Survival Guide to Boys
Chapter 2
Selina's parties were always the same. Same music, same food, same drinks, same rooms designated for the same stuff. The people were usually the same, and the fun was always the same.
When Reagan dropped us off at the door to park elsewhere, I could see Selina sitting in the window of her house. She was staring out the window and sipping from a red plastic cup. We walked in and she immediately tackled me.
"Whoa!" I hollered out as she spilled her drink in the floor.
"There's someone I want you to meet."
She took my hand and led me off to her living room. I looked back to Tara for help, but she shrugged and headed into the kitchen. Selina was muttering drunken, unintelligible worrds and dragging me along.
"Alex!" she shrieked. "Where did you go?"
"I'm right here!" a boy yelled from the pool table.
"Oh. Here's Kaily, the girl I was telling you about."
A boy, I assumed he was Alex, looked up and caught my eye. He was gorgeous, with his wavy brown hair and bright green eyes. He smiled at me and put his pool stick down. I could barely breathe as he walked over to me and extended his hand.
"Hi, I'm Alex."
"Uh, Kaily," I replied, shaking his hand.
"Would you like something to drink?" he offered.
"If there's anything that's non-alcoholic."
"Maybe some water? I don't drink either."
We laughed together and I said,"No thanks then."
He took my hand and led me outside to the back porch. Barely anyone was outside since it was so hot.
"So..."
"So..." I echoed.
"Where do you go to school?" he asked.
"Creek Run Middle School. I'm in 8th grade."
"Oh, okay. I go to Valerie High School. I'm a junior."
"Oh, that's cool."
A junior? He was what, 16 or 17? How could he be interested in me, of all people?
"You're really pretty, for an eighth grader," he whispered. "But why don't you wear your hair down? It's a lovely color."
Before I could answer, he untied my hair and let it fall to my shoulders.
"Such a pretty golden brown," he said, stroking it.
I blushed and said thank you. Even though it was burning up outside, he was making me shiver. He noticed that I was shaking and wrapped his arms around me.
"How about we ditch this party?"
"I can't. My friends bust me, calling my house and telling my parents that they couldn't find me or something."
"We can go get something to eat. We'll be back before they notice you're gone, I promise."
He wrapped his fingers around mine and kissed me softly. I bet you a trillion electrical shocks came through my body through his lips. I kissed him back just as gently and willed for the kiss to not end. But all good things must.
"How about now?" he tried again.
"Yeah."
We held hands while we walked around the house to get to the driveway. His car was parked perfectly, and he opened the door for me to get in. Such a gentleman. After I was in and buckled, he walked over to his side and got in the driver's seat.
"Where would you like to go, Kaily?"
"Anywhere. I'm starving."
"Anywhere it is. How does Johnny Rocket's sound?"
"Amazing."
He backed out of the driveway and drove the whole three miles. It was pretty crowded inside, but we were seated quickly. Alex ordered a chocolate milkshake for us to share, which made me tingle all over with enthusiasm.
"You can order anything you want," he told me.
"Okay."
There was only one thing on the menu I could eat- the Boca burger. Alex ordered cheese fries for us to share and ordered some burger with a weird name.
"I want the Boca burger, whatever y'all call it here," I told the waiter.
"Oh, sorry, but we're out. Some hippies came in earlier," he informed me with a laugh.
"Oh...okay."
"Wait, you're a vegetarian?" Alex said with a puzzled look.
"Yeah. In that case, I'll just have a veggie sandwich if that's okay."
When the waiter left, Alex stared at me. "So. No meat at all?"
"None. I think it's wrong for animals to be killed for our food."
He nodded and smiled. "That's pretty cool."
"Yeah."
We shared the milkshake and waited for our food to come, sitting and talking. When it came, I was so nervous I could barely eat.
"Oh come on, babe. Don't tell me you're one of those girls that won't eat in front of me."
"I'm just nervous,"I confessed.
He popped a fry in his mouth and kept staring at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. Your eyes are just gorgeous."
I blushed again and took a tentative bite of my sandwich. He watched me eat, which made me slightly uncomfortable. Once we were finished, he drove me back to Selina's.
"Oh man. It's 11. My curfew is in a half hour. Could I drive you home?" Alex offered.
"Um, that sounds good. Just let me go tell my friend Tara where I'm going."
He waited for me while I ran in to find my best friend. It was hard to shove through the gyrating, sweating, drunken bodies, but I finally found her in the lap of some guy that I had never seen before.
"Hey. Don't get too drunk. I'm leaving with a new friend. Alex."
"Okay, bye!" she laughed out.
The boy nibbled on her neck and I turned to leave. The night had turned out to be amazing, even though it hadn't been spent with my friends. I ran out into the night and crawled into his car. His lips met mine in a surprise. I kissed back and giggled.
"You're a good kisser," he told me.
"So are you."
He then put the car in drive and put a hand on mine. I told him how to get to my house, but I barely could think. His hand felt so soft, warm, and strong on mine. I had a crush, for the first time in about two years.
