KISS ME

The freshly graduated youngsters who had cleared their high school examinations and started the first year of senior high last week were having a gala time at Derek’s birthday party which was organized in a posh area with everything taken care of in the most spectacular way. Each one of them was enjoying it the most, and they were also feeling great about being away from their parents for such an amazing party with friends which also had members of the opposite gender partying with them.

Very smartly, the party organizer had apple juice served in champagne tulips for kids to raise a toast to the birthday boy. Apple juice made it look as if it was real champagne in it, and they were celebrating as adults. Such tricks were very well appreciated by everyone at the party, and some of them were even acting as if they were drunk.

Even though all that they were having was fruit juice. Enacting as if they were intoxicated and were unable to walk straight in line became a trend at that party. The youngsters were purposefully falling here and there, and it was fun for them.

There was a little dancing happening, some games that were being played, and lots of talking to each other. Not to forget the hogging that was happening amidst anything that the teenagers were doing. Basically, it was one of the best parties that they had attended for a while, especially of someone who they were studying with. Otherwise, the rest of the birthday parties had not been so lavish as Derek’s party was.

Marie and Jean stayed with each other throughout the party, and Jean was not leaving Marie to do the stunts that the boys were doing. She had always been the kind who felt more comfortable around boys and did not mind joining them for anything which they did. She would abandon her group every time, even for the sports events, just to jump and run around with the other boys.

But now at the party she chose to stay with Marie until the end of it. She was enjoying being with Marie and admiring her smile every time she enjoyed the craziness and the fun all of them were having at the party. She was not willing to join any group as such, but was still trying to be a part of every group and laughing with everyone who either did or said something which was worth a laugh.

In one such pranks that the boys were pulling with anyone at random, Marie came to be the next target for them. One of them quietly went behind where she was standing and tapped her shoulder on the right. When she turned to her right, thinking that someone was calling him, she found nobody standing over there and got confused.

After a few seconds, as Marie looked in front again, the boy who was standing behind, tapped her shoulder again, but this time it was on the left side. Marie turned to her left and, surprised as she was, she found nobody on that side also. The guy was tapping on one side and immediately jumping to the other side to fool Marie, and he was being quite successful in it until Jean caught his hand without looking at him when he was about to tap Marie again.

“What do you think you are doing?” Jean questioned the guy.

“Nothing. Just having fun,” came the reply from that guy with the rest of the boys finally staring directly at Marie and laughing at the whole situation.

“You dare not trouble her,” Jean warned as she threw his hand.

“Why?” Jacob asked from the crowd of guys who were laughing to support the guy who was playing a prank on Marie for them. At least it seemed like that; otherwise, he himself would have managed the fight which had just started to take place, and Jacob would not have had the audacity to question Jean on behalf of anyone else.

“Because no one plays around with Marie,” Jean boldly answered Jacob’s question.

That is when another boy from the group also pitched in with sarcasm. A sudden voice from the crowd came, and no one could really see who was talking because of the dim lights and also because of the number of boys who were standing together. So, the guy said, “She is your girlfriend?!”

“Not yet,” Jean responded almost instantly and without taking any offense to what was mentioned. Her reply was enough to make everybody at the scene silent because it was very direct of her to let them all know that there was a chance, no matter how minor, for Marie to be her girlfriend.

There was pin-drop silence just as soon as Jean had replied to what was said. Marie started to feel a little embarrassed as she heard Jean say something like that out in public, but she did not know how she must react to it. So, she was looking down to cope with the embarrassment as all the boys and girls who were near her were looking at her with a difference.

Holding Marie’s hand, Jean loudly said, “No one troubles her, or else you deal with me,” and she led Marie to the other side of the hall where some batch mates were just sitting and eating as they talked to each other about different things. That group was well-behaved than the ones who were dancing on the other side and playing pranks on everybody by either making them trip or trying to fool them with something else.

“Thank you,” Marie said looking at Jean for getting her out of that scene. It came out to be that Marie was not feeling ashamed of Jean’s reply, but it was the kind of attention that she was getting from them. Not only was she feeling embarrassed over there with the way those adolescents were looking at her, but she was also feeling small around them as they succeeded in making fun of her by pulling the prank they played.

“You are always welcome, Marie,” Jean replied.

“By the way, what are you going to do for me in return?" She asked Marie looking at her with a controlled smile.

“Whatever you want.”

“Wow! Really?”

“Try me," Marie responded, accepting the challenge as she was finding all this fun.

“Alright then, kiss me,” Jean demanded with confidence radiating from her eyes as she was looking at Marie to see if she would actually agree to it or not.