“Hey,” Ozzy says, smiling down at me.
“Hi. I didn’t know if you were coming.”
“Yeah, my parents came,” he looks over my head toward the stands. “They wanted me to ride with them.”
“Mine, too.”
We’re down by the field about to enter the stands when the announcer directs everyone to the middle of the field. The cheerleaders are all in place, along with the dance team, each with rose-colored accents. I look at the field and see the football players in special pink jerseys. On the sleeves I can make out a small logo for Mr. Waller’s campaign.
“What the—” Ozzy says.
“Welcome Vikings and our guests, the Ridgeview Ravens. We’re dedicating tonight’s game to one of our most loved Vikings, Rose Waller…”
I tune the announcer out, focusing instead on the people walking toward the middle of the field. The Wallers, Coach Chandler, Juliette, and dragging a few steps behind is Finn, who looks absolutely miserable.
“Rose loved the Vikings, her cheer squad, her family and friends…she was looking forward to this season and would want the team to carry on without her. Except we’re not without her.” Coach Chandler touches his chest, above his heart. “She’s with each and every one of us. Each cheerleader, each member of the band, each spectator, and every player on the field.” He squeezes Finn’s shoulder.
“I can’t listen to this anymore.”
“Thank god,” Ozzy says, taking my hand.
The crowd is thick, and we’re boxed in. Ozzy looks around then his eyebrows rise. He heads straight to the bleachers and pulls me underneath. It’s a little dark under here, but the sound is muffled, just like the wind.
“I feel shitty for not staying to listen to that.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t. It’s over the top, even Rose would roll her eyes at this point.”
I laugh. He’s right. Rose liked to be the center of attention, but this has moved somewhere uncomfortably desperate.
“It looks like we may be trapped under here for a while,” he says.
“I’ve had worse company.”
He smiles down at me. “Yeah?”
I nod.
“Since we’ve got nowhere to go,” he rests his hand on a pillar next to my hand, and leans in, “do you want to talk about this?”
“What’s this?” I ask, but my heart flip-flops. I see the intention in his eyes. The way he holds my gaze for one second, then drops his eyes to my lips.
“This thing between us.”
I exhale. “I like you, Ozzy, a lot. Things are just in a crazy place right now, you know?”
“I do know. I also know that Rose Waller wouldn’t have felt an ounce of regret for doing what feels right, or good, in a time like this.”
He’s good.
“I’m not saying we have to be forever. I’m not saying we have to be anything, but things are fucking scary right now, Kenley, and I want to feel something other than fear.”
Damn, he’s really, really good.
With confidence I never knew Ozzy possessed, he slides his hand behind my neck, pulling me close. “Don’t you want to feel something good?”
I nod, his lips so close, and he brushes them against mine. They’re soft and warm, sending tingles down my limbs. I wrap my hands around his waist, and he deepens the kiss, darting his tongue into my mouth, creating a cascade of firework in my belly.
My whole life I’d wanted one boy to be my first kiss—I never expect it to come from his best friend instead—I really never expected it to be this good. I’d worry about what he thought about my lack of experience, but it’s clear from the way our bodies draw closer, and the way our lips fit together, and the way his fingers feel against my neck, and the way he keeps kissing and kissing and kissing me, that this is as good for him as it’s good for me.