in ages. Almost eighteen now, he seemed to be into more grown-up things like Art College and a scooter. He’d also grown a goatee and looked really impressive. And he’d been spotted recently with some blonde bombshell from the Hankle Estate. Not that I cared about that.
“This is the second time she’s blown me off for Antoine!” I whined as we entered the lounge.
“What kind of name is that?” he asked, producing a box of cigarettes from nowhere.
“No thanks. Don’t smoke.”
“Neither do I, then!” he said, flinging the box across the room.
“She said she’d be home by six!” I continued pointlessly.
“I dunno why you bother with my sister.”
I wanted to say, because my dad told me to.
Corey disappeared into the kitchen.
“Where is everyone?” I called.
“Mom and Dad are at the pictures. It’s just me here.” He reappeared with two cans as I parked myself in front of the telly as always. He threw a can of beer at me, which I failed to catch.
“Still can’t catch, Lo Bag. Bad. Very bad indeed.” He shook his head in mock horror and I gave him the finger. “So, how is you?”
“I’m all right.”
“You still with that idiot?”
“You mean Mickey? That was eons ago.”
“No one since?”
I ignored him and began sipping at the beer, which tasted absolutely disgusting (although I’d never, ever tell Corey that). “How are things at college?”
“I’m really enjoying my art course…” he began, smiling, showing off those dimples. As he spoke, I hoped he’d forget to ask me anything “profound.” He attended Art College to study…art, I suppose, while I studied A-level English and Computer Science at the local sixth form. His friends were all arty folk, whereas my only friend was Carla. The more we chatted, the more I knew we’d hardly anything (except Carla) in common any more, and this made me a little sad.
“Music,” he said with a smile.
“What about it?”
“You still into LL Cool J?”
“A little bit…”
“You remember that tape I gave you?”
“I dunno where it is now. That was ages ago.”
“I always thought of you when I listened to track two. That was my favorite album.”
“Can’t remember that,” I said quickly.
“Track two?”
“Yeah, well, it’s probably in Mom’s cabinet.” I sipped away at the beer, feeling giddy as the fizz caught the edge of my tongue. I swallowed and, without warning, that feeling you get when you’re about to choke your insides out made an unwelcome presence at the back of my throat.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Uh hum!” I struggled, trying and failing desperately to clear my throat. As things advanced up the embarrassment scale with cough after cough, Corey stood up, making his way behind me as I continued to splutter madly.
“Just let it out, okay?” His hands slapped onto my shoulder.
As quickly as it had begun, the throat tickle subsided and I attempted to regain some dignity and composure as Corey remained behind me.
“I’m okay now, really.”
“I know, Lo Bag,” he said, his hands kneading a tense shoulder. My tense shoulder. I automatically froze with the sudden intensity of this act, not wanting to move while wanting to turn around and…kiss him. All I could hear was his breathing because it felt like my breath had long since disappeared with the shock of it all. What to do? What to do? What to do, Dad?
“Turn around…” Corey’s voice sounded different. Hoarse. Urgent. I stood up to face him and then it just happened. “It” being my lips connecting with his, followed by a beer-tinged tongue rummaging around my teeth like a penniless man digging for gold. I was wishing I’d brushed my teeth for the full three minutes that morning, and I also wished something romantic was playing in the background instead of the Top of the Pops theme tune. Looking back, itprobably wouldn’t be my most enjoyable kiss, but at the grand old age of seventeen, it was certainly my first.
Words
“This is the second time she’s blown me off for Antoine!” I whined as we entered the lounge.
“What kind of name is that?” he asked, producing a box of cigarettes from nowhere.
“No thanks. Don’t smoke.”
“Neither do I, then!” he said, flinging the box across the room.
“She said she’d be home by six!” I continued pointlessly.
“I dunno why you bother with my sister.”
I wanted to say, because my dad told me to.
Corey disappeared into the kitchen.
“Where is everyone?” I called.
“Mom and Dad are at the pictures. It’s just me here.” He reappeared with two cans as I parked myself in front of the telly as always. He threw a can of beer at me, which I failed to catch.
“Still can’t catch, Lo Bag. Bad. Very bad indeed.” He shook his head in mock horror and I gave him the finger. “So, how is you?”
“I’m all right.”
“You still with that idiot?”
“You mean Mickey? That was eons ago.”
“No one since?”
I ignored him and began sipping at the beer, which tasted absolutely disgusting (although I’d never, ever tell Corey that). “How are things at college?”
“I’m really enjoying my art course…” he began, smiling, showing off those dimples. As he spoke, I hoped he’d forget to ask me anything “profound.” He attended Art College to study…art, I suppose, while I studied A-level English and Computer Science at the local sixth form. His friends were all arty folk, whereas my only friend was Carla. The more we chatted, the more I knew we’d hardly anything (except Carla) in common any more, and this made me a little sad.
“Music,” he said with a smile.
“What about it?”
“You still into LL Cool J?”
“A little bit…”
“You remember that tape I gave you?”
“I dunno where it is now. That was ages ago.”
“I always thought of you when I listened to track two. That was my favorite album.”
“Can’t remember that,” I said quickly.
“Track two?”
“Yeah, well, it’s probably in Mom’s cabinet.” I sipped away at the beer, feeling giddy as the fizz caught the edge of my tongue. I swallowed and, without warning, that feeling you get when you’re about to choke your insides out made an unwelcome presence at the back of my throat.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Uh hum!” I struggled, trying and failing desperately to clear my throat. As things advanced up the embarrassment scale with cough after cough, Corey stood up, making his way behind me as I continued to splutter madly.
“Just let it out, okay?” His hands slapped onto my shoulder.
As quickly as it had begun, the throat tickle subsided and I attempted to regain some dignity and composure as Corey remained behind me.
“I’m okay now, really.”
“I know, Lo Bag,” he said, his hands kneading a tense shoulder. My tense shoulder. I automatically froze with the sudden intensity of this act, not wanting to move while wanting to turn around and…kiss him. All I could hear was his breathing because it felt like my breath had long since disappeared with the shock of it all. What to do? What to do? What to do, Dad?
“Turn around…” Corey’s voice sounded different. Hoarse. Urgent. I stood up to face him and then it just happened. “It” being my lips connecting with his, followed by a beer-tinged tongue rummaging around my teeth like a penniless man digging for gold. I was wishing I’d brushed my teeth for the full three minutes that morning, and I also wished something romantic was playing in the background instead of the Top of the Pops theme tune. Looking back, itprobably wouldn’t be my most enjoyable kiss, but at the grand old age of seventeen, it was certainly my first.
Words
Similar Books
