Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91363 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91363 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
“I’m not going to make out with him. I’m talking about a kiss like a goodnight kiss.”
“Fine, then.” I shook my head and raked my fingers through my hair. I hated talking about this with her. “Just mirror whatever he does. If it’s slow, go slow. If it’s fast, let it end. If he gives you a little tongue, give him a little tongue back.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about French kissing.”
“You’re right. And you don’t want to catch mono, so maybe just stick to a kiss on the cheek or even just a handshake or a tip of the hat. He probably always has a baseball hat on, right?”
“Stop.” Laughter bubbled up her chest. “He wasn’t wearing a hat. And I’m not shaking his hand.”
“Then maybe a high five.”
She snorted. “I’m being serious. If you show me how to be a good kisser, I’ll be at the dining hall when they open tomorrow and get you like five or six of the bear claws you like.”
Kissing the girl that I loved beyond reason and five bear claws. What kind of idiot passed that up?
Me.
“It would be like kissing my sister. Too weird,” I lied. I was a fraud and an idiot.
“Tillie is super cute. I bet she’s a good kisser.”
“Gross, Gabby.” I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. “Don’t say that about my sister.”
“What about Jason?” She sat on the bottom bunk bed, which was mine.
“Jason? My roommate?”
She nodded.
“What about him?”
“Maybe he could teach me how to kiss. He’s not my type, but he has a nice smile, and it looks like he brushes his teeth, so—”
“Gabriella, I’m calling your dad.”
“What? No! Are you crazy? This is not what a best friend does. So help me, Benjamin, if you leak any of this to my dad, I will never speak to you again.”
I stepped away from the door as it opened behind me.
“Yo,” Jason said, his gaze focused on Gabby for a second before looking at me. “Bad timing?”
“No. It’s fine,” I grumbled.
“Hi, Jason,” she said and then bit her lower lip to suppress her ridiculous smile. “That orange backpack is pretty gnarly.”
“Gabby and I were just heading out to get ice cream.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her to standing.
Jason adjusted his baseball cap over his short blond hair and grinned at Gabby. “Later.”
“Bye.” She barely got the word out before I had us in the hallway with the door closed.
“I’m full from the pizza. I don’t want ice cream,” she said.
“I’m tired of you losing your mind over Matt Cory. So we’re going to have a little chat, and I do want ice cream.” I held open the door to the stairwell.
She scowled at me before proceeding down the stairway. “I’m not losing my mind. And even if I were, isn’t that what love is supposed to be?”
“You don’t even know him.” I followed her down the stairs, our steps echoing off the concrete walls.
“I do too. I’ve known him for as long as I can remember.” She pushed through the front door as the cool evening air enveloped us.
“Your family has known his family. Sarah knew him because she dated him. You were just there like an old lamp. You blended in, but he never thought about turning you on.”
“Ben!” She slapped my arm.
“You know I’m right.” I led her north toward Baskin-Robbins.
“Why are you so grumpy? Why can’t you just be happy for me?” She swatted a swarm of bugs.
“I’m grumpy because my best friend is willing to kiss my roommate because she’s so desperate to be something she’s not. Sorry that doesn’t make me happy.”
“If you were a girl, you’d be happy for me. You’d squeal and jump up and down with me because the guy I have a crush on almost kissed me.”
“He did not!” I stopped walking.
Gabby halted, too, but not until she was a few steps ahead of me. On a long sigh, she turned.
“I love you,” I said because my heart couldn’t take it any longer. Whatever she thought she felt for Matt, I felt that for her times a million. I should have said it four years earlier.
All I wanted was for her to love me back because no other guy would see her like I did. They wouldn’t have years of Gabriella Jacobson woven into every memory worth remembering. They wouldn’t see themselves as a product of being her friend.
But I did. I saw her, and I couldn’t let her infatuation with Matt go any further.
Gabby returned a pouty face. “Aw. I love you too.” She took two steps and wrapped her arms around me, resting her cheek on my chest. “I know you’re just looking out for me. I’ll stop talking about Matt. Maybe Olivia is a better choice if I need to discuss boy problems.”