Kiss Me

PART I, chapter 6

- VI -

On Friday morning, I felt like it was my birthday. I was so happy I didn't have to go to school that I sang in my shower rather loudly, and Eric managed to sneak into my bedroom and tape my singing. Even after I found that out, my mood didn't change much. I mean, a little brother is supposed to be annoying, right?

Around six in the evening, I started to get ready. I pulled my dress off its hanger and lovingly stroked the silky material. I put it on and critically looked at myself in the mirror. The dress was size five, but it seemed to fit just right. I grimaced when I looked at my white knees and dug in my drawers until I found a pair of brand-new tan-colored pantyhose. I looked at my reflection again. The dress was a bright-red halter top with a loose skirt that barely covered my knees. I turned around and was pleased to see that my bare back looked just fine. I pulled on my black shoes and quickly touched my lips with some pale lipstick. I was rummaging through my jewelry box when the doorbell rang, and a few seconds after that, I heard Trisha's voice. I frowned. She said that she would come just before eight o'clock. I looked at the time, and suddenly, was speechless when the clock read 8:05.

"How long was I getting dressed for...?" I muttered and shut my jewelry box closed.

I ran downstairs, and Trisha clapped her hands when she saw me.

"Oh, you look so great!" she cried.

"Thanks," I smiled. "You look awesome too!"

"I know," she said smugly, and slowly turned around, modeling her tight black dress that left little to imagination.

"Very slutty," I nodded seriously, and Trisha laughed out loud.

"Have fun, girls," my mother appeared by the door to the living room.

"Thanks, Mom!" I smiled and planted a light kiss on her cheek.

"Be good, okay?" she called after me as I was running out the front door.

"Okay," I shouted before getting into Trisha's car.

"Okay," Trisha said and turned on her car. "Let's go get Andy."

"Andy?" I frowned. "How come?"

She shrugged indifferently.

"He asked me to pick him up."

"Oh, okay," I said. "Oh, hey! Are we supposed to bring anything?"

"Yeah," Trisha said, smoothly pulling out of my driveway. "But don't worry about it. Andy will get it."

"I can get it," I said and Trisha grinned at me.

"No," she said. "You can't. Nobody will sell you any booze. You have underage written all over you..."

"Oh..." I was embarrassed.

"It's okay," she said, pausing briefly before turning on the road. "Andy never gets carded."

"Why? Isn't he the same age as us?"

"He is," Trisha nodded. "But somehow, he can always pull the whole 'grown-up' aura..." she shrugged. "I don't know how. It's a gift," and she laughed.

We picked Andy up fifteen minutes later. He was sitting on the curb, two cases of beer resting next to him.

"Hey, Andy!" Trisha called and popped open the trunk of her car.

Andy waved to us and put the beer in the trunk. Trisha got out of the car and pulled her seat forward so Andy could get in the back. I looked at them a minute later and almost chocked on my own saliva. Andy's arms were firmly wrapped around Trisha's waist, and his face was almost glued to hers. I blinked when I saw Trisha hang on his neck and bury her fingers in his hair. Suddenly, I felt really embarrassed and looked away. Finally, Andy climbed in the back and Trisha got into the driver's seat.

"Okay," she said, sounding out of breath. "Let's go!"

We got to Danny's house and walked through the front door without bothering to knock or ring the bell.

"Oh, hey guys!" Danny said when he saw us. "Thanks!" he smiled briefly at Andy who handed him cases of beer. "Okay, everyone!" he shouted. "I have an announcement to make!"

Everybody stopped talking and looked at him. I looked around and was amazed. It seemed there were at least fifty people here.

"Change of plans!" Danny was saying meanwhile. "The party is going to be officially over tomorrow at noon!"

He nodded when there were several whistles and 'Boos' at that.

"I know," he said. "I know... My parents are coming back tomorrow night instead of Sunday night... And if you would like to have more parties here or if you would like to remain my customers..." he smiled briefly. "I am pretty sure you don't want me to turn into a cold and stiff corpse... And everyone here knows my Dad, right...? Right... So, yeah... Party's on, go crazy, but no smoking inside the house, and don't break any furniture, please!"

The crowd murmured, and somebody turned on the music. I looked around and noticed that Trisha and Andy were gone. I felt uncomfortable, standing there all by myself. Suddenly, I heard familiar laughter and turned around.

"Wow," Ashlee was saying, looking at me with wide, innocent eyes. "I didn't know there would be servings of Bavarian sausage tonight..."

Her friends laughed at that, and she turned away from me, her slim shoulders shaking with laughter. My good mood immediately evaporated. I quickly turned around and went outside. I sat on the bench by the front door and closed my eyes, trying to push away the tears.

"Hey," someone said softly, and I opened my eyes, startled.

"Hey," I muttered when I saw Danny.

