Spirit World
is Riesa's story, but in earlier drafts, her best friend Connor took
a front seat in many of the scenes. As I brought the story forward,
Connor slipped into the background more and more. Here is a scene
that I still believe happened in her story, but it got pulled out so
I could focus on other things. It's the story of her first kiss.
***
Connor rolled on
the living room floor laughing, empty soda cans at his side. I sat
cross-legged next to him doubled over in hysterics. Our homework lay
on the coffee table, set aside for more important things, like fun.
“I’d totally forgotten about that,” he said.
“That’s
because you weren’t the one waiting outside the school for two
hours in the middle of the night, in the freezing cold with a
backpack full of clothes and a teddy bear in your arms.”
His body shook with
more laughter. “You came and got me though, and after wandering
around town for an hour, we got too cold and had to go to the fire
station and ask for a ride home.”
“And we told
them to bring us here,” I said, my words tumbling on top of his,
“because we figured we’d get in less trouble than at your house.”
“I remember
now.” His laughter faded and turned into a kind of quiet happiness.
“It was the first night I ever stayed here.”
“Was it?” I
asked.
“Yeah, it was
late so your mom called my parents and told them she’d bring me
home in the morning.”
I smiled, reliving the feeling that night had given me.
He had been willing to run away with me, knowing we wouldn’t
actually go anywhere, and he would have to bear the wrath of his
parents the next morning. Not everyone has a friend like that.
“There’s one
thing I’d never forget about that night though,” he added
thoughtfully.
“What
do you … ooh.”
The memories
clicked together and I knew exactly what he was talking about. Long
after my mom had gone to sleep, Connor and I sat in the living room
talking about nothing in particular. We were twelve and both fairly
innocent, so I was surprised when he asked me, “Have you ever
kissed anyone?”
“No,” I
answered. “Have you?”
“No.” A moment of silence. “Do you want to try it? You know,
for practice?”
“Okay. What do I do?”
“Just close your eyes.”
I did, and for about two or three seconds, I felt his lips pressing
warm and soft against mine.
Then he pulled back and curled up on the couch under his blankets. I
went upstairs, and we never talked about it again.
At the time, it hadn’t seemed like such a big deal. But the memory
of it now, coupled with the sweet look in his eyes, sent confusion
rippling through my mind.
I looked down at the floor, and he changed the subject. “I can’t
believe we actually thought we could run away.”
I picked at an odd-colored section of carpet, wishing I
could have that innocence back, just for a moment. “We thought we
could do a lot of things.”
***
If you'd like to win a copy of Spirit World, along with some other great prizes, check out the Rafflecopter on the side.
