Page 3 of Last First Kiss
The very last one is our top school. We’ve been dreaming about this school since freshman year. Her mom has bought us so much UW merch, you’d think we were students there already.
“Are you ready?” I ask.
“Yes.” Alejandra shrugs, trying to play it off, but I know her too well and notice the slight tension in her shoulders.
We open the envelopes together, practically falling over each other to read the words. When we realize what they say, we freeze for a second, then explode into screams.
“We got in!” Alejandra shouts as she pulls me into a hug, laughing, jumping, both of us spinning in this ridiculous, happy blur.
We cling to each other, out of breath, smiling wide. Alejandra pulls back a little, and suddenly our faces are close. Her eyes catch mine, and something shifts. Our laughter fades, caught mid-breath, and we’re just standing there, holding each other.
My heart stumbles. Her eyes drop to my lips, so quicklyI think I made it up, and when they again meet mine, everything in me goes quiet.
She struggles to swallow before she bites her lip. Then she laughs, a short, breathy sound that breaks the moment. She steps back quickly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“Wow,” she says, her voice quieter than usual, eyes everywhere but on me. “I can’t believe we did it.”
“Yeah.” I fight to calm my pounding heart, still buzzing with adrenaline and a nervousness I’ve never felt around Alejandra before.
I try to ignore whatever it is, deciding it’s the overwhelming excitement, but a part of me can’t help but wonder if Alejandra felt it, too. If, for a second, her world shrank to just me, the way mine did with her.
She nudges me, and an electric current sparks from the spot where her fingers touch my shoulder and runs all the way down to my fingertips.
“Are you ready?” she asks, snatching her hand from my shoulder as if the current zapped her, too.
I shrug, trying to play it cool. “Yeah, are you?”
Alejandra nods with a casualness that doesn’t match her flushed cheeks.
For months, that moment keeps coming back to me. Were Alejandra and I about to kiss? Did I want to? I don’t even know. I’ve never kissed anyone before, and having my first kiss be with my best friend sounds a little ridiculous, but then again, it doesn’t. Alejandra and I do everything together, so what’s one more thing? I’d rather it be with someone who means the world to me than a random girl.
I never act on it; with time, even the thought starts to feel silly.
Graduation comes and goes, another milestone without my mom. It’s supposed to be a celebration, but all I feel is the hollow space where she should be. My friends pull me in for pictures, their laughter bright and effortless as they talk about the graduation party later.
I smile, I pose, I nod along. But beneath it all, there’s a sharp ache.
“When my mom finishes this intense photoshoot, will you come with me? I have a surprise for you,” Alejandra whispers in my ear so sweetly that it sends a shiver down my spine.
I nod, and after about a million photos, we slip away and make our way to her car.
“So, what’s the surprise?” I ask as we get closer.
“A graduation gift.” She does a little bounce.
“But—I didn’t get you anything,” I mumble, guilt creeping in.
She shakes her head. “You didn’t have to. I wanted to give you something special. I know today must be tough without Maribel here. And I can’t fix that, but ... I wanted to give you something that you could hold on to. Something to remind you she’s still with you, even if you can’t see her.” Alejandra runs her thumb along the tattoo of my mom’s name on my neck, smiling gently.
My chest tightens as she reaches into the trunk of her car and pulls out a small square object, wrapped carefully in tissue paper.
She hands it to me, and my fingers tremble as I open it. When I finally peel back all the layers, my eyes fill with tears as I take in every detail of the painting. It’s of me in my cap and gown, standing proud. And next to me is my mom,glowing in her favorite flowery dress, the one she always wore on special days, the one she most likely would have worn today. Her hand is on my shoulder, and her smile is so real that I almost hear her laugh tumble through.
Tears well in my eyes. There’s so much I want to say, but I can’t. My throat is completely shut, and all I can do is hold the painting to my chest, as if by doing so, I can hold my mom, too.
Alejandra wraps her arms around me, and even though she’s a little shorter than I am, I melt into her, letting her hold me together.
“Thank you,” I choke out as soon as I can. “How did you even get this?”
