Page 4 of The Kiss List

"Duh, that's why I told you. I have every intention of showing it to you."

"Where is it then?"

"Later. When we get to class."

She groans again. "I can't believe you made a kiss list. I thought you were just being dramatic when you brought it up yesterday. But you're actually serious about this whole thing, aren't you?" She shakes her head, still in disbelief.

"Well, you know me. Whenever I put my mind to something, there's no stopping me from getting it."

Don't get me wrong. I'm not some spoiled brat who always gets whatever she wants. That's not me at all. I'm just really persistent—especially if the goal is completely doable.

What do old people always say?"Where there's a will, there's a way."Well, I totally believe in that saying.

"How many guys are in there?"

"Around thirty, I think. I didn't number them. I just wrote down their names."

Iris shoots me a wide-eyed look. "Thirty? You're kidding!"

"You can never be sure with just one guy. Conrad Harris is my first choice. But in case it doesn't work out with him, at least I still have other options."

"Twenty-nine other options, to be exact," she says sarcastically just as we reach our class.

I just shrug, not wanting to discuss it out loud where people can easily hear us. It's not that I'm ashamed of my kiss list. I just have no intention of publicizing it. Aside from not wanting to jinx the whole thing, I know exactly what will happen if everyone finds out. I'd be the laughingstock of my whole class. Then I might as well kiss goodbye the chance of getting my first kiss before my seventeenth birthday.

It's not fair, I know. If a boy made this list, it wouldn't be a big deal. At worst, he'd get a good ribbing from his friends. But if a girl made one, she'd be labeled the s-word. And that's a guarantee.

So yeah, not going to risk it.

Once we're settled in our seats, I fish the piece of yellow paper that contains the list of names out of my bag, then fold the paper into a small square. I hand it over to Iris who sits on my right, motioning for her to keep quiet.

She rolls her eyes before taking it.

I only give her a minute to read the names because Mr. Kroll has just walked into the room. So I quickly snatch the paper back and insert it between the pages of my Math book.

She'll grill me about the names later. But for now, we have to listen to a boring lecture.

Oh, yeah. Did I mention I'm not a fan of Math?

*******

Oh, my God. Where is it?!

I'm silently freaking out as I flip through the pages of my Math book. I swear I stashed the paper in there before the class started. But now I can't find it.

It's not on the floor—I've already checked. So where the heck is it?

I'm really, really freaking out.

"Hey, you coming?" Iris is standing next to my chair.

"You go ahead. I'll be out in a minute."

"Are you sure?"

I force a smile. "Yeah. I'll just see you later in the cafeteria."

We only have this and History class together today. And History is not until the last period. So the next time I see her, it'll be at lunch.

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