A Wink, A Party, and A Kiss

          Jenee sat in her desk on Friday afternoon during 3rd period. It was speech class and butterflies were fluttering in her stomach because she was getting close to having to give her impromptu speech, in which she would have to talk about a topic when she only has 1 minute to think about what to say. She glanced around her entire classroom. She saw familiar faces that had been part of her school life since August. Corey sat in the same row as Jenee except he was three desks behind her. Jenee had been suspecting that he had been majorly flirting with her the past couple days ever since he figured out that squeezing her knee was the thing that tickled her most. He also talked to her more throughout Biology and Speech, which made her nervous and excited all at the same time.
          Sarah Mixon and Alex Higgins, Jenee's two best friends, had just made the decision to go ahead and get their speeches over with so they would'nt have to worry about it anymore. Sarah stepped up to the podium breathing heavily showing that she was just as nervous as Jenee. Her blonde medium length hair shined at the front of the class and she was so little. Jenee found herself wanting to be more like Sarah. Jenee looked around the room once again in an attempt to make the lump in her throat disappear. Gulnoza who sat right in front of corey had bent down to put something in her new Vera Bradley Tote, which everyone was using as a stylish book bag. Suddenly she locked eyes with an unsuspecting boy in the back of the class.
          Jenee found herself staring directly at Corey in the back of the classroom. His blue eyes staring back at her. She got the feeling that his eyes had been looking at her much longer than she had been looking at him. She looked into his eyes has he gently sweeped the sandy brown hair from his eyes, which made Jenee melt at the very sight of this, and with one quick motion he winked at Jenee. Jenee, not knowing what to do, smiled, laughed, and quickly turned away her head.
          So many thoughts were running through her mind now, she couldnt even think about her impromptu speech. Did this wink mean he was interested in Jenee? Or was this just a trying-to-be-funny wink? Jenee couldnt tell. She had had feelings for Corey in the beginning of the year but after awhile she figured he would never be interested in her, when he could easily have someone like Sarah. What if he was interested? Should she be interested back or play hard to get? The many ideas and scenarios running through her mind made her pay no attention to the impromptu speeches.
          Jenee continued to think about the wink as the day went on. She even went as far as playing pretend scenarios of converstaions and dates with Corey in her mind. On Monday he kept staring at her in Biology. Now she knew something had to be up, but she still wasnt sure about it yet. All she could do was look away while her cheeks tinted a light pink color. She couldnt help but think if Corey and she could ever be more than friends. Her thoughts were right then interrupted by the end of 1st period bell. She gathered her things and marched off to Speech. Now she might as well call it Flirting Class because thats all she ever did in there anymore.
          As Jenee stepped through the doorway she was greeted by 2 guys shouting "HEY!" at her. It was Ben and Corey, and guess who was the first one to say hey? Corey of course! He grabbed her up and tickled her as he had done everyday for the past week. She greeted Ben and Corey with a warm smile and gave Corey a playful smack on the arm for tickling her. The rest of the class went pretty smooth, with the exception of a few of Corey's flirting sessions.
          Jenee sat through an hour and a half of grueling english before the 3:30 bell rang and they were let out for the day. She gathered her notebooks and pushed out into the crowded halls with Alex and Sarah by her side. They were discussing Paige Marshall's Party which was the next day! Everyone who was anyone was going to be there which meant Jenee was definitly going. As Sarah, Alex, and Jenee turned the corner of the hallway they practically bumped into Corey. He shouted "Hey Girls!" but for some reason he was staring at Jenee...again. He slung his arm around Jenee in a playful manner, which made Jenee question Corey's feelings toward her. Jenee glanced at Sarah and Alex's faces, they had there mouths open and eyes wide. They had obviously picked up on the whole Corey noticing Jenee thing the past week.
          "So Jenee.....umm.....your going to Paige's party right?", Corey said with a bit of nervousness in his voice. "Yea of course im going with Alex and Sarah!", Jenee blurted out. "Oh", Corey replied with more dissappointment in his voice than anything. Jenee felt a sharp pain in her lower ribs right then. Sarah had jabbed her trying to get her attention. She looked at Sarah and Sarah was looking at her trying to say "JENEE WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HE WAS SO GOING TO ASK YOU OUT!" Jenee, realizing how stupid she had been, looked down at her feet. Right then Alex spoke up trying to fix all the damage Jenee had caused. "Oh Jenee, about that, Sarah and I have to go a project before so you'll have to get another ride." Corey's face lit up immediatly and said, "Oh Jenee I can take you!", trying to hide his excitment. It wasnt working, but Jenee did'nt want to embarass him so she said, "Ok Great! Pick me up at 7?", She said trying to sound calm. Corey, beginning to catch on, replied, "Oh well what about 6 so we can get a bite to eat first?" Jenee hurriedly said ,"Oh ok Awesome Ill be ready at six", so she wouldnt miss her carpool home. "Hey Guys I have to go or my car pool will totally leave me!" Corey squeezed the arm that was still around Jenee's neck before saying "Well ok See you Tommorrow!" and letting go. They all shouted bye as Jenee walked off into the distance, but Corey's bye was the one that stood out the most, maybe it was because he was a guy, or maybe she was beginning to like him more than she let herself believe even since August.
