Page 49 of Intermission

A few moments later, Jenna comes out of the closet holding the two DVDs we both own but would probably not admit to still watching with any of our other friends.

“This Is UsorWhere We Are?” she asks, holding one DVD in each hand. “Or, should we spend the next two hours buffering through YouTube, watching the video diaries from their adorably awkward fetus days?”

“It’s all good, so I don’t care.” Behind the family room’s built-in bar, I pop open a can of soda and divide it between two glasses of ice. “You pick.”

“Hmm. I don’t feel like fighting the buffering spinner thingy tonight. Let’s watch this one.” Jenna kisses the DVD case holdingOne Direction:This Is Us.

Ignoring the sofa’s intended use, we sit instead on the floor, leaning our backs against it. As the opening sequence begins, Jenna reaches into the bowl and takes a handful of popcorn. I do the same.

“So...” Jenna shoots a glance toward the empty staircase and then gives me a sly smile. “Noah’s a pretty good kisser, huh?”

With a handful of popcorn halfway to my mouth, I freeze. “How did you—?”

“I knew it! I can’t believe he finally kissed you and you didn’t tell me!”

“Shh!” My eyes dart toward the stairs. “Don’t let my mom hear you!”

“Okay, okay.” Jenna laughs but keeps her voice low. “This is huge! I need details! It was totally romantic, wasn’t it?”

I nod.

Jenna squeals. “I knew it! Deets, girl. Spill ’em.”

My smile is probably wide enough to carry sunshine to the next county. I glance at the stairs again and lean in. “We were at a pond, out in the country, under the stars.” A shiver travels across my shoulders at what is officially the best memory of my life so far. “It wastotallyromantic. He asked my permission first, of course—”

“Of course he did.” Grinning, Jenna rolls her eyes, and I know she’s hanging on my every word when she prompts, “And then...?”

“His hand was on my face—it was so sweet, the way he kind of held my chin with his thumb and forefinger—and then he put his arms around me and... he kissed me.” I can’t stop the sigh.

“Awwww.” Jenna sighs, too, but a moment later, she frowns. “That is so unfair. The first time Cole kissed me, he missed and got my nose. I was just getting over a cold, and it was all red and chapped. I was mortified.”

“I remember.”

“So . . . Noah’s probably, um, pretty experienced, huh?”

“With girls?” I tilt my head. “I don’t think so. Not the way you mean, anyway.”

“No roaming hands?”

“No.” I shake my head. “Not his style.”

But the way Jenna asked makes me wonder...

“Does Cole have wandering hands?”

She looks toward the stairs again. “Yeah. Sometimes.”

“Are you guys, um, you know . . . ?”

“No! I mean, I think he probably wants to.” Jenna shakes her head. “When we started dating, I told him it wasn’t going to happen. But sometimes, when we’re making out, I wonder if it’s really that big of a deal.”

“Itisa big deal,” I say, and I believe it. “You only get one first time.”

“I know.” She shakes her head. “And I know if we do it once, we’ll do it a dozen times and probably end up having a huge fight someday, and then he’ll mouth off to his friends, tell them I’m some sort of slut, and then everyone will talk about me the way they used to talk about your sis—” She cringes. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” I know Gretchen has a bad reputation, and I don’t doubt its accuracy. But she’s still my sister, and it makes me angry and sad that she’s so reckless, which is part of the reason I’m determined to live differently beneath her shadow.

“But, Jen... if Cole starts being a jerk about it, you just give me the word, and I’ll bash in his kneecaps. Or his man parts. You know, whichever seems like a better idea at the time.”