Page 51 of The Kissing Booth
I felt mean, and I tried not to storm across the parking lot too angrily.
When I finally reached Lee and the other boys, I let out a huge sigh of relief.
‘That looked like fun,’ Lee said casually.
I elbowed him in the ribs.
‘Oh my gosh! You, like,totallyhave to tell useverything! Oh mygosh! I cannot believe you made out withFlynn! Like,oh my gosh!’ Cam said in a falsetto voice. The boys cracked up and I rolled my eyes.
‘Don’t even start. Please, I’m begging you.’
‘Don’t worry, we’re not going to ask,’ Dixon told me. ‘But seriously, you’re not dating?’
‘No.’
He nodded. ‘Cool.’
‘Why – you interested?’ I batted my eyes flirtatiously.
‘Maybe,’ he joked. Then he added, ‘Nah, just – you know, rumors.’
‘I’ll let Noah know next time I see him,’ I said seriously, making all the boys laugh and push Dixon around playfully. ‘Have an ambulance on standby.’
‘Touché.’
‘Oh, hey,’ Warren said suddenly. ‘I forgot. My parents are out next Friday, so you know what that means, right?’
‘House party!’ Lee yelled, high-fiving him. ‘Awesome.’
‘Don’t go spreading the word, though. I don’t want things getting too crazy.’
‘Sure, no problem,’ they all agreed.
‘You in, Elle?’ Warren asked me, since I hadn’t commented yet.
‘Sure thing. But I’m sticking to the alcohol-free stuff at this one – I do not want another near-miss of the skinny-dipping episode.’
‘Damn it, Elle, my dreams are crushed,’ Cameron muttered, and laughed.
Lee looked at me doubtfully. ‘Don’t worry, Shelly, I’ll keep an eye on you.’
‘No you won’t, you’ll be too busy making out with Rachel,’ Oliver said, making everyone laugh.
The bell went then, and we all filed into the school for assembly.
Lee and I got a special commendation from the principal for raising so much money on our booth. That’s not the only thing I got, though.
There were so many comments and whistles from boys passing by about me and Flynn. It was really starting to bug me. Nothing as offensive as what had been said after Lee and Noah’s party. But the way they said it was really making my blood boil.
By Thursday all the excitement had mostly died down. New rumors and gossip came onto the scene, sidelining me.
I couldn’t have been happier.
I was so sick of talking about kissing Flynn at the carnival. I was so sick of hearing the girls tell me how jealous they were. I was so sick of having boys look at me differently in the corridors because now I wasn’t quite as innocent anymore.
And then, to top my week off, I got to Lee’s on Thursday afternoon, like we’d arranged, to find he wasn’t there.
‘I’m heading out to the store,’ his mom told me. ‘But if you want to stay and hang around for a bit, you’re more than welcome.’
