The Kissing Booth (31 page)

‘Yeah, I know.’ He slid his arm around me. His hand traced circles on my lower back and I felt my whole body relax at his touch.

‘You have to go,’ I told him in a whisper.

After a pause, he kissed my temple, and left his lips pressed there as he said, ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too.’ Suddenly, I found myself laughing. ‘What happened to the bad-ass player?’

‘He fell in love,’ he told me simply, planting a kiss on my cheek. ‘Talk about a cliché.’

Chapter 28

THE NEXT DAY
Lee and I went to the mall to buy each other’s birthday presents and pick up the costumes we’d reserved for our party. After grabbing lunch, we split up, and I scoured the mall for things to buy him. In the end, I got him a new wallet, a CD he said he wanted, and the coolest T-shirt I could ever imagine. He’d
love
it.

‘I told you so,’ Lee said for the billionth time that day when we met back at his car. ‘Didn’t I tell you he was whipped? Huh? Didn’t I?’

I laughed. ‘Yes, all right, I get it! You were right.’

He sighed contentedly, slinging his shopping bags into the trunk. ‘I will never get sick of hearing you say that, Elle.’

I rolled my eyes and climbed into the car. As he slid into the driver’s seat beside me, he said, yet again, ‘I still can’t believe you’re okay with him going to Harvard.’

My smile faded. ‘I’m not okay with it, Lee. Like, at all. I don’t want him to go. But I can’t exactly keep him here – tell him to go to San Diego or something. I can’t do that. He has to go. He
wants
to.’

‘So are you guys going to try long-distance?’

‘Yeah. At least, we think so. For now. I don’t know, Lee – we could both change our minds by the end of summer. But we said we’d try.’

‘Just remember what I told you, alright? If it doesn’t work out, I’m here to pick up the pieces.’

I reached over and squeezed his hand. He squeezed mine back.

I was glad that school was out for the summer. It meant that I didn’t have to constantly deal with questions about me and Noah. Of course, the girls called, and I spoke to them, told them the sort of details they wanted to know. I expected to get sick of it, but I didn’t – I was happy to talk about Noah. I was happy because I loved him.

Although there was another very pressing matter that everybody was talking about: our costume party.

I was on a three-way call with Karen and Olivia discussing the party.

‘If you have to,’ I told them, laughing, ‘just throw on a dress and call yourself a Bond girl.’

‘I may have to do that,’ Olivia said. ‘I ordered my costume the other day and it still hasn’t been shipped yet.’

‘What’re you and Lee going as, anyway?’ Karen asked. ‘I know you told us at some point, but I can’t remember. My internet’s been playing up all week.’

‘Robin,’ I told her, smiling.

‘Robin as in Batman and Robin?’

‘Yup. Lee’s Batman.’

‘I guessed that much,’ Karen laughed.

My cell started to vibrate in my hand, and I pulled it away from my ear to look at it. ‘Sorry, guys, I gotta go.’

‘Which one is it?’ Olivia asked.

‘Sorry?’

‘Which Flynn brother?’ Karen clarified. ‘It’s got to be one of them.’

I chuckled. ‘It’s Noah.’

They both chorused, ‘Oo-ooh!’ down the phone at me, and I laughed before saying goodbye to them. Then I nestled against the pillows on my bed and a smile spread over my face when I heard Noah’s voice. We didn’t talk about anything in particular, but that didn’t matter; as long as I was talking to him, I was happy.

So this is what love does to people
, I thought as Noah told me about the football program at Harvard.
It really does turn people into saps
.

Because quite honestly, I couldn’t have given a damn about anything football-related; but Noah sounded so excited, I found myself hanging on his every word, wanting him to tell me more.

Love had turned me into even more of a fool than I already was.

But you know what?
I thought, a smile spreading over my face.
I don’t even care
.

‘Wow,’ I said, getting up from my seat. ‘I can’t actually believe this year’s over.’

‘Tell me about it. Even weirder, though’ – Lee elbowed me and jerked his head toward the platform, where the teachers were clearing the chairs – ‘next year, that’ll be us graduating.’

‘Now that
is
weird.’

‘Seems like only yesterday we were just little kids, huh? Going to soccer camp, baseball camp . . . The costume parties . . .’

I laughed. ‘Yeah, well, we’re kids at heart.’ I looked around, peering through the swarm of dark blue robes for the familiar dark hair and crooked nose. Lee and Noah’s parents had already gone off to find Noah and congratulate him on graduating.

