A FIRST KISS ADVENTURE

That Friday night, I had closed whatever fantasy book or comic I was reading and shut my light off a little early. I tried my best to get to sleep, but slumber evaded me for what seemed like hours, thinking of the camping trip I was going on the next day. I didn't care much for camping, but I was excited about going with Amy's family. I had not seen Amy since the end of school.  She had been my best friend all through sixth grade. We spent recesses racing each other and after school, reading, trading, and discussing our favorite manga.



I woke up that Saturday morning and got dressed rather quickly. My bag had been packed the night before. I knew I had everything, since my mom had asked me, it seemed a hundred times, about each item. After what seemed like an all day wait, I was soon on my way to the Patterson's. When we pulled up to the curb I flung open the door, ready to take off.



My mom called me back. "David."



I stopped in mid stride and turned around. "What?" I made no effort to hide my frustration.



"Come here," my mom said.



I walked back to the car, trying to figure out what she could possibly want. I was ready to go. "What now?"



"Be good."



"Ok."



"Are you sure you have everything?"



"Yes mother, I'm sure."



"Now give your mother a good bye kiss."



I wondered who all was watching this embarrassing display, but I bent over and received a quick kiss on my cheek. Wiping my cheek dry, I took off.



Mr. and Mrs. Patterson were up doing some last minute packing. Amy's older brother Ted, who was home from college, was on a sofa watching TV. Mrs. Patterson told me Amy was still getting dressed and offered me some breakfast. I had eaten breakfast at my house, but the mention of food stirred a new hunger in me, so I ate a few pancakes.



"Amy, hurry up. We have to get going," I heard Mrs. Patterson call up the stairs.



We were soon loading the car. I had just helped Mr. Patterson and Ted put one of the tents in the trunk of the car and was on my way back inside, when I saw Amy for the first time that morning. There was something different about her. It seemed as if she was much taller, and she had cut her hair. It was no longer the messy blonde ponytail I remebred, but it now flowed nice and straight. I didn't know why, but I was suddenly nervous. I gave a quick hello and went back to helping load the car.



We soon had the car loaded, and we were on our way. With the car crowded with people and camping equipment, I found myself sitting pressed up to Amy. I was turning to tell her something when a shock hit me. She had breasts. They were very small, but she had them. I dried the sweat off my hands when I went for another look. I was certain I would get caught staring. I then saw she was wearing a bra. I looked away. Everybody in the car had to know I had seen them. I was about to sneak another peek when Ted decided to embarrass me.



"Hey Dave, You think Amy looks hot?"



"What?" I replied, acting like I had not heard him.



"I see you're sitting awfully close to my sister."



My face was burning red from embarrassment.



"Shut up, Ted," Amy yelled.



"Oh, defending your boyfriend," Ted retorted back.



"He's not my boyfriend. He's just a friend, so shut up!"



"Ted, stop teasing them," Mrs. Patterson interjected, before an argument had a chance to start.



We drove the rest of the way in relative silence. The main interruption was my being interviewed about my summer so far.



When we got to the camping site, we found a wonderful spot. There was an open meadow in one direction, camping sites to either side of us, and a very tall, long hill behind us. The hill looked steep and was too high to see the top at most spots. It stretched out a long way like a sloping tree covered wall.



"That sure is a big mountain," Amy remarked.



"That's just a hill," Mr. Patterson responded.



"Looks like a mountain to me," Amy said with a touch of defiance in her voice.



"I hear there's a lake on the other side," Mrs. Patterson quickly chimed in.



"Yeah, I hear you can cliff dive over there," Ted added, as he pointed to an area of the hill further down.



"You better not even think about it," Mrs. Patterson scolded.



There was a little more banter as we unpacked. I tried my best to match the Patterson men while Amy and Mrs. Patterson started setting some things up.



By the time late afternoon rolled around, we had the tents and lawn chairs set up. A radio blared some classic rock music, Mr. and Mrs. Patterson and Ted relaxed and drank beer. Amy and I decided to walk around the campsite's perimeter. After a few steps, I picked up a rock and threw it as far as I could.



"Why did you do that?" Amy asked.



"I just wanted to see how far I could throw it," I replied. I wanted to ask if she thought I had thrown it far. I wasn't sure why, but I wanted her to be impressed with my rock throwing ability.



We grew restless after awhile, when Amy said she had an idea and yelled out. "Me and Dave are going on a hike, mom."



"Where are you hiking to?" her mom asked.



"Just up the hill."



"Don't go too far."



We gathered some bottled water and a big bag of trail mix then took off in an unofficial race to the bottom of the hill.I stared up the hill. It was not as steep up close, but I could not see the top. We began the hike up to the summit. We used branches and tree trunks to help us climb. We tore through leaves and twigs along a trail. Tiny bugs swarmed around us. I noticed a long scratch on my leg, about half way up the hill. I did not know where I had got it, but I considered it a badge of honor.



When we finally reached the top, I felt exhilarated. I looked back down the path we had hiked. Our campsite was out of sight.



Amy hopped upon a rock and shouted, "I'm taller than you."



I jumped up next to her, "Not anymore."



Amy sat down on the rock's edge and took out her water. "I'm thirsty."



The thought had not crossed my mind through the hike, but I was suddenly parched. I sat down close to my hiking partner. We sat for a little while drinking our water and sharing the trail mix. I was watching the horizon when my eyes again caught sight of Amy's budding breast. I couldn't take my eyes away. My head faced away, but the corner of my eye focused on her chest. I then noticed the tan line on her soft smooth legs. I wanted to touch and run my hands along her thighs. My stomach knotted. I had to break the silence.



"What would you have if everybody had a pink car?" I finally asked.



