Kiss and Repeat by Heather Truett

Author:Heather Truett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Chapter Ten

On Monday, I sought advice from the one person who knew how it felt to like a girl, even kiss a girl, and not be in a romantic relationship with said girl.

Ballard sat across the lunch table from me, spoon paused in midair. I’d explained my concerns, and he got an intense look on his face, as though I’d asked him to come up with a peace treaty for World War III or end the fighting between Israel and Palestine. Underneath his wild facade, Ballard could be serious. He liked to analyze things, which is why he came up with the whole kissing experiment in the first place.

“Did you ever say the word ‘girlfriend’?”

I mentally inspected my Saturday at the mall with Pilar, the awkwardness with my pants and making out in the bathroom, and finally eating ice cream together until Isabel showed up and pried Pilar away.

“No,” I told him once I’d replayed every bit of conversation from the day. “I never said the word ‘girlfriend.’”

“Okay. Good.” Ballard’s spoon resumed its journey to the pudding cup in front of him.

Around us, the other guys rehashed a football game, and Sylvie sat cross-legged at the center of us all. She was wearing red leggings and a huge green T-shirt, making her look a bit like a Christmas elf who showed up too early. The bells jingling on her earrings helped the effect. Only Sylvie could pull off that outfit in September.

“But she said the word ‘boyfriend.’ Or, boyfriends, actually. And I didn’t say anything to dissuade her.”

“That is problematic,” Ballard said. He licked his spoon and watched Sylvie eat a bite of salad.

“Right?” I folded and unfolded a paper napkin on the table. “I messed up, didn’t I?”

“I’m not sure it matters,” Ballard said. “I mean, if you don’t want a girlfriend, tell her so. I know you think I string girls along too much, but I always tell a girl exactly where we stand. Otherwise, it gets messy fast.”

He was right, and I knew it. But …

“What if I tell her I don’t want a girlfriend right now, and she thinks that means I don’t like her?”

Ballard shrugged. “Tell her it doesn’t mean that.”

“That seems too simple.”

“Maybe it is. But you can’t control how she responds, only how you act.”

For a few minutes, we chewed in silence, the sound of the conversations around us rising and falling, Ballard’s eyes continuously wandering to where Sylvie sat.

Then his eyes were back on me, and he looked like a cartoon lightbulb had just gone off inside his head. “We still have the kissing experiment, and you can’t go around kissing other girls if you have a girlfriend.”

“I’m done with that experiment, man. I have enough data to know it works, at least temporarily, but I’m not even sure it matters.” I lowered my voice and leaned toward him. “Pilar likes me, right? And I didn’t have to hide my Tourette’s for her to kiss me.”

“What are you boys discussing so intently?” Sylvie dropped onto the orange plastic seat beside Ballard.

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