Just One Kiss: Part One

Copyright Notice-

All rights reserved. Copyright Joshua Mumphrey 2013. No part of this book may be reproduced without permission in writing from the publisher. All right’s reside with the author.

Dedication-

"To God first and foremost, for allowing me the opportunity to share my stories with many, and secondly, to my musician friend, J.K.––for being an inspiration in this book of love and lyrics, all because of the music in his soul and a song always on his heart. May you play your way through life beautifully without missing a single note, and most importantly, don’t forget to dance."

PROLOGUE:

“Bridget’s Perspective”

All eyes are on her, on them.

I feel sick to my stomach every time I see her with him. Do they even have a conscience after what they’ve done to me?

I helped her become who she is now, and this is how she repays me, by taking my crown?!?!

The room grows silent and the lights dim. Multicolored balloons bounce across the freshly waxed oak floors of the gym. They begin to dance.

It’s as if no one else is in the room, but them. His hands are tight around her waist and her arms are draped over his broad shoulders. Their foreheads are touching. Their eyes are closed. They are caught up in the moment I suppose; I can feel the electricity between them, the affection, the intimacy; "sparks are flying"––as that chart-topping, hopeless romantic, pop-county singer would say. I think her names is Taylor Swift or something.    

They sway back and forth to A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. A disco ball rotating above is casting beautiful rays of light on everything and everyone.

The crowd is parted like the red sea, boy’s looking on in admiration and girls smiling with their hands over their hearts, whispering things like, “It’s about time” or “I’m so happy for them, they deserve each other…” But what about me? What do I deserve? Surely not this, right? Not the robbing of my dignity and the demise of my self-worth…

I’m blonde not blind. I’ve seen the way he looks at her and the way she looks back at him. It all had been going on long before tonight.

I put so much effort into being here, into going to prom. I splurged ridiculously on this red dress. I spent so many hours in the bathroom mirror perfecting my fancy up-do, and weeks of starving myself to stay unbelievably thin, but now, none of that matters. All the years of hard work and preparation for this moment is wasted; everything I’ve done up until now is in vein.

She doesn’t deserve to be Prom Queen. I do. She doesn’t know what it takes. The girl on the dance floor in front of me doesn’t know about the sacrifices all future Prom Queens make in order to secure their title.

The beautiful, sparkling crown she wears pinned in her dark hair, was supposed to be mine. She even took my man from me; the Prom King.

She’s stunning tonight, that I must admit. Her skin is flawless. Her curls are long and flowing, but inside she’s traitorous. She’s not to be trusted. That girl down there in front of this stage betrayed me.

I gave her a chance despite the warning from my inner voice. I should have listened to it, but I guess it’s a little too late for that now.

She was a nobody until I showed her who she could be. I made her over, replacing those hideous black, plastic frames with color contacts. I forbid her to ever wear those granny skirts again and demanded that she always straighten her hair before school every morning if she wanted to sit with the Preps. I showed her what it was like to be popular, to be on top of the world, how to have everyone in school wanting to be her friend. I told her my secrets, things I wouldn’t tell anyone, but she turned on me and now, I’ve lost everything.