Page 32 of Dream On, Ramona Riley

Lolli turned back toward the show, watching as more colors lit the sky. When that willow tree silhouette appeared again, she glanced at Ramona.

Ramona smiled.

“Willow!” they both yelled, holding out theowsound. They did this over and over again, just like Ramona and April always did, until they were dancing around in the sand, screaming, “Willow!”into the night like a battle cry. It was silly and perfect and it seemed to light Lolli up from the inside. Maybe Ramona imagined it, but she didn’t look quite as lost as before.

And Ramona didn’t feel quite as alone.

Soon, the finale burst into the air, one blast of color after another, thepop-pop-popechoing in their ears. They stood side by side holding hands, and when it was done, Lolli laughed and turned toward Ramona.

“That was amazing,” she said.

Ramona nodded. “It was.”

They kept looking at each other, and Ramona felt it again—that swoop in her belly, a wave cresting. She would’ve looked away by now with anyone else, but with Lolli…there was a freedom with her. A rightness.

Aknowing.

“You’re…you’re really pretty,” Ramona said, her voice so quiet she barely heard herself.

But Lolli heard her. She smiled softly, lashes dropping to her cheeks for a second before lifting back, her eyes searching Ramona’s.

“Really?” she asked.

Ramona nodded.

“You are too,” Lolli said.

Ramona didn’t know if that was actually true, but it felt true right then. She believed Lolli believed it, and it made her feel light and airy, a gauzy curtain blowing in a summer breeze.

The two of them moved closer, and Lolli put a hand on Ramona’s waist…then another. Ramona’s hands were drifting free then, but she wanted to touch Lolli’s face—that too-thin, lovely face that had smiled so much tonight.

So she did.

Her hand shook as she moved it to Lolli’s cheek, but she didn’t stop, because Lolli smiled again and leaned into her palm. Ramona brought her other hand up, thumbs swiping gently at Lolli’s cheekbones.

They were so close.

Then closer.

And then their lips touched.

Gentle and sweet, like a whisper.

Ramona felt her whole body light up, like glitter, like a firework, like happiness. They bumped noses, and laughed, and then kept kissing, figuring each other out, and it was weird and wonderful and awkward and perfect. When they finally pulled away, they laughedagain, then kissed again, and it went like that for a few minutes, a dreamy cycle Ramona couldn’t believe was really happening.

But it was.

And it was everything she’d dreamed her first kiss would be like. No, it was better. She knew not everyone got to say that. April’s was with Jared Lassiter at the high school’s homecoming football game this past fall, and he had pizza breath and tried to take out her eye with his tongue, in April’s own words.

This was nothing like pizza breath and a tongue sword.

This was sour apple sugar and sparklers and summer.

“So that’s what all the fuss is about,” Lolli said, lacing her fingers with Ramona’s and holding their hands out wide.

Ramona’s breath caught for the millionth time that night. “That was your first time too?”

Lolli laughed. “I haven’t even seen fireworks before. You think I just go around kissing cute girls all the time?”