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"Stop mumbling to yourself."
Tara whips her head around to glare at her friend seated behind her, but only a bored expression greets her. She should have known better. They have be friends and classmates for a whole year and she knows that intimidation doesn't work with Amber. She's way too collected. Her mere presence is probably more intimidating than Tara snapping.
"How about some help instead?"
Amber scoffs, "How?"
Tara has no idea either. Crushes are normal, but an actual boy looking to date her?
Woah.
"Don't you think it's embarrassing to kiss someone? Especially boys? They are so foreign?"
Amber falls silent and seems to be seriously considering the prospect.
"Nope."
Tara glares again. "Of course you wouldn't."
"What?" Amber drawls.
Tara shrugs. Amber is lazy in a feline way, but not truly like a cat. She is something more but Tara can't put a finger to what exactly.
"What?" Amber repeats, more insistent this time.
"Because you're always cool, so you'd know." Hearing herself, she knows her words don't make sense, but whatever.
"Know what? I'm not boy crazy like the bunch of you."
"You aren't but boys are crazy about you."
Amber raises an eyebrow, cracks a half-smile in that silly Amber teasing way. Tara pouts in reply. That smile meant that Amber found whatever she just said hilarious. However, she doesn't see how it's funny when that was the truth.
Amber is a lot of things, and there are lots of talk surrounding her. She's mysterious and edgy. Her confidence wafts and swirls around her. Boys want her and girls are mostly wary when she's in the equation. Girls, in general, except for Tara.
"Just accept the dude." Amber sounds absolutely done, but Amber always does when it comes to Tara. "Why are you even thinking about kissing before you
date him?"
"Amberrrr." Tara activates her pouting again. Whining, she grasps her friend's hand.
"Yes?"
"What should I do?"
Amber laughs and escapes from Tara's grasp. Out of habit, Tara whines a little again.
"Don't be so cute-" Amber's eyes are twinkling, her default 'fight me' expression replaced by something softer and cheesier."-but stupid at the same time."
"Hey!" Offended, Tara is about to hit Amber when her friend reaches forward and squeezes her cheek.
"Just date him." Amber shrugs, letting go of Tara's cheeks.
As if on cue, the boy in question walks by their classroom, stopping to cast Tara a wide smile and a wave.
That is enough material for the cheeky bunch in class to sound the alarm, with an explosive uproar of catcalls and exaggerated smooching sounds. As expected.
Tara plops her arms on the table and buries her head in them. Heat spreads from her cheeks to the tips of her ears and embarrassment tints her neck.
She wonders how long the teasing will go on for, but before she can come up with an estimate, an abrupt hush swallows the noise.
She steals a glance.
Everyone's looking in her direction but not at her.
Behind her, Amber is off her seat, sweeping her fierce glare across every single one of their noisy classmates.
"Grow up," she scoffs and everyone shuts up.
Amber is amazing. Even Tara is in awe.
"Let's go."
By the time Tara reacts, she is already out of the classroom and climbing up the stairway to the school's roof.
"Wait! Where are we going?"
"For some air. Our classmates are jerks."
The roof access is usually locked and Tara doesn't ask why Amber has a duplicate key. They say Amber is mysterious, it's true. But she's also Tara's dearest friend.
"Classes start soon," Tara mumbles and stretches. Amber's right, the cool air feels good and it clears out some unnecessary thoughts.
"We can skip..." Tara shakes her head, rejected. "We've got fifteen minutes, chill Tara."
With that, Amber plants her butt on the floor and Tara is glad that her pants are a shade of dark grey. She worries about her sometimes, yet chooses not to tell her.
But as she looks at her friend, nonchalant and free, a thought suddenly strikes her.
"Amber, honestly, have you kissed a boy before?"
Amber tilts her head, expression neutral. "Why?
Tara isn't all that sure why, she just thought she should know. They are really close friends after all.
"What does it feel like? To kiss a boy?" Tara decides to assume Amber did. She should have, since she's never flustered around boys or any kind of attention lavished on her.
"Something like two human lips touching?"
Tara snorts. Amber has a funny way of putting things. And she likes it, she likes how Amber doesn't blend into the crowd as a typical girl, how she doesn't conform to the many rules. Tara likes how different they are and how they seem to have something special when together.
"I'm so nervous about kissing though? Like I have to be so close to him, what if I freak out and back away? That'd be so mean."
"Tie a rope around your waist and tie the other end to him?" Amber suggests, looking every bit genuine about it.
"Amber!"
"I don't know, Tara. Stop being so paranoid, try dating him first." Amber shakes her head. "Well, if you do want to date him."
Tara sighs. She isn't certain if she actually wants to. The idea of dating someone, the idea of romance seems so enticing but when the chance presents itself to her, it's actually a little scary.
Everything is so foreign and Tara swears she will embarrass herself tremendously if she dates him. Just imagining it makes her cringe.
"Tara," Amber says, motioning for her to come closer. Tara squats down carefully, in front of her friend, making sure her skirt doesn't touch the floor. "Stop thinking. Do and don't think."
All of a sudden, the way Amber's lips curve and move while she speaks hypnotises Tara. Her lips are so pretty.
"Can you kiss me?" Tara blurts out.
Do and don't think, she says.
Awkwardness paints her a bright shade of pink, her heart is palpitating. And Amber's blank response isn't helping at all.
"Um- I just-practice? I don't know? I-"
"Yeah, sure."
Amber swoops in, and before Tara even thinks about backing away, Amber's lips is on hers.
It feels nothing like the apathetic 'two human lips touching'.
Her lips are soft, almost fluffy like, and Tara loses the ability to think about anything more. Amber's really close and she really likes it. The way one of Amber's hands is on her shoulder, lightly clutching her blouse. The other hand on her neck, her fingers grazing Tara's skin.
It feels so tender. So sweet.
She wants this moment to stay put, but Amber breaks away just as Tara's hands circle around her waist.
"It's... not as bad as I thought. This kissing thing," Amber whispers, catches Tara's eyes and looks away.
"Um..."
What does that mean? Tara stares, confused.
"We should go. Classes."
Just like how she was pulled to the roof, Tara gets dragged back to class, totally out of it.
What did Amber mean?
Tara sneaks a peek at Amber, who has reverted to her signature unbothered look. As though nothing happened, like they didn't just kiss.
I'm her... first kiss?
Tara's breath hitches when Amber returns her gaze. Quickly turning back, her face heats up as the sensation of their shared moment returns.
Thoughts of the boy asking her out and worries about kisses are all being shoved out of her head.
All she can think about now is her friend with the nonchalant air, Amber Freeman.