Page 99 of The Perfect Spiral
“Ewww, can you not right now? You’re still hugging me. I’m practically getting a 3D preview of your make-out session.”
Laughter echoes around me, but they continue to hug me while kissing each other.
“Seriously, someone save me before I vomit on these two!” Knox tugs at my leg, pulling me away from them. I lie on the ground, looking up at him.
He’s smiling down at me when the door suddenly swings open. Panic surges through me again, and I scramble up, hidingbehind Knox.
I’m still on edge, so any sudden movements make me jumpy. Sam walks in, Tyson and the three little rugrats trailing behind her.
Knox turns to me, pulling me close with his arm draped over my shoulders. “It’s just Sam, baby doll. I’ve got you. I’ll protect you.”
I’ll protect you. Those are words I’ve always longed to hear. They soothe my frayed nerves.
Sam spots me and asks, “What did I miss? What’s wrong? Why is Mom crying?... Why are Andy and Kyle making out on the floor?” Her face scrunches up at the last part.
We all burst into laughter, and my mom stands up to hug her. “Long story, sweetie, long story.”
I glance over at Wes, who is glaring at Knox and his arm over my shoulder. I step out of his touch and head towards the bathroom, hoping to diffuse the tension between them. Where did this come from?
Chapter 34
A few hours later, Andy, Sam, Hannah, Sam’s best friend Zara, and I decide to have a girls’ night with a slumber party.
My mom filled Sam in on what happened, and she hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe. But it was a comforting gesture. Still, I do need my oxygen.
So, all five of us are sitting downstairs in the theater, gossiping after failing to watch the chosen movie, White Chicks.
We start chatting about boys and New Year’s Eve to distract ourselves from the morning’s events. With face masks on and cocktails in hand, we’re all a little tipsy.
“So, Andy, when did you first kiss Kyle?” Zara asks, lighteningthe mood. I let my mind wander to my very first kiss, which was with Knox, in the closet to the left of the screen.
I find myself staring at it before Zara pulls me out of my reverie.
“What? Sorry, what’s up?”
“First kiss story! Spill.” Well, shit. Only Hannah knows this one. I could lie, but Andy would know. She’s good at picking up on that sort of stuff.
I glance over at Hannah, who is smirking behind her straw, pretending not to know.
“Well, um, it was good. I mean, I was nine, so it was a little awkward.”
“Where was it and who was it with?” Sam prods.
“Um... it was in the storage closet over there,” I say, pointing to the closet to the left of where we’re sitting. I fall silent, looking around at them. They’re all waiting for me to continue the story.
Sam raises an eyebrow at me. “Who was it with, Alex?”
“Um... well...” I try to find a way to avoid telling them it was Knox. But I’m really struggling to do so.
“Alex! Who was it with?!”
“Knox...” I blurt out. They all stare at me, wide-eyed, before their shock morphs into grins. Except for Hannah, she already knew this.
“No way! Are you serious? Knox fucking Carter! Ugh, I’m so jealous! He was your first kiss?”
I nod at her, and Sam sits there, processing this information with a smile on her face.
“I knew something happened between you two! I was wondering why he changed his attitude towards you! He was nice to you, then he was so mean to you! Now I get it!”