"You look nice tonight," he smiled and I narrowed my eyes.

"Stop it!" I said sharply and he just blinked. "I get it, okay?" I brushed my traitorous tears off my cheek and turned away from him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked in a puzzled voice.

"I look ridiculous," I hissed. "I look fat and ridiculous! There is no need to rub it in, okay?!"

"Jesus, Palmer..." he chuckled. "You are so weird... I am giving you a compliment and you are trying to bite my head off, what's wrong with you?"

"Because I know how I look!" I said without looking at him.

"I have no idea why you think that," he said. "But in my opinion, you look hot."

I finally looked at him. He lit a cigarette and looked at me with his serene gray eyes.

"You really think I look good?" I asked in a small voice, and he grinned.

"Palmer," he said patiently and blew smoke out his mouth. "I could jump you right now..."

"Thanks..." I said awkwardly, and he laughed.

"Okay," he said. "I give you a good compliment and you are ready to kill me... I tell you that I want to sexually assault you right now and you thank me..." he shook his head and took a deep drag on his cigarette. "Weird," he said finally.

I smiled weakly.

"Sorry," I muttered. "It's just..." I took a deep breath. "Can I have one of those?" I asked him suddenly, nodding at his cigarette.

He silently handed me his cigarette and I took a deep drag.

"Don't inhale so deeply..." he said quickly, but he was too late.

I felt like there was an angry bee in my throat that wanted to kill me. I almost dropped the cigarette and coughed so badly that my eyes watered. Danny laughed quietly and took his cigarette away from me.

"Cigarettes kill," he said with laughter.

"You... You... You are the one to talk..." I managed finally.

He shrugged.

"I don't smoke," he said. "I only do it at parties. So what were you about to say?"

"Oh," I could finally breathe. "It's nothing..." I looked into his waiting gray eyes and sighed. "I heard Ashlee saying something unflattering about my dress..." I almost whispered, and Danny grimaced.

"The bulimic b***h?" he snorted and stabbed his cigarette in the ashtray. "I can't stand that chick..."

"Does everybody know that she is bulimic?" I looked at him with wide eyes.

"I don't know about everybody," Danny shrugged. "But last year I walked in on her puking her guts out in my bathroom. She ate almost an entire pizza an hour before..." he shuddered. "Not a pretty sight, let me tell you..."

I winced, thinking about my own purging.

"I mean, if you don't wanna gain weight, stop eating junk," Danny said. "Really, it's not that hard... Hey, are you staying overnight?"

"I was thinking about it," I said slowly. "But now I am not sure..."

"So you are staying overnight then," he nodded with a smile, and I laughed.

"Okay," I said. "I am staying overnight..."

"Cool," he nodded.

He got up and started to walk away when he suddenly stopped and looked at me.

"Hey," he said softly. "Do you mind walking with me to the gas station? I am almost out of smokes."

"Sure," I shrugged. "Let me get a jacket or something... Oh, wait," I winced. "I didn't bring a jacket..."

"Be right back," he grinned and walked into the house.

I got up and slowly walked towards the road when I heard Tyler's voice and I froze.

"Stop it," he almost hissed. "Just stop, okay?"

"Tyler..." I couldn't believe it. It was Ashlee's voice.

I tiptoed towards the sound of their voices, and what I saw almost made me laugh hysterically. Ashlee was all but pinning Tyler to the wall of the house. His face was grim and determined. She was trying to kiss him and he was pushing her away.

"Ashlee, don't," he said tiredly. "Just don't, please..."

"She is not even here," Ashlee was saying, stroking his face with her long fingers.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "It's not even about Laurie, okay?"

"Then what?" she demanded. "I was good enough for you last year, wasn't I?"

I blinked at that. What the hell...?

"Last year was a mistake," he said.

"Right," she snorted. "A mistake... You slipped and you fell right on top of me... Five times..."

"Jesus," he muttered. "Ashlee, things change."

"Like hell they do! Look, Tyler, all I want right now is just to have a quickie, okay? I don't care about Laurie; I don't care if you want to marry her tomorrow! Go ahead and do that! But let me tell you something..." She leaned very close to him, and this time, he didn't push her away. "If you will humiliate me right now by rejecting me, then guess who your precious Laurie is going to talk to the minute she comes back from Pennsylvania?"

"Ashlee..." he muttered, and she brushed his mouth with her lips.

"I don't care about long-term relationship, Tyler," she said. "I never did... You are really good in bed, did Laurie ever tell you that...? Or is she Miss Goody-Two-Shoes and won't sleep with you until the wedding?"

"That is none of your business," he growled, and she laughed softly.

"You right, Mr. Blake... You are absolutely right... Now just shut up and kiss me... Make the girl happy..."