          As soon as Jenee stepped inside her mothers bright red Lincoln Navigator , she heard a familiar melody coming from her new Coach purse. It was her Nextel cell phone she had gotten for christmas. Jenee grabbed the cell phone out of her bag and glanced at the caller ID, it was Sarah. Jenee pressed the button to turn her phone on and immediatly she heard a deafening squealing noise that only teen girls can make. Jenee could only make out the words,
          "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!"
          Jenee, trying to get back her hearing replied "Hey Sarah!"
          "Jenee did you ever even think this would ever happen?"
          "No of course not! Do you think he really likes me?"
          "Of course he likes you, he asked you out!"
          "Oh my God this is so weird..."
          "Weird in a good way right?"
          "yea...but hey i have to go! love ya!"
          "Buh Bye babe!"

          The next day at school seemed to pass so slowly. Corey sat right next to Jenee in Biology and told her about how much fun the party was going to be that night. When she finally got to speech, Alex and Sarah made it an obligation to count how many times they caught Corey looking at Jenee and vice versa. They got an official number of 15....wow! The rest of the day was nothing special filled with nothing except for pythagorean theorems and indirect objects. Jenee's mind had no time to process all these lessons and lectures. It was just like a complete waste of time to her. All she could think about was the party and a possibility of a kiss at the end of the night. As she left the school for the day she all of a sudden felt like her stomach was in her throat. Alex and Sarah told Jenee to tell them every single little detail down to what kind of cologne Corey would wear that night. Jenee assured them both that she would do just that.
          All of a sudden Jenee felt two arms grab her up into a big bear hug. It was Corey,he placed his head as close to her ear as possible and whispered, "Still picking you up at 6 right?" Jenee felt his hot breath on her neck and it made pulses of shivers go down her entire spine. Jenee replied, "Oh, You wanted to take me? Well I dont know then?" All emotion was wiped off Corey's face in a look of clear shock and confusion. After making Corey suffer in disbelief for about 10 more seconds she busted out in laughter and said, "Oh my God Corey, I am totally kidding! Of Course im going with you at 6!" Corey started laughing and claimed that he knew she was kidding the whole time when Sarah and Alex laughed told him, "What ever Corey We saw your face!You were so worried!" Corey shrugged his shoulders and admitted he might have been a little worried at the time. When Corey's dad arrived at the school he told everyone he had to go, but before he picked up his northface back pack he gave Jenee a peck on the cheek.
          This made Jenee freeze in shock. This was unexpected! Were they together now? Did one date make them an item? Right when she thought she had gotten rid of all the confusion it all came rushing back to her all at once. Trying to pretend that the kiss was nothing she exclaimed, "Ill see you guys later at the party!" She broke away from Corey's embrace and looked in his deep brown eyes, lowering her voice unintentionally she asked,"Corey, Ill see you at 6 right?" He gave her his sexy grin, hugged her again, and said,"It's the only thing Ive ever wanted to do." Jenee felt his hot breath on her neck. He smelled of a mix of cologne and icebreakers gum. She did'nt want to leave that moment in time. They hovered there for a moment in their embrace. Finally Jenee realized she had to go and broke away from Corey, letting him know with her eyes that she didnt want it to end.
          As soon as Jenee got home she sprinted up to her room to begin getting ready for that nights party. It was her first offcial date of the year and it was with Corey! Her head spun at this thought leaving her dizzy with excitement. Jenee picked out her tasteful black sequinned tank, perfect for night, and her "practically falling apart" mini denim skirt.
It was already 5:30 by the time she hopped out of the shower and threw on her outfit. She picked out her boho black wooden beads to wear that night and leave her light hair down in sexy waves. Just as she was spraying on her favorite perfume by american eagle the doorbell rang. Jenee stomach dropped in nervousness. She heard her mom answer the door and tell him that she would be down any second. She knew this was her moment to make her grand entrance down the front steps. She grabbed her coach bag and began to head that way. As she made her way down the steps Corey's jaw dropped. His look of wonder was followed by the 3 words that every girl wants to hear when they take 4 hours to get ready for a date. "You look amazing." Jenee felt prickly heat come up to her cheeks, usually she loved when guys complimented her but with Corey something was different. She couldnt quite put her finger on it, but she knew she liked it. Corey, now unable to speak, was standing there still trying to get over how gorgeous Jenee looked. Her shy grin was just how Corey knew she would react. Jenee was'nt the type to think of herself as amazing. He wondered if Jenee had known that Corey had been crushing on her all semester. He hoped Jenee had returned his feelings also, but he wasnt exactly sure yet. Once he'd gained his composure, he asked Jenee if she wanted to head out. When she'd agreed they stepped out into the night wondering what it held for them. Love or Friendship?
