Secret Crush

“Truth or dare?” Kenneth lowered his eyelids and raised his bushy eyebrows. 

                “Dare,” Gavin said confidentially. 

                “Hum…” Kenneth tapped his chin, lifting his knees in his cross legged position as if curling into a ball would help him think more efficiently. “Ah ha!  I dare you to kiss Sam!” he ordered, triumphantly thrusting his index finger in the air.  The others in the game paused; Gavin looked just as dumbfounded.

                “Me?” Sam gestured toward himself in disbelief. 

                Kenneth burst into laughter. “No, dork.  Her!” he pointed at the girl sitting across from him with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes layered with glasses. 

She perked up. “M-me?” she squeaked.  Kenneth nodded furiously.  A gasp filled the air as Gavin stepped into the circle. “No, no, no, no, no,” Sam insisted, shaking her head fast. “I can’t.”

“You don’t have to.  Gavin is the one kissing.  You’re just standing there,” Kenneth casually said. 

She squirmed as some of the girls tried to push her up.  She couldn’t help but feel subconscious with all of the other middle school students wandering on the grassy field.  Recess was too open.  Everyone would see. 

“Go Sammy!” Scarlet called from the other side of the circle.  Sam gaped at her friend; shocked that she would encourage it instead of protecting her from such an embarrassing act.  Gavin impatiently stuffed his hands in his pockets.  Sam glanced at his stolid face and noticed the nervousness in his eyes.  She pressed her lips together, reluctantly standing.  All of their friends cheered and hooted as she walked the short distance to stand in front of Gavin.   They stared at each other long enough for Sam to realize the horrible situation she was.  Her mouth opened to protest, but Gavin spoke first.

“Your glasses are in the way,” he commented.  She froze, feeling as though her cheeks were going to burst from the heat gathering under the skin.  Gavin raised his hands toward her face.  She ducked her head and curled her fingers on the end of her green sweater while he slipped off her glasses.  When she looked up, all she could see was him.  Everything and everyone else were blurry blobs of color; except Gavin.  His hands gently took her shoulders, and her heart pumped faster.  She stared wide eyed at him as his face covered the blurriness, moving in until they were breathing the same air.  Their noses touched, and he closed the short distance between them.

Peck: on the cheek.

Gavin pulled back and the tension suddenly disappeared as he stood up straight and declared, “You never pronounced where I must kiss her.” His ‘followers’ raised their fists in agreement, as if they had learned the most important lesson of their life time.

“You’re such a cheater, Gavin,” Kenneth muttered. 

“I am quite the diligent cheater, aren’t I?  I realized your mistake and made my move.  A kiss on the cheek is no big deal you see, so…” he trailed off when he saw Sam.

Her face was beet red. 

He cleared his throat. “Never mind.  Let’s get on with the game,” he said, just as the bell rang. “Or not.”  They all shuffled to their feet and started for the doors.  Sam trailed behind them, her hands clamped together.  The fluttering in her stomach wouldn’t go away.  As they neared the doors, she looked up and saw Gavin glancing back at her.  He flinched and whirled back around.  Her cheeks grew warm as the corner of her lips began to tip upward.  She grabbed her cheeks and pulled them down.  People will see me smiling, she thought, rubbing her cheeks to relax the muscles.  By the time she entered the school building, she was frowning.  She dared another look at Gavin, but he wasn’t looking back.

“Sammy!” Scarlet called, skipping next to her. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that he kissed you on the cheek!” she exclaimed.

“SHH!!” Sam clamped a hand over Scarlet’s mouth.  Scarlet made a noise and Sam let her hand drop. “What?”

“Where are your glasses?”

There was a moment of relapse before Sam realized what she was saying. “M-my glasses?” she patted over her eyes and pinned herself to the wall while the student body continued on. 

Scarlet followed her move. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for my glasses,” she began inching back to the door.

“Gavin has them, remember?”

Sam whipped her head up and remembered when he had taken them off.  Her jaw dropped.  Gavin had tricked her!

“Sam!” a voice called her. 

Next thing she knew, someone appeared in front of her and a familiar metal slipped behind her ears.  She blinked, her vision immediately clearing to see that she was facing someone’s shirt.  Her head tilted back.  It was Gavin. 

“Sorry, I forgot to give those back after I put them in my pocket,” he apologized, and walked away before Sam could comprehend how close they had been.  She readjusted the crooked glasses and looked at Scarlet.

“You two are sooooo cute,” she said through puckered lips. 

Sam felt the heat gather in her face again and stared down at her watch.  She gasped, “We’re going to be late!”  They ran down the hall to their classes.  All the while, Sam couldn’t stop thinking about the gentle pressure of Gavin’s mouth on her cheek.  

Reviews

[Jane P.]

Oh my gosh, I love this!

It's starts so cute and sweet and then you sped it up and gather so much intensity and emotion. I actually burst out laughing when you abruptly switch it up with,

"Peck: on the cheek."

The change in pace was awesome and so true when considering the dramatic nature for kids. Like one second the world is about to explode, then it quickly deflates.

This story is just really endearing and cute. The characters are well defined and clearly crafted. The descriptions suit and enhance the story. Really, all elements are working perfectly to make this a fun and engaging read.

So happy I read this! Thanks for sharing :)

[Emiko Tagahushi]

Thanks Jane! I'm really glad you enjoyed the story! Your review made me smile. :D

[Taylor]

As others have said, this is a sweet story -- you describe the experience that most of us can remember as among the purest and sometimes most painful of our lives. In terms of the actual story, you made good use of dialog to advance the story. At times, you summarize instead of showing. An example of that is "Sam gaped at her friend; shocked that she would encourage it instead of protecting her from such an embarrassing act." It is more powerful to illustrate that through dialog or action, so the reader can deduce that. I think that if you hold to the principle of showing rather than telling, it would serve you well. Keep writing. You have talent.

[Emiko Tagahushi]

Thanks Taylor for the constructive critique! I will go back, when I have more time lol, and try to show more than tell. :)

[Philip Muls]

Good pace, strong story structure. Nostalgia.

[Kaliope]

That was sooo lovely! Both incredibly cute and incredibly nostalgic. God, those days of truth or dare... I could almost feel all the heat that blasted game had brought to my cheeks over the years... :-)

Style & tone was great, dialog was endearing and plausible - I have no suggestions whatsoever. This was - to me - a perfect little scene. Brilliant job!

[Emiko Tagahushi]

Thanks Kali! I'm glad that you enjoyed the piece and that it reminded you of your experiences. It was a lot of fun to write. ^^