He sighed and pulled her towards himself. I couldn't believe my eyes when he started kissing her mouth and neck. Suddenly, I felt incredibly sick. I turned away from them and almost ran back.

"Hey!" Danny caught me when I almost ran into him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I breathed. "I am fine. Let's go!"

He handed me a black jacket, and I smiled at him. We started slowly walking towards the gas station, and he lit a cigarette without breaking his pace.

"You are a very weird person, Palmer," he said slowly. "What just happened back there?"

"Nothing," I said quickly, and he snorted.

"Fine," he said. "Nothing happened..."

We walked into the brightly lit shop and Danny nodded to the guy behind the counter.

"Hey, Steve," he said, rummaging in his pocket. "Two packs of Parliaments, please..."

"Hey, Danny," the guy said, his eyes curiously running over me. "Here you go," he put two packs of cigarettes on the counter.

"Thanks," Danny muttered and handed him a twenty. "Keep the change."

"Will do," Steve answered brightly. "Have a good one!"

"Yeah, you too," and he pulled me outside.

"Do you know everybody?" I asked him, and he shrugged.

"Pretty much," he agreed lightly.

I looked at him, and suddenly, the image of Tyler kissing Ashlee popped bright and clear in my head.

"What?" Danny asked when I kept staring at him. "What is it?"

I just looked at him, strange feelings stirring inside my head and my stomach. I imagined how it would feel to kiss Tyler's lips, and suddenly, I felt hot and my hands started to shake.

"Palmer, are you all right...?" Danny started to say when I pulled him towards me and kissed his mouth.

His arms slowly wrapped around me and his mouth started to grow more and more hungry. I closed my eyes, imagining that it was Tyler who was kissing me, and it were his soft lips and probing tongue I felt. Danny kissed me slowly and gently. Finally, he pulled away and just looked at me, his gray eyes linked to mine.

"Come on," he said and pulled my arm. I silently followed him back to the house.

We went upstairs and nobody paid any attention to us. Danny pulled me into one of the bedrooms and locked the door. He reached for the light switch, but I stopped him.

"Don't," I whispered, and his hand fell back.

He silently pulled me towards him, and then he kissed me again. I was trying to think, I was trying to tell myself that I was just being stupid, and that I should stop right now, but Danny was a really good kisser, and my thoughts just melted into nothing. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his mouth, images flying through my head. Images of Tyler and Ashlee; Trisha and Andy; my mother and Tony... Suddenly, I didn't care about anything in the world but this room, this minute, and Danny's soft lips and his warm body. He pulled the jacket off me and I shivered when his hands touched my bare back.

"Palmer..." he muttered. "I..."

"Just shut up and kiss me," I whispered, quoting Ashlee, and he obliged.

Later, I couldn't remember how we got out of our clothes. The next thing I remembered was lying in bed with Danny on top of me; his naked body surprisingly toned and lean. I ran my fingers along his spine and he shivered at my touch.

"Palmer.... Stephanie..." he whispered, pulling his face away for a second. "Is this your first time?"

I just nodded, and he kissed me again.

"Okay," he said softly. "Okay..."

He kissed me for what seemed like an eternity, and my body was reacting so strangely, that for a couple of minutes, I seriously thought I would simply pass out, but I didn't. My heart was beating so wildly against my ribs that I thought I was getting a heart attack. Danny was unbelievingly gentle and careful, his hands caressing me in all the right places. When he finally entered me, it hurt for several seconds, but I didn't scream, I just opened my eyes and looked at him. He was moving slowly inside me, his eyes never leaving my face.

"You okay?" he murmured, and I just nodded.

"Okay," he whispered and kissed me again.

After a while, I felt really strange, like my insides were about to explode; and then suddenly, the entire room shifted somehow, and my entire body started convulsing. I bit my lip and buried my face in Danny's chest.

"Oh my God..." I remember myself saying. "Oh, God... Oh, God..."

He silently kissed my neck and started to move faster. I gasped when my body shook again in another crazy unknown wave of dark pleasure. Danny moved faster, and suddenly, his back went rigid, and his entire body shook violently, and then he just collapsed on top of me. After a few seconds, I heard him laughing softly.

"God, Palmer..." he muttered and rolled off me, reaching for his cigarettes.

"Yeah..." I agreed with him and took a lit cigarette out of his hand.

I was careful this time and almost didn't inhale at all.

"This party turned out quite nice," he muttered, taking his cigarette away from me, and I laughed.

He stabbed the half-smoked Parliament in his bedside ashtray and looked at me, his gray eyes twinkling strangely in the dark.

"So, what was that all about?" he asked.

"What?" I asked, and he grimaced.

"Come on, Palmer... All of a sudden, you are ready to jump me in the parking lot... Why?"

"No reason," I said, and he snorted.

"Stephanie," he said quietly. "I am not stupid..."

I turned away from his intent gaze.

