13 I could hear the music pounding in the gym from the parking lot. It had been a week since the kiss and people had moved on like Dr. Teal had said. My team started waiting for me again, but they asked me to change in a stall instead of in the locker room. No one had written anything else on my locker and things went back to normal. However, a couple people still gave me dirty looks in the hall and Mike called me a dyke in homeroom yesterday. That is nothing compared to the fact that Leah still hasn’t spoken to me since that day at the lake. A couple wearing a matching prom dress and suit walked by giggling at something one of them said. I had to fight back the urge to turn around and drive home. Smoothing down my blazer, I tuned out the rest of the world as I walked into the gym. The music lulled as it switched from a line dance to a slow song—people were too busy pairing off to notice my entrance. I made a beeline to the snack table, hoping that a few chips and a cup of punch would help ease my nerves. Dr. Teal was the staff member in charge of making sure that no one spiked the punch. She gave me an encouraging smile. I tried to return the smile but it felt more like a grimace. When I finished my snack I knew I had no choice but to do what I had promised myself and Dr. Teal to do. It wasn’t hard to find her. Leah was like a magnet: I could find her anywhere. She was surrounded by a group of people—most of them from her debate team. Her dark green dress that we chose together months ago looked stunning against her red hair. My breath caught in my throat. I froze: I was physically unable to get closer to her. I knew that at that moment I was not going to keep my promise. How could I possibly go up and talk to her and apologize for the kiss when all I wanted to do was kiss her again? As if she could sense my thoughts, Leah’s eyes suddenly met mine from across the room. Panic bubbled in my chest. Leah turned and said something to the person standing next to her, then she started toward me. Every muscle in my body stiffened. My brain said run, run now, but nothing happened. She was just five steps away from me when I figured I should probably say something. I opened my mouth to apologize, but before a word could escape from me, her lips came crashing down on mine. Whatever I was thinking of saying flew from my mind in an instant. Leah Jones was kissing me. She was kissing me. And I kissed her back.
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