Jim slipped back into consciousness early the next morning. It was just after 5 and no one else was up yet, despite breakfast being at 7 in the dining hall. The residences at the camp offered little privacy, with six kids packed into three bunk beds and little space in between. He needed a more secluded place to plan out what was going to happen later on tonight.
He made his way down a winding path to a spot he'd seen only once before. The air was cold and heavy for July, the vapor from his breath keeping watch in front of him as he stepped into an opening in the forest. His first encounter with it had been on another one of those "team-building hikes"...more like dragging along while the slow kids kept up...when they stopped for a short break on the way back to camp. It immediately struck him as a place of extreme serenity, like the place where a kid could think free of clutter if he needed to. He sat down on a rock overhanging a small spring, letting his feet dangle close to the silent water seeping from the earth below. The tree frogs were still chirping in the distance...Jim had always loved that sound...and he could spot a pair of grey squirrels chattering and scampering from tree to tree in a sort of lover's dance, never more than inches apart yet mystically coordinating their movements so that they never collided.
He wondered if Pam had even been looking at him that night last week in the dining hall. She could have been looking past me at someone else, or even just staring off into space. She probably has no idea who I am, and here I can't manage to get her out of my mind. God, I thought this was supposed to happen when you're old, like 21, not 12. He pondered if he should plan something out...what to do...what to say, where to be in line (would 1st be too eager? last be too nonchalant?), if he should talk to her, if he should even bother at all because, let's face it, she was 14 and going to high school and he was just a dorky 12 year old. She was too good for him...she'd always be too good for him. Why would she go for whatever he had to say? Still, the thought of kissing her percolated through him like hot chocolate on a winter day, speeding his heart and giving him the decisive thought on how to best handle this...
He grabbed a sheet of paper from the notebook in his backpack and started writing. He'd always had a knack for putting his thoughts into writing better than he could say them, and he was pretty certain his senses would be so overwhelmed later tonight that he couldn't speak anyway. Pretty. More. So Right. Hold You. He wrote fast and he wrote from the heart, signed it Love, Jim, and tucked it into his pocket for safe keeping. Not only was he going to kiss her like his life depended on it, but he was going to be the first one...eagerness be damned.
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Fun Night started at 8 but Jim wasn't interested in any of the other activities. He'd picked up his Kissing Booth ticket (#8...same as his basketball jersey number), dropping his dollar into the hand of the attendant before milling around waiting to see who'd show up. Sandy Gunderson had also signed up but she wasn't what he was there for...so typical, blonde and tanned, blue eyes, enhanced smile...pretty, but not his cup of tea. He just knew he wanted to be around to get the first spot in line when *she* showed up. Finally, after an hour of the same dozen guys parading in a circle to kiss Sandy, she stepped out and he watched as Pam was ushered into the booth by two other girls, presumedly not thrilled to be there.
She looked heaven-sent. Hair down, loose curls hanging over her shoulders and back, her beauty shining through her nervous, crooked smile (no idea why...I bet she's kissed dozens of guys before, he thought), he hoped she wasn't turning to see him staring at her. The flood light hovering over the gala seemed to shine directly upon her in that booth, as if she were the only diamond in a mountain full of coal; she looked positively stunning. He had to snap himself out of his reverie and get in line fast if he was going to work his plan.
Stepping to the booth and handing her his ticket in one smooth motion (got the first part right, at least, he thought), he managed to choke out out his greeting: "Hi."
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"Hey," Pam responded, trying her best to push out the nervousness clouding her brain. She looked him over...he was definitely young (they look younger and younger every year, don't they?), but he was kinda cute. He had that sort of puppy dog look to him, with long, floppy-looking hair and a warm, friendly smile. If he were a couple years older, she could actually see herself liking this kid. Feeling the butterflies and realizing that two years was no big deal...he was so adorable she actually did like this kid, she watched as he stood with his hands in his pockets, glancing into her eyes for a few seconds before she spoke up again. "We should probably do this, huh? Wouldn't want to keep the legions behind you in line waiting," she gestured into the darkness.
Jim glanced behind him and noticed that only one person was buying a ticket and he wasn't in line yet...it was just the two of them. "Yeah, well they'll be flooding the place soon enough." They both chuckled.
Pam smiled. "You're sweet. Now, are you here for a kiss or..." She winced a little when he looked to the ground, seemingly intimidated. He has no idea, she thought. "Come here," she said with a slight wave of her hand, leaning forward.
He stepped closer and leaned in, hoping his obvious inexperience wouldn't completely disgust her. His left hand shook in his pocket as he tried to steady his right so he wouldn't fall over. He moved his lips toward hers, waiting for the imminent contact.
As their lips met, Pam felt his lips stiffen on hers slightly before softening up and delivering a jolt of adrenaline throughout her body. She felt a charge she'd never felt before...she felt a sense of passion, even if this was just some younger boy who was probably doing this for the first time too (even if he doesn't know it), and a lightness came over her as their lips remained together for what felt like minutes. Wow, if they're all like this...she thought. What's happening to me?
Jim couldn't bring himself to break it off...he could have stayed like this all night even if it was mere seconds in real time. He shifted his right hand up to rest on Pam's cheek...anything to steal that brief extra moment in time when he could feel her, smell her, taste her, breathe her...when she was his. He was emboldened when he could feel a smile coming to her lips with the gesture. Maybe, just maybe, this might work, he thought.
Pulling back just briefly and opening his eyes, he could see that she was gazing back into his. He could feel his heart pounding as she breathily whispered, "What's your name?" He felt the letter he'd written that morning, his hand having smoothed it over continuously it as a sink for the nervous energy all the time he'd waited for this. If there was ever a time to go for it, this was it....
"Oh, I'm J-" he started, but he didn't get to finish. He felt a large hand grab his left shoulder and push him out of the way like a rag doll, careening to the ground. He heard Pam shriek and exclaim "Oh my God!" as his hands slid across the mud to brace his fall.
"Hey Romeo, why don't you let the rest of us get what we paid for too, huh?," the kid said mockingly down on him, as his friends behind him laughed. Jim looked at his pants, now covered in mud. He had to get out of here. He stood up quickly and wiped his hands down the sides of his pants before dashing off. He thought he could hear Pam call "wait!" as he ran back to his hall, but how could he ever come back from that? He was just thankful that tomorrow, this would all be over and he'd never have to face that shame ever again.