"It's dumb, really," I said, and he laughed again.

"Oh, do tell," he said and I heard the sound of his lighter.

"I thought you didn't smoke," I looked at him, and he shrugged.

"I don't. Now spill."

"Well..." I bit my lower lip and looked into his eyes. "Danny..."

He rolled his eyes and sat up on the bed.

"Jesus," he said with annoyance. "I don't really care about your reasons, I am simply curious... I mean, this..." He looked at my naked body. "This was great, okay? So I am not complaining. Just blame it on my inquisitive mind..."

I sighed and took a cigarette away from him. He just watched me.

"It's..." I coughed. "I saw Tyler making out with Ashlee," I said finally.

"Tyler?" Danny frowned. "Hmm... I guess she wasn't lying when she said she did him last year..." he muttered. "Okay, so you saw them making out, and...?"

"I ... Umm... I kinda have a thing for Tyler," I said, avoiding his eyes.

He was silent for almost a minute, and then he started laughing. I looked at him carefully.

"You are not mad?" I asked in a small voice.

"Tyler Blake?" he said and laughed again. "God, I feel so used..." he shook his head. "No, Palmer, I am not mad... Why should I be mad? Now it makes sense though... You saw him with that dumb blonde and..." he laughed so hard he couldn't speak. "Oh, man..." he finally said and wiped his eyes.

"Danny..." I whispered. "I..."

He took a cigarette away from me and stabbed it in his ashtray.

"I am not mad," he said and kissed my throat. "Just don't call me Tyler when we are together, okay?"

"Danny..."

"Yeah, that's just fine," he said and pushed me down on the bed.

The rest of the night was a haze. I remember Danny's hands and mouth all over my body, and I remember his gray eyes twinkling in the dark. We finally fell asleep at almost six in the morning, and my last thought before I was completely asleep was how strangely comfortable I felt with Danny. I fell asleep on top of him, my head on his chest, his arms wrapped around me.

I woke up from loud knocking on the door. I looked at the clock and was surprised when I saw that it was almost eleven.

"Danny! You there?" somebody's voice called, and then there was knocking again.

Danny opened one eye.

"What?" he called loudly and kissed my neck.

"Danny, it's like, eleven... Are you alive, man? I haven't seen you all night!"

"I am fine," Danny growled. "Go away!"

"Open the door, man..."

"Jesus..." Danny muttered and sat up on the bed. "Hold on, okay? Stop knocking, you killing me..."

He got off the bed and pulled on his jeans. I quickly pulled the sheets over my head when he headed for the door.

"What?" I heard him bark after a few seconds.

"Who's in there with you...?"

"None of your damn business... What do you want?"

"Ah, come on man! Don't be like that..."

"Jeff, what do you want?"

"Fine, fine, don't look at me like that!" I heard Jeff laugh. "It's almost eleven, and last night you said your folks were coming back early, so I thought I'd wake you up..."

"Oh, s**t, that's right..." Danny muttered. "Okay, go downstairs and tell everyone to get the hell out."

"Are you coming or what?"

"Or what," Danny said and shut the door.

I heard him walk across the room and opening the window.

"You can come out now," he said softly.

"Is he gone?" I asked carefully.

"Yeah," Danny said, and I pulled the sheets off my head.

Danny was smoking by the open window, his arms folded on his bare chest. He looked at me and smiled.

"You are not mad?" I asked him, and he laughed and flicked his cigarette out of the open window.

"Will you stop saying that?" he walked to the bed and sat down. "I am not mad."

I smiled at him and immediately hated myself for wishing that he was Tyler. Danny sighed.

"What is it with you chicks and Tyler Blake?" he asked softly, and I blushed. "It's like, every girl is ready to jump out of her panties the minute she sees him... I mean, I get it, the guy is fairly good-looking..." he shrugged. "He used to sleep around a lot until last year," he said casually. "I guess Laurie finally got it into his thick skull that she wouldn't take anymore of his one-night-stands..."

"He used to sleep around?" I frowned, and Danny laughed.

"Are you kidding me?! That guy's been around the block more times than my Dad's Chevy..."

"You are pretty good at it yourself," I muttered, and Danny shrugged.

"I got my fair share," he agreed. "But Tyler... Oh, man," he shook his head and his dark hair fell on his face. "He would go through girls quicker than I could go through my Halloween candy. I don't know what Laurie did to him, but he is completely different since last year. Ahhh," he squeezed his eyes for a second. "I gotta clean up the mess downstairs before my parents come back..."

"I'll help you," I said, and he smiled at me from underneath his dark bangs.

"Deal," he murmured, and suddenly, he was on top of me again, his mouth warm and greedy on my lips.

"Danny..." I muttered.

"Mmm?" he said.

"Did you lock the door?"

"Uh huh," he answered and helped me to pull off his jeans.