I was loving it.
When Reagan dropped us off at the door to park elsewhere, I could see Selina sitting in the window of her house. She was staring out the window and sipping from a red plastic cup. We walked in and she immediately tackled me.
"Whoa!" I hollered out as she spilled her drink in the floor.
"There's someone I want you to meet."
She took my hand and led me off to her living room. I looked back to Tara for help, but she shrugged and headed into the kitchen. Selina was muttering drunken, unintelligible worrds and dragging me along.
"Alex!" she shrieked. "Where did you go?"
"I'm right here!" a boy yelled from the pool table.
"Oh. Here's Kaily, the girl I was telling you about."
A boy, I assumed he was Alex, looked up and caught my eye. He was gorgeous, with his wavy brown hair and bright green eyes. He smiled at me and put his pool stick down. I could barely breathe as he walked over to me and extended his hand.
"Hi, I'm Alex."
"Uh, Kaily," I replied, shaking his hand.
"Would you like something to drink?" he offered.
"If there's anything that's non-alcoholic."
"Maybe some water? I don't drink either."
We laughed together and I said,"No thanks then."
He took my hand and led me outside to the back porch. Barely anyone was outside since it was so hot.
"So..."
"So..." I echoed.
"Where do you go to school?" he asked.
"Creek Run Middle School. I'm in 8th grade."
"Oh, okay. I go to Valerie High School. I'm a junior."
"Oh, that's cool."
A junior? He was what, 16 or 17? How could he be interested in me, of all people?
"You're really pretty, for an eighth grader," he whispered. "But why don't you wear your hair down? It's a lovely color."
Before I could answer, he untied my hair and let it fall to my shoulders.
"Such a pretty golden brown," he said, stroking it.
I blushed and said thank you. Even though it was burning up outside, he was making me shiver. He noticed that I was shaking and wrapped his arms around me.
"How about we ditch this party?"
"I can't. My friends bust me, calling my house and telling my parents that they couldn't find me or something."
"We can go get something to eat. We'll be back before they notice you're gone, I promise."
He wrapped his fingers around mine and kissed me softly. I bet you a trillion electrical shocks came through my body through his lips. I kissed him back just as gently and willed for the kiss to not end. But all good things must.
"How about now?" he tried again.
"Yeah."
We held hands while we walked around the house to get to the driveway. His car was parked perfectly, and he opened the door for me to get in. Such a gentleman. After I was in and buckled, he walked over to his side and got in the driver's seat.
"Where would you like to go, Kaily?"
"Anywhere. I'm starving."
"Anywhere it is. How does Johnny Rocket's sound?"
"Amazing."
He backed out of the driveway and drove the whole three miles. It was pretty crowded inside, but we were seated quickly. Alex ordered a chocolate milkshake for us to share, which made me tingle all over with enthusiasm.
"You can order anything you want," he told me.
"Okay."
There was only one thing on the menu I could eat- the Boca burger. Alex ordered cheese fries for us to share and ordered some burger with a weird name.
"I want the Boca burger, whatever y'all call it here," I told the waiter.
"Oh, sorry, but we're out. Some hippies came in earlier," he informed me with a laugh.
"Oh...okay."
"Wait, you're a vegetarian?" Alex said with a puzzled look.
"Yeah. In that case, I'll just have a veggie sandwich if that's okay."
When the waiter left, Alex stared at me. "So. No meat at all?"
"None. I think it's wrong for animals to be killed for our food."
He nodded and smiled. "That's pretty cool."
"Yeah."
We shared the milkshake and waited for our food to come, sitting and talking. When it came, I was so nervous I could barely eat.
"Oh come on, babe. Don't tell me you're one of those girls that won't eat in front of me."
"I'm just nervous,"I confessed.
He popped a fry in his mouth and kept staring at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. Your eyes are just gorgeous."
I blushed again and took a tentative bite of my sandwich. He watched me eat, which made me slightly uncomfortable. Once we were finished, he drove me back to Selina's.
"Oh man. It's 11. My curfew is in a half hour. Could I drive you home?" Alex offered.
"Um, that sounds good. Just let me go tell my friend Tara where I'm going."
He waited for me while I ran in to find my best friend. It was hard to shove through the gyrating, sweating, drunken bodies, but I finally found her in the lap of some guy that I had never seen before.
"Hey. Don't get too drunk. I'm leaving with a new friend. Alex."
"Okay, bye!" she laughed out.
The boy nibbled on her neck and I turned to leave. The night had turned out to be amazing, even though it hadn't been spent with my friends. I ran out into the night and crawled into his car. His lips met mine in a surprise. I kissed back and giggled.
"You're a good kisser," he told me.
"So are you."
He then put the car in drive and put a hand on mine. I told him how to get to my house, but I barely could think. His hand felt so soft, warm, and strong on mine. I had a crush, for the first time in about two years.
I was loving it.