"I don't know. What?" Amy replied curiously.



"A pink car nation."



Amy let out a shrill of laughter.



"Knock knock"



"Who's there?"



"Dewayne."



"Dewayne who?"



"Dewayne the bathtub. I'm dwoning."



"That was stupid."



I picked up a small stone and chunked it as hard as I could, but it didn't fly as far as the one I had thrown earlier.



"Can I ask you a question?" Amy asked me as she chewed on her fingernails.



"I don’t know. Can you?" I replied in an attempt at wit.



“You know what I mean,” she shot back, with a playful push. “Do you like anybody?”



Knowing full well what she meant, I still replied, “What do you mean?”



“Like at our school. Do you like any girls?”



Wiping the sweat of my hands, I lied, "not really."



Compacting herself and turning slightly away, Amy replied, "I don't either."



I wasn't sure how I felt or what to say, so I blurted out the first thing that popped in my head. "Have you ever liked a boy?"



"Duh of course, who hasn't?"



"I haven't liked a boy."



"What about a girl?"



I fake a chuckle. "Yeah of course."



"Who is she?"



"Oh, you don't know her," I lied. Feeling that she could see right through me, I waited for her to point out my staring at her chest, to make fun of me for liking her.



"I have another question," Amy said after a few minutes of eternity.



In a moment, a thousand thoughts ran through my head. Would she ask if I liked her? Would she ask why I had lied and tell me I had no chance? I felt tight and awkward.



"Have you ever kissed a girl?" She finally asked.



"Maybe," i replied, hesitantly



"You haven't."



Acting a little offended and wondering how she knew, I asked, "How do you know?"



"You would say yes if you had. I'm not totally stupid you know."



"Well have you?" I asked, defiantly.



Staring at the ground, she replied, "No."



Taking the leap with a safety net, I asked, "Well do you want to? I mean just for fun."



"Eww no," Amy laughed.



"I was just wondering what you would say. I didn't really want to." I folded my fingers and turned away. I wondered how I would ever live down this rejection.



"Well we could, but just for fun."



My heart started to race. I pictured different times I had seen people kiss in movies or on TV. I planned out how I would kiss. I had never noticed how full and shiny Amy's lips were. By this time we were sitting so close, the lengths of our legs were touching. I wasn't sure where to place my arm, so I placed it half way behind her back.



Amy puckered her lips an exhaled, "Ok ready."



I closed my eyes and waited. I took in the sweet smell of her vanilla body lotion. I wondered if I would kiss well. I tried unsuccessfully to block thoughts of doubt and embarrassing myself. I waited longer. I slightly puckered my lips. I wondered if it was ok to open my eyes to watch. I then noticed I couldn't feel Amy's leg anymore. I opened my eyes to see how close her lips were. Amy was standing a few feet away, and she was smiling at me. I thought 'she must be playing with me, to make me look stupid'.



"I'll kiss you, but you have to catch me first" she said playfully.



"I'm not going to chase you."



She took a few steps back, "Oh, really?"


I took off like a dart.



Fleeing away, she cried out, "Ahh1"



I chased Amy from one side of the hill to the next, up and down, and across the summit. We ran through and past trees, rocks, and bushes. I finally caught her on a lower area of the hill, when she had to slow down to navigate a few trees. We sat on the ground, gasping for breath and laughing. "I got you," I said, finally recovered.



Inching away, Amy replied, "Give me a sec."



I reached out and grabbed her arm, and our eyes met. I quickly let go of her.



"Are you trying to hold my hand?"


"No," I smirked.



"Well, I don't want you to."



I wanted to stare, but I couldn't. I automatically turned my head anytime our eyes met. 'I should just kiss her,' I thought. 'I can't. I'll make a fool of myself.' I continued to debate with myself. When it suddenly grew dark. We both glanced skyward. Storm clouds had blotted out the blue sky and sun.



"We better head back before it starts to rain," I said with hints of relief and reluctance in my voice. A few sprinkles fell on us.



Amy looked around. "Which way do we go?"


"I don't know,"


Amy walked up the hill for a better look. A steady stream of rain pelted us. She turned around as she reached the summit to look down the hill. Then she was gone. I ran up the hill. The rain poured down. "Get up," I shouted. "I know you're playing a joke." I reached the peak of the hill then screeched to a halt. Where most of the hill slopped down, this one little section dropped straight down into a small lake. It looked likea chunk of the hill had been torn out by something.



I looked down and saw Amy flailing in the water. At this moment, a sheet of lightning illuminated the sky. "Get out. I see lightning," I shouted down. I saw Amy yelling something back at me, but the sound did not reach my ears. "There's lightning," I yelled louder.



"I can't swim." I heard the faint sounds of her distant shout.



I leaped off the cliff. I hit the icey water with a splash. I immediately began to look for Amy. I spotted her still above water but struggling and gulping water. I swam as fast as I could. I wrapped my arms around her, and heaved us through the choppy water.



I finally got us to the shore and safety. We both rolled over coughed and vomited water. Soaked and exhausted, we sat on a rock ignoring the rain. I stared at Amy and her drenched clothes clinging to her body. She turned toward me and I gazed into her light blue eyes. Holding her in place with my arms, I moved toward hers. Our lips slowly pressed against each other and separated slightly. Then they parted. I smiled slightly. She blushed and smiled back. We moved in for another kiss. It was beautifuly awkward. We kissed for sevral more minutes.



The rain eventually stopped, and a park ranger found us sitting there in our wet clothes. He took us back to the campsite, and lectured us about how worried Amy's parents were. We got in trouble. We were not allowed to leave the campsite the rest of the trip, but we were allowed to be alone.