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Chapter1
You never forget your first kiss...
At sixteen years old, Anita Bedford had never broken her parents’ rules. Now she had violated at least two of them, maybe three. She always did what she was told... except for tonight. But how could she stay away from Tanner Castillo's party when he was the one who’d invited her?
She bit her bottom lip, unsure what to do. She’d been so excited to attend her first high school party that she hadn’t thought about what would happen if she got caught. Now, in the dark of Tanner’s coat closet, waiting for whatever was supposed to come next, she couldn’t think about anything else.
She put her hand on the doorknob, then drew back. If she chickened out, the teasing would be relentless. She’d been the butt of enough jokes at school, and she refused to give her classmates more ammunition. Instead, she took a deep breath and stepped away from the door, only to lose her footing, grabbing at the coat behind her. When she felt theleather, she knew exactly what she was holding. Tanner’s jacket.
She’d seen this jacket on him enough times to know exactly what it looked like—a deep mahogany color with zippered side pockets, the leather worn to the point that it fit him perfectly in all the right places. Even now she could imagine him walking into the library where they met twice a week, his thick, light-brown bangs brushed to the side, small white gauges gleaming in his ears. He’d been the first kid in town to get them, and now there were several students who had followed suit. His look was a combination of traditional and edgy, making him irresistible.
Sigh.
Without thinking, she pressed his jacket against her chest. Had he noticed her brand-new scoop-neck yellow top and light-blue denim jeans when he opened the door to his house and let her in? Or that she had gotten her braces off last week? He hadn’t said anything about her braces yesterday during their tutoring session, but she thought he might have noticed tonight, because he did sit next to her as they and their friends played the Truth or Dare game that had landed her in his closet. Tanner was nice like that. But he sat next to her every Tuesday and Thursday after school as he tutored her in math, so sitting next to her at his party obviously wasn’t a big deal to him.
Only to me.
This was stupid. How long were they going to make her wait? Maybe that was the point—no one was coming after all, and they were laughing at her in the Castillos’ living room. Tears burned in her eyes. She should have knownbetter than to try to be a part of the cool crowd. Was Tanner laughing with them?I think I'm going to throw up.
Suddenly the door opened. Anita squinted at the light shining in her eyes. The glare wasn’t that bright, but compared to the dark it might as well have been a spotlight. Before she could speak, someone shot inside the closet and shut the door.
“Anita, it’s me,” a male voice said.
She almost fainted with relief. “Tanner!”
“Shh.” He pressed his finger lightly against her mouth.
When he removed it, she responded, “Why are we whispering?”
“Everyone’s standing outside the door.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think? They want to make sure we’re together in the closet long enough.”
That didn’t make any sense. She’d had no idea high school parties were so confusing. “Long enough for what?”
A pause. “Anita, please tell me you’re joking.”
She wasn’t, but this wouldn’t be the first time she’d misunderstood a situation.
“We’re supposed to kiss,” he explained softly, his tone even. “If we leave the closet too soon, they’re going to push us right back in.”
“Oh.” Then she realized what he was telling her. “Oh!” Butterflies performed a shaky ballet in her stomach.
He chuckled quietly. “What did you think was going to happen?”
“I wasn’t exactly paying attention.” She’d been too focused on watching Tanner’s every move.
“Then why did you take the dare?”
Her face burned. “I don’t know.” Now she felt dumb, a sensation she was more than familiar with. “I’ve never played Truth or Dare.”
“Never?” She could almost imagine one of his ash-blond eyebrows rising above his sage-green eyes in surprise.
“No.”
