A First Kiss

            After a long day of dancing at Adrenaline Dance Convention, I had finally built up the courage to kiss Marleigh Anderson, the girl I had been dating for 2 years at this point. It was November 23, 2008—her fourteenth birthday. I had gotten her a sterling silver necklace from Walmart with the money left over from my birthday; it cost $75, and it had a small stone as the pendant. This was the largest purchase I had made for another human being by this point in my life, and this day was for sure to be a big deal.

            I brought her to the side, next to the new exit to the men’s room at the Collinsville Convention Center (no one would see us there for sure!). I told her to close her eyes because that was important to me. I didn’t want her to see me trying to figure out how I supposed to go in for the kiss—she might realize how awkward I was. I stared at the burnt orange wall behind her, asking it to give me some sort of knowledge on how to proceed. I had no idea what to do with my hands as they began to sweat, the moisture making me even more nervous. Sensing that my deliberation process was taking too long, I began to move in without my hands. I leaned toward her, bending slightly at the waist. I could barely reach her lips since I had just caught up with her height in the beginnings of the school year.

            But finally, I achieved success as my lips, puckered tightly as people did in the cartoons, came into contact with her plump lips. She began to kiss me back with an open mouth, a confusing occurrence I had not expected, and my lips ground lightly upon the metal of her braces. This was the best moment of my life! I had finally done it; I’d finally followed Sebastian’s suggestion and “kissed da girl.” Certainly, we’d get married now.

            Far from it, actually. A month or two later, we broke up due to the strain of trying to maintain a relationship in which we only got to see each other on the weekends. Stressful times, let me tell ya...