“I bet you ten bucks I’m better at it than you are.” Hudson’s familiar taunt echoes off the walls of the basement, bringing a smile to my lips. I cut my gaze toward Leo to see how he’ll respond, even more curious to know how exactly the two of them will go about settling this particular challenge.
Leo rolls his eyes, a lazy smirk spreading over his lips, a spark of competition in his expression that almost always leads to trouble when he and Hudson are together.
“What are the terms?” he asks, stroking his chin as he eyes Hudson. “We need someone we’ve both kissed who’s unbiased.”
“Hmm, good point,” he agrees, tapping his index finger against his chin as well.
All at once, they’re both looking at me. It’s a little bit like being cornered by a herd of Velociraptors...is it a herd or is there a different name for a group of velociraptors? Focus, best friends staring, trying to rope you into something crazy.
“What?” I ask, pretending like I wasn’t paying attention so I can buy time to figure out what to do. I mean, I can’t kiss both of them and score it so they can settle a bet...can I?
“Pleeeeease, Bish?” Hudson asks, sticking out his bottom lip and giving me his patented puppy dog eyes.
“Ugh, I told you to stop calling me Bish; it sounds like you’re calling me a bitch.”
“I promise I’ll never call you Bish again if you do this for us.”
“Ugh,” I groan again, hoping to mask the fact that butterflies have exploded in my stomach with feigned disinterest in their game. “Does it have to be with tongue?” I wrinkle my nose and hope I’m not blushing as hard as it feels like I am.
“We’re trying to settle which of us is a better kisser; I’m not exactly going to kiss you like I’d kiss my grandma,” Leo reasons, and Hudson nods in agreement.
“Fine, whatever.” I lick my lips and wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans, my gaze darting instinctively toward the basement door. The last thing I need would be for my dad to come down and catch me kissing either of them while the other watches. He already thinks there’s something wrong with me; this would seal it.
“Rock, paper, scissors to see who goes first?” Leo suggests, and Hudson agrees.
I watch the two of them try to decide who’s going to kiss me first, and I wonder for a second if this is real at all. Maybe it’s the start of one of those dreams that leave my sheets sticky and guilt settled in my gut. There’s no way my two gorgeous, jock-y best friends are about to line up to make out with me. The same two gorgeous, jock-y best friends I’ve been thinking about in entirely the wrong way over the past few months. My dad’s probably right: there is something wrong with me. It’s bad enough to have a crush on one boy, but having a crush on two?
Leo turns toward me with a sparkle in his forest green eyes, his dark hair hanging messy over his forehead and a mischievous smile on his lips.
“Looks like you’re all mine, BJ,” he says.
“That’s worse than Bish, please never say it again,” I joke weakly, my heart beating so fast I’m sure I’m going to faint as Leo approaches me. He’s tall, they’re both taller than me, but my mom keeps assuring me that I just haven’t hit my growth spurt yet. Considering she and my dad are both about 5’5”, I’m not holding my breath.
I tilt my head back as Leo invades my space, licking my dry lips again and realizing that I am completely unqualified to judge a kissing contest since the only kiss I’ve ever had was with this weird girl in the fifth grade, and it was really only a peck on the lips before I ran away crying, and her friends laughed.
Leo’s smile softens as he slips a hand behind my neck, bending down so our faces are close together, our noses brushing. I focus on my breathing, praying I don’t hyperventilate and pass out before I get the chance to feel their lips on mine just this once, even if it doesn’t really count because it’s nothing more than another game between the two of them.
“You sure you’re okay with this?” Leo whispers, quietly enough that only I can hear him. I give a shaky nod, my hands hanging limp at my sides, my