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found absurd. She’d sounded like that the time he’d tried to ride his bike down the steep stairs in front of the bank and nearly broken his neck. And the time he copied Anne’s homework in science, knowing full well that Anne was even dumber in the subject than he was.
    “Robbie, do you even like any of the girls around here?”
    He shrugged as he struggled to think of a single girl who’d captured his attention in a more than friendly way. “No, not really.”
    “Then what’s the big deal?”
    “I’m a guy, Zoey, and I’m fourteen. I haven’t kissed a girl. That’s not normal.”
    “Say the dumbasses at your lunch table. I thought you were smarter than them.”
    He understood what she was saying, but it didn’t help. Fact was he did want to kiss a girl. He wanted to know what it was like. He’d watched his older brother making out with his girlfriend one night when they didn’t know he was sitting on the stairs. It looked like they were both into it. “I just want to try it. Once. You know.”
    She smiled. “Yeah. I get what you’re saying. I guess I’d like to know what all the fuss is about too.”
    She looked around and he followed her gaze. Though they were in a public park, the trees shielded them from the view of people on the street and in the park. They were isolated, completely alone.
    “Should we try it?” she suggested.
    All afternoon he’d thought about kissing a girl. Zoey’s face was the only one he’d seen when he imagined it.
    He nodded and stepped closer. Reaching out, he put his hands on her shoulders, drawing her near. His heart suddenly began to beat faster and he was finding it difficult to breathe. Was this right?
    Zoey offered no resistance to his tug. Instead, she followed his lead, lifting her face to his.
    Rob bent his head and placed his lips against hers. For a breathless moment, neither of them moved. Then he tilted his head and pushed harder. Zoey’s arms wrapped around his neck and he felt the slightest pressure of her boobs against his chest. The boobs were a new thing for her, only making their arrival in the last few months. She’d complained about having to wear a bra. He’d teased her a bit, but hadn’t taken much notice. Now he was noticing them too much.
    He remembered his brother kissing with his mouth open, so Rob tried it. Parting his lips, he touched Zoey’s tongue with his. He’d expected her to back off, tell him it was gross while wiping her mouth. What he didn’t anticipate was her tongue meeting his halfway.
    Shock pushed him away. Zoey, as always, appeared unruffled, composed, though he noticed her face was flushed again.
    She studied his face. “Well,” she began.
    He didn’t know what to say, how to respond.
    As always, Zoey had the answer. “That was weird.”
    He laughed. It was so like her to break the tension, to make him feel better. He’d been depressed about the lack of kissing, the teasing from the guys. In minutes, Zoey took it all away.
    “Yeah. Totally weird. You taste like bubble gum.”
    She grinned. “Eww. Don’t remind me. We touched tongues. Now you owe me a new promise.”
    He rolled his eyes. She was forever making him take vows.
    Promise you won’t let me fail Algebra.
    Promise you’ll tell me if I have food in my teeth.
    Promise when you’re a famous musician, you’ll write a song for me.
    She’d forced so many oaths from him, he thought he should start making a list. “Okay. What’s this promise?”
    “Promise me we’ll never kiss again. That was just too…” she paused as if trying to find the word, then she landed right back on the original, “…weird.”
    “Fine, I promise I’ll never kiss you again.” He held out his hand for their traditional handshake to seal the deal. Unlike the other pledges, this one was harder to make. Because there was a part—buried deep inside him—that really wanted to kiss Zoey again.
     
     
    Rob stared down at Zoey’s face as she slept. Her eyes were still puffy