren’t you hungry? You always have an opinion about what we eat,
and ever since you got here last Friday, you’ve been . . . well,
un
opinionated.
About everything. That’s not like you at all. Something wrong?”

“No, I’ve just been really stressed out lately, and I’ve
been using this time to wind down.”

She smiles sweetly and nods. “Well, winding down is exactly
what you need, then. You and Makenna are leaving tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, I need to finish my laundry and get packed.” I glance
over at the last pile of dirty clothes in the basket by my door. “Shouldn’t
take too long.”

“Okay, baby. Why don’t you get that started, and I’ll go
throw together a grilled chicken salad for us.” She starts out the door but
stops short. “Oh, and make sure you pack lots of sunscreen. I have some really
high SPF in my bathroom cabinet you can take. And don’t forget to stay under
the umbrella if you go out on the beach this week.”

The joys of having a dermatologist mother. “Yes, ma’am.”

As soon as I get my clothes in the washing machine and start
back to my room, my Breaking Benjamin ringtone echoes down the hallway, and I
have to run across the house to catch it in time.

“Hey, Mak,” I answer breathlessly.

“Hey, you! How’s life back at home going?”

I flop onto my bed. “Weird. You?”

“The same. But I have some good news. No, better than good.
Amazing
news.” She’s bouncing around like a lunatic. I can hear it in her voice.

“What is it? Don’t tell me you got engaged or something like
that.”

She laughs. “Do I sound like I’m crying? Do you know me at
all?”

Good point. She’d definitely be crying about that. “True. So
what is it?”

“I can’t tell you.”

Huh? “What do you mean by that? How can it be ‘news’ if
you’re not telling me what it is? Why can’t you tell me?”

“Just can’t. I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but you’ll find out
in the morning when I pick you up. Be ready to leave around ten in the morning,
and don’t forget your sunscreen.” She loves to joke about my mom’s affinity for
sun protection, but she’ll be slathering it on as much as I will.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve already been reminded. And for the record,
I hate it when you know something I don’t. It’s just plain creepy.”

“Knowledge is power, and I have it all for a change. Now you
know what it feels like to be me. Sleep on it and stew in it.” She cackles,
thoroughly enjoying this. “See you in the morning. Goodnight, Cal!”

“Night, Mak,” I grumble.

But honestly, not knowing the big surprise isn’t really
bothering me. I still have a feeling it has something to do with Shane. These
days,
everything
Makenna gets excited about has to do with Shane, not
that I can blame her for that.

I’m surprisingly more anxious to leave than I would’ve
imagined though. A week ago, I was trying to talk myself into going with her,
and now I can hardly wait to get away for a few days. Sure, hanging out with
her brainiac parents isn’t exactly the epitome of a relaxing vacation, but it
beats sitting at home alone all day while my parents work. It stresses me out.
And I really have missed Makenna.

Finally, after waking up every hour to check the time,
morning comes. Of course, by the time my alarm clock goes off, I am sleeping
soundly. It always seems to work that way, for some reason. After rolling out
of bed and getting ready, I drag my suitcase into the living room and set it by
the front door with just enough time to spare for a cup of coffee.

My mom breezes into the kitchen, looking much the same as
she did last night—perfect, as always. “Morning, sweetie. Sleep well?”