Page 1 of The Kiss List

Chapter 1

I've never been kissed by a boy.

Not even a peck on the cheek.

Pretty normal for a sixteen-year-old girl who's never been on a date. Or never had a boyfriend. So it shouldn't be a big deal, right?

I mean, it's not like I'm the only girl in the world who's a little behind in that department. I'm pretty sure I can name dozens of girls in McKinley High who are just as inexperienced as me. I'm not going to, but I can.

So yeah, it shouldn't be a big deal at all.

But it kind of is—for me.

It's not that I'm desperate or anything.

But here's the thing: I'm turning seventeen in a month and, well, I don't want to be a seventeen-year-old girl who's never been kissed. Like how lame is that?

I'm not looking for a boyfriend. Not even for a short term. Maybe just a cute date where I can finally have that foot-popping kiss fromPrincess Diariesthat I've always wanted. Something that's totally possible to achieve.

It's not even that hard. Girls get it all the time.

So how hard can it be?

I just need to come up with a plan…

"Maise, are you there? Did you just hear what I said?" Iris's impatient tone cuts through my haze, dragging me from my thoughts.

I blink a few times to clear my head. "Yeah, totally."

"No, you didn't." She rolls her eyes. "You've been daydreamingagain. Let me guess, you finished another book last night and fell in love with the hero."

She loves to tease me about my hobby of reading romance books like I daydream about male love interests every single time. Yeah, right. I only do that when the hero is a hundred percent swoon-worthy. And I don't come across that kind of hero that often.

What can I say? I'm not easily impressed.

I grab my soda can and take a sip through the straw. "Uh, no. That wasn't the case at all. I didn't even read a single page. But if you must know, I spent the night watchingPrincess Diaries."

She snorts. "Oh, so you were daydreaming about Michael."

"Eww, no. Chris Pine will always be the superior love interest." I raise a finger when she opens her mouth. "And before you say that it was him I was daydreaming about, I wasn't. I was just thinking about something."

"Okay, then tell me," Iris demands, taking a bite out of her tuna sandwich.

I'm about to do just that, but then I notice something on her dark blond hair. Knowing she'd be annoyed if I didn't say anything, I point out, "You know there's a tiny chunk of bread sticking out of your hair right now, right?"

Her eyes widen in alarm. "Where?"

Laughing, I flick it off her hair. "There. It's gone."

"Okay, whatever." She waves a hand. "Back to what you were saying."

I pop a potato chip into my mouth. Should I even tell her? Ugh. Why am I even asking myself? Iris Wayans is my best friend, and I tell her everything important that's going on in my life. And this one definitely counts as important.

"You know I've never been kissed, right?" I say in a hushed whisper, making sure no one else can hear me.

"Uh-huh." She nods slowly.

"So I was inspired by the signature foot-popping kiss scene inPrincess Diaries. Now, I'm thinking that I want to experience that before I turn seventeen. And I've got like a month before that happens."

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