'Yorkie,' I learn, is a nickname for Daniel, whose last name is York. He has reddish hair, green eyes, and braces. He's not much taller than me and walks with his hands in the pockets of his zip-up hoodie.
The two of us trail awkwardly behind Nicole, Aaron, Maia, and Will, who split up into couples almost as soon as we met up. Aaron and Will seem nice, although neither of them paid me much attention beyond a quick hello. I run my hand through my curly brown hair and consider if I should have worn something a little cuter.
Nicole and Maia have been my friends since eighth grade, although they've known each other since elementary school. They're both gorgeous and know it, too.
Nicole has piercing green eyes and dark hair that contrasts against her pale skin. She's short and naturally thin, although she has bigger boobs than any of the girls in our grade. Maia and I tease her about it sometimes, but she never takes offence - she owns it and uses it to her advantage.
Maia is tall, tan, and strawberry blonde, with freckles across her nose and soft brown eyes. She has the kind of personality that makes everyone want to be friends with her, so it makes sense that her network of friends spans multiple school districts. No matter who she meets, they somehow have a friend in common.
I peek over at Daniel and clear my throat quietly. "Soo, Daniel-," I begin, but he cuts me off with a laugh.
"Oh, you can call me Yorkie, I don't mind!" He grins at me, showing his braces. I smile back, feeling a little more comfortable already. "I have 3 other friends named Daniel, so it's just easier this way," he shrugs. "I'm sure you get it; Rachel is a pretty common name."
I shake my head at him. "I only know one other Rachel, actually. Besides, I don't think I'd like it if people called me by my last name," I reply with a giggle. He looks