         Jenee could'nt believe how gorgeous Corey looked in his orange Lacoste polo and khacki shorts. It seemed like he wore this outfit at least twice a month but to Jenee it had a different affect at night, on a date, with her. She slid in the passenger seat of Corey's huge forest green SUV sitting in her driveway. Even the way he put on his seat belt was sexy, Jenee didnt know what she was getting into, she never felt like this towards a guy before. He started up the smooth engine and started down the road of Jenee's subdivison. Jenee did'nt know where they were going. Corey had told her he wanted it to be a surprise and Jenee did'nt want to ruin his fun. After pulling into the mall Jenee knew they were going to eat at one of her favorite restaurants, Ruby Tuesdays. But how did Corey know that? She faintly remembered talking about it with him while working on a Biology project but that was back in August. Could Corey have liked her this much since then? She thought this idea was impossible and tossed it away as Corey led her towards the restaurant. He asked her if she was excited and all Jenee could say was how excited she was! But what was she excited about? Paige's Party or Being with Corey?
         After finishing up their burgers and fries, their wonderful conversation that came easily to both of them, and their playful argument over who would pay the bill, they left for Paige's Party. It wasnt that far away and only took 15 minutes to reach but even with the short amount of time they had no time finding something in common to discuss. Once they got their they parked the car and went inside. The party was already in motion and everyone was out on the dance floor grinding to a hot techno song she'd heard on the radio all week. Jenee spotted Sarah and Alex in the corner drinking punch in a matter of seconds and just like best friends they spotted her too. Jenee grabbed Corey's hand, which made heat rise in her cheeks again and led him over to the two giggling girls. They greeted eachother with hugs and questioning glances towards Jenee. She silenced them with one look that said, "A ton happened and I'll fill you in later." Just then one of Jenee's favorite songs came on. It was, "Who I am Hates Who Ive Been" by Relient K. Corey noticed Jenee's excitement and led her towards the dance floor. Corey put his hands on Jenee's hips and they rocked back and forth to the beat of the fast song. Grinding with Corey was different than with other guys. It wasnt awkward or strange to her. It just flowed like everything else she'd experienced that night. As Jenee got into the songs she raised her arms and placed them around Corey's neck. This was the happiest she'd been in a long time. When the music slowed to a steady beat Jenee turned around and placed her arms arounds Corey's neck and placed her head on his shoulder with one fluid movement. She never wanted to leave this moment. As they swayed back and forth to the beat of the song Corey moved the hair from her ear a leaned in to tell her something. Without moving a muscle she felt Corey's hot breath on her ear and heard him say, "Jenee, you are one of the most amazing girls I have ever met in my entire life." With this, Jenee lifted her head off his shoulder and flashed him a sweet smile, looked deeply in his eyes and laid her head back where it was. As the party drawed to a close Jenee and Corey walked around talking to all their friends and telling them they would see them the next day.
         The ride home was almost silent except for the music coming from Corey's radio. She was nervous and excited all at the same time. She wondered if he would kiss her, or even if he enjoyed the night. She had liked Corey almost all semester and she was thrilled when he asked her out, but even with all the compliments she still had that little bit of doubt in her mind that he didnt think that she was "the one" for him. As they pulled up to the house, Jenee could feel the butterflies in her stomach. He offered to walk her to the door which she gladly accepted. When they reached the door Jenee could see that Corey was equally as nervous as she was. As they said their goodnights they both felt all the nervous energy between them. To break the silence Jenee said, "Corey I had the most amazing time tonight with you." For a second she saw the glimmer in Corey's eye and she knew that he was shocked to hear her answer. Corey opened his mouth as if he was trying to find the right words to say. Finally finding what he was looking for he leaned in closer and in the lowest voice possible he said, "Theres only one thing to make this night better." Jenee knowing the answer returned his gesture by leaning in until their lips were just centimeters apart. "What?", She whispered to him. "This.", and their lips met in romance and passion. He lifted his arms up and ran his fingers through Jenee's silky waves. In the moment they stood their sharing their first kiss beneath the moonlight and the stars. When their lips parted, red and slightly swollen, he looked into her crystal blue eyes and managed to say, "Will you be my girlfriend?" To reply to his eager question, Jenee gave him another long sultry kiss on the lips. Once they'd managed to part from eachother they said their goodbyes and Jenee ran inside, eager to do nothing but put on her pajamas, take a long hot bubble bath, and call Sarah and Alex to fill them in on the details of her magical night.