Free Kiss and Cry by Ramona Lipson Page B

Ryan. Then I turned my phone off because we had company.”
    “Ya, so? How did you look?”
    “I thought I looked good, that’s why I sent it. Do you want to hear the story or not?” I said irritated.
    Tara ignored my irritation,“He got mad at you for sending a selfie?”
    “No, he was peeved because I was made up for a guy I didn’t know. He thought I was trying to attract him, and then when he tried contacting me he couldn’t.”
    Tara smiled, “Where you trying to attract Ryan?”
    “No! Of course not.”
    “So tell him. He can’t want to break up with you over a lousy selfie,” Tara argued.
    “There’s more than that,” I continued. “When I went skating with Ryan, our new coach Mr. Hicks said that he wants us to get ‘comfortable’ with each other and whenever we are together in the public eye, we’re supposed to look like a couple. It’s all about creating ‘chemistry.’”
    Seeing where this was leading Tara assumed, “He saw the two of you together!”
    “Worse than that,” I elaborated. “He saw us getting out of Ryan’s Mercedes together. We held hands. I initiated it!”
    “You didn’t! What’s he doing with a Mercedes? Why’s he going to our school? I could bump into this gorgeous guy anytime?” Tara asked shocked.
    “Anytime, I was only doing what Coach Hicks instructed us to do. His father gave him the Mercedes in the divorce settlement. He’s coming to our school, so we have the same curriculum and can study together when we’re at competitions. Mom had it all planned out and never told me. I just found out. I was showing him how to get to the office and then I ditched him to go to homeroom.”
    “Are you sure you only did it because Coach Hicks told you to!” She mocked. “I totally can’t wait to meet this Ryan guy!”
    “Yes, I already told you I hate the guy. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
    “So then what happened?”
    “So when I arrived in homeroom and didn’t find Adam there I was going to call him. That’s when I found all these texts from him that I forgot to read. He told me to meet him at his car. He was furious. Read them.” I handed Tara my phone.
    “Okay, so you get in Adam’s car and then what happened? He must have been super jealous seeing you with gorgeous Ryan in a Mercedes no less,”
    “I tried explaining to him what Coach Hicks expects us to act like a couple, and that I’m not into Ryan even a little bit.”
    “Did he believe you?”
    “Nope.”
    “Girl, Even I don’t believe you!” Tara teased.
    “Seriously, What do I do now?”
    “It’s obvious,” Tara stated simply, “serious ASS KISSING! You have to make him feel like he’s everything to you, or just hope that he comes around.”
    “I guess I’ll be puckering up. Can you bring me home tonight?”
    “Sure, I have to go back to class now. You should too, tell the teacher you were sick or something.”
    “I don’t feel like it.”
    “You better go.”
    “All right. See you out in the parking lot after school.”
    “Sure,” Tara pushed the door open and I followed her out. I went back to class, but I didn’t absorb anything that day, I was too caught up in what happened with Adam.
     
    “Dinner is ready!” Mom called up the stairs. I took my earbuds out and placed them on the night stand next to my bed. I checked my phone again hoping I would have a text message or email from Adam but it was junk emails and no texts except for one from Sierra asking how my day went.
    I didn’t want to answer the text, because I would have to get into the entire story all over again, and after telling Tara and the endless amounts of times I went over everything that happened in my head, I just wasn’t up for it.
    I walked downstairs and took my spot at the dining room table. Mom and dad went all out making taco’s with extra hot salsa sauce and sour cream, which they knew were my favourite. I loaded four taco’s up and started chowing down on them when I felt expectant stares