‘I’m just glad he made it here,’ their mom had sighed as we’d sat down. ‘I thought he’d be expelled before we saw him graduate. And now Harvard next year . . .’ There was no denying the pride in her voice as she said that though.

And I was pleased for him. Really, I was.

But it made my stomach twist a little to think of him leaving. I didn’t want to see him go.

It’s not fair
.

Childish as it was of me to even think it, I couldn’t help it. Why did Harvard have to be on the other side of the country? Why did I have to choose
now
to fall in love with him?

‘And you kids turning seventeen,’ she was still saying. ‘Gosh. Seventeen! Just think. Next year you’ll be going off to college and . . .’

‘Mom,’ Lee said before his dad could, ‘don’t start crying.’

‘I’m not!’ June protested, but her voice cracked a little.

And now we were standing in the midst of grinning teenagers in their graduation gowns and proud families. I craned my neck, trying to spot Noah. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lee steal a glance behind me, and started turning to look over my shoulder and—

‘Boo!’

I jumped out of my skin, practically leaping a foot into the air, and even gave a little scream, which earned me plenty of strange looks from the crowd. Lee just laughed again, his brother chuckling at me too, flashing me one of his rare real grins.

I smacked him across the chest, glaring, my heart still pounding. ‘You’re so childish, Noah Flynn, I swear to God!’ I snapped.

He gave me that infamous smirk of his. ‘You should’ve seen your face.’

‘Shut up.’

That just made him laugh harder.

‘Hey,’ Lee said, ‘congratulations. You actually made it.’

Noah laughed. ‘Yeah, tell me about it. But you’re carrying on the Flynn legacy, you know. Get in as much trouble as possible and narrowly avoid being suspended.’

Lee laughed. ‘Sure, I can see that happening.’

Noah shrugged. ‘Your choice.’ He slung an arm around my shoulders. ‘All right, Elle?’

I scowled at him briefly, but that smile that showed his dimple made it impossible to even pretend to stay annoyed at him; I let out a sigh.

‘Nothing to say about me actually graduating high school, then?’ Noah asked, nudging my hip with his. ‘No congratulations? Not even a little one?’

‘Depends,’ I said teasingly.

‘Saving that for tonight, huh?’ He waggled his eyebrows at me and my face flamed at his words; his expression didn’t help either. I worried for a moment that Lee must feel awkward about what Noah had just said, and stole a glance at him. But he was giving a melodramatic grimace, complete with gagging noises.

‘Ugh, please, stop!’ he cried, shaking his head.

So I smiled and said to Noah, ‘Congratulations.’

‘Thank you.’

‘College, now.’

‘Yeah . . .’

Silence filled the lapse in conversation quickly, and it wasn’t the easy kind of silence. Lee said hastily, ‘Got your outfit for tonight then, bro?’

Noah clicked his tongue, raising a finger to point at Lee. ‘That is a good point . . . No.’

‘You haven’t got . . .? Noah!’ I cried in exasperation.

‘Hey, I barely remembered to fill up on gas so I could get to the school for graduation,’ he defended himself. ‘You think I can remember to get clothes for a party?’

‘Flynn! Come on, man, they’re doing photos!’ someone yelled over, before I even had the chance to roll my eyes at him.

‘Be there now!’ he shouted in reply. He gave me a quick peck on the lips. ‘I’ll see you tonight, Elle. See ya,’ he added to Lee, and then left to go for the photos with the rest of the graduating seniors.

‘Ew,’ Lee commented. ‘Cooties!’

I laughed. ‘Shut up . . .’

‘Shall we away to the Batmobile, Robin?’ He put on a deep, husky voice.

‘Let’s,’ I said, taking his arm. We exchanged a grin before heading to his car, arm in arm, and I couldn’t have felt happier: after all the drama that had come from my relationship with Noah, I still had my best friend.

Chapter 29

‘IS THAT YOU
, Elle?’ I heard June say when I walked into Lee’s house.

‘Yeah!’

She came out of the office, and smiled at me. ‘I’m just locking away some of the ornaments,’ she explained. ‘So they don’t get destroyed.’

I laughed. ‘Good idea. I’m just going to head on upstairs and get ready.’

‘Sure thing, hon.’

She and Matthew were going out to some theatre show with my dad tonight – they got a night out, and they were out of the way for the party too. Brad had a soccer tourney tomorrow, and was staying over a friend’s anyway, so Dad was tagging along with Lee’s parents.

‘Lee said the boys are going to turn up earlier to help move some furniture, by the way.’

‘Oh, are they? Cool.’

‘Do you want anything to drink?’

