The Trouble with Kissing Connor

Chapter 8 (Connor)

"Is this seat taken?" I asked as I slid up to Sadie at lunch. Even though I sit with her every day, I always ask that. It's a stupid thing we've been doing for years. Sadie smirked and I gave a quick nod to Brett who was sitting across the table.

"So, what did you discover?" I asked. The suspense had been killing me all day, it was all I could think about.

"About what?" Sadie bit into something that looked like cardboard smeared with green, lumpy paste. Her face scrunched up as soon as the stuff hit her mouth.

"Low fat?" I asked, remembering the "special" gluten free, sugar free cake her mother ordered for her 11th birthday party. We landed up using the thing in a food fight.

"Low bloody taste," she said, spitting it out and immediately going for half my sandwich.

"So?" I pressed.

"So what?" she asked casually.

So what? How could she forget? It had been the only thing on my mind all morning. I'd moved from one class to the other like an extra in The Walking Dead, barely knowing where I was. I'd spent the morning staring at all the girls wondering which one it was. Every now and then one would catch me looking at her and smile. And each time that happened, I couldn't help but wonder if there was something behind that smile. Was she trying to communicate something to me?

It was me. I kissed you.

I think I must have stared at Martha for way too long in first period because she walked with me to my next two classes trying to talk to me while I was in full blown Zombie mode. I doubted it was her. We'd dated for a while and she'd never kissed me like that—not even close.

I felt like I was driving myself a little insane today, my thoughts racing a million miles an hour and barely able to concentrate on anything else around me. In fact, in biology Mrs. Ndlovu had had to ask me three times if I was 'here today' before I'd heard her, while I'd stared out the window and tried to remember every detail of the kiss.

Was there a necklace she wore that I could recognize her with?

What about her hair; did it smell like a shampoo I recognised?

Her back, was there something her back to tell me about her?

My mind was a mess and this lack of focus wasn't going to be helpful, especially with my upcoming tennis tournament. Now that we were training for the championships, practice would be ramping up, and the court would become much less friendly because we'd be competing against each other, especially Chase and Mandla. This year's tournament was more important than usual because a scout was going to be there, and I would be competing for a chance to go to a varsity program out of state, with the potential to go pro. Sadie knew all about it. She was the one who'd told me to start jogging home from practice. "Speed," she'd said. "Speed is the key." I thought about how cool it would be if I got the scholarship and Sadie could come with me, but I knew that was impossible, a major downside. I just can't imagine my life without her.

I pulled my chair in so I was touching Sadie's shoulder and leant in. "So...have you found my future wife yet?"

"What?" Sadie swung around and stared at me. "Future wife? Please! I've never heard such crap in my life."

"Well you never know. It might be this cool story we tell at our wedding, or maybe you can tell it since you'll obviously be my best man." I burst out laughing thinking that Sadie was going to say something about making me dress as a bridesmaid at her future wedding, but she didn't. In fact, she was dead silent and her face was stony and solemn. I smirked in Brett's direction, looking for encouragement, he would definitely find this funny. But he wasn't smiling either. I stopped laughing.

"What's wrong with everyone today? Am I missing something?"

Sadie looked down quickly and poked a hole through the sandwich with a knife. I wondered what she was thinking. She looked a little like she wanted to stab someone.

"Dude, you're acting weird," I finally said.

"You're the one that's acting weird." Now she sounded pissed off. "I can't believe you're making such a big deal out of this. I mean you've practically got me rifling through everyone's stuff looking for a pack of gum and—"

"Look." I stopped her mid-sentence. I needed her to understand. "You weren't there, okay. Trust me, if you'd experienced that kiss, you'd also be looking for her too."

Sadie poked another hole through her sandwich and Brett's hand shot across the table and stopped her.

"Easy there, tiger," Brett said, taking the knife from her. "I'll just take that. In case someone gets assaulted."

I looked from Brett to Sadie and back again, "What's going on today? Am I missing something?"

"I don't know Connor, are you?" Brett asked in a strange tone.

I shook my head. "Seriously, what have I missed. All I'm, asking is for some help from my best friend. You would have thought I was asking you for a kidney."

"Fine! Fine!" Sadie said loudly and quickly turned to me. "I'll rifle through their gym bags and pat them down and pick their lockers and walk around asking to borrow gum and stare at their mouths."

"You will?"

"Sure. Why not." She let out a sigh.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. "Dude... That's why I love you."

"Mmm, me too," she mumbled and then pushed me away, wiggling out of my grip.

"By the way, would you give me a kidney," I asked, nudging her.

"No!" She said with a smile, which I knew meant that she would totally give me her kidney. I'd give her mine, I'd give her more than that if she needed it.

"Me too," I said, "I'd even give you my heart."

Her head spun around and she looked at me with that same strange look that I was seeing more and more, but still not understanding any better.

"What?" I asked, when she turned away and shook her head.

"Clueless." I think I heard Brett mumble as he handed Sadie her knife back. Or was it 'useless'...'toothpaste?' I don't know.