‘I’ll grab something out of the fridge, thanks.’ I smiled again as she went into the lounge to get the rest of the ornaments, and grabbed two cans of orange soda from the fridge to take upstairs.

Lee’s door was open, and he was hanging upside down off his bed with his earphones in. ‘Long time no see.’

‘I come bearing drinks.’

‘Awesome.’ He rolled off the bed and landed in a heap on the floor before scrambling to his feet again to take the can.

‘Cam and Dixon are going to drop by at seven to help move the couches and stuff, and set up the speakers.’

‘Yeah, your mom said.’

I set down my drink on Lee’s desk and pulled my costume out of the bag. I stood up, holding the dress against me, and pulled a face. ‘Maybe it’ll look all right on . . .’ I thought aloud.

There was a slit in the skirt that went too high for my liking, and the top seemed too small in the wrong places. The dress was a flimsy kind of material in metallic shades; the skirt and cape were emerald green, the top of the dress was ruby red. There was a mustard-colored belt to go around my hips.

‘Try it on,’ Lee said, his voice sounding somewhat hollow.

I looked up, frowning curiously at his voice, and laughed at the Batman mask he wore. He threw the cape over his head like a veil.

‘I’m not looking, I swear.’

I laughed. ‘You look like an idiot.’

‘Sure you’re not just looking in the mirror, Shelly?’

‘Ha ha ha,’ I retorted sarcastically, rolling my eyes. I tugged off my shorts and tank top, and stepped into the dress. Lee came over to zip me up, except that wasn’t too easy. It was too tight around my boobs, and I heard a couple of stitches rip as Lee yanked the zip the rest of the way. I fastened the belt around my waist.

‘Jeez, did it have a built-in push-up bra?’

‘No,’ I huffed. It was actually kind of hard to breathe. But the slit was not as high as I’d expected, and the skirt was actually a decent length.

‘It doesn’t look that bad.’

‘You sure?’

‘Positive. Besides, there’ll be girls there looking like hookers. It’ll be fine.’

‘You sure?’

He laughed. ‘No, I was lying. Seriously, though, there’s nothing you can do now. Unless you want to turn up in your underwear and say you’re a Playboy model?’

‘No, thanks. I think I’ll stick with this.’

‘Shelly, it’ll be fine. You’ll be the belle of the ball.’

Almost an hour later, my hair was clipped back and cascaded in dark curls over my left shoulder, and I was ready. Lee made an awesome Batman, and despite the breathing constrictions, I liked the Robin outfit.

Lee’s parents left when my dad arrived and, not two minutes later, the doorbell rang.

Cam and Dixon must have coordinated; those costumes weren’t a coincidence.

Cam had a posh old-timey white wig and a naval hat that matched his uniform. And then Dixon was there in full Captain Jack Sparrow gear – from a wash-off tattoo to the tricorne hat to a plastic sword and pistol.

‘Commodore Norrington, at your service, ma’am,’ Cam said, sweeping off his hat in an elaborate bow and kissing the back of my hand. I bit back a laugh as he straightened up and put his hat back on.

‘Cool costumes,’ I said.

‘Very authentic,’ Lee added.

‘Thanks,’ they both said unanimously, and laughed.

Dixon said, ‘My brother hooked us up with a discount, since he knows some guy who owns a costume warehouse.’

I went to swipe a finger across Dixon’s cheek as I said, ‘Is that fake tan?’

‘Don’t touch!’ He batted my finger away. ‘Do you have any idea how hard it is to get three gallons of cocoa powder on your face like this?’

‘It’s cocoa powder?’ Lee snorted. ‘Like the stuff you use to make hot chocolate with?’

‘My sister uses it as bronzer when she runs out. She said it’d work.’

The three of us just laughed at him. Not in a mean way – it was just the fact that Dixon was taking beauty advice from his fourteen-year-old sister.

‘Shut up,’ he said, mock-glaring at us all.

‘Okay, okay, we’re sorry,’ Lee chuckled. ‘It looks cool though.’

‘I should hope so,’ he muttered. ‘Anyway – furniture?’

‘I’ll sort out the speakers,’ Cam said.

‘I’ll help Cam,’ I volunteered.

‘Yeah, wouldn’t want you to break a nail now, would we, Shelly?’ Lee teased.

‘I was thinking more along the lines of I might mess up my hair.’

‘Dude,’ Dixon said to him, ‘your sidekick sucks.’

I rolled my eyes at them and went off with Cam. Lee and Noah had purchased several sets of speakers that we could hook up to the big docking station in the lounge, but they were in a closet with a tangled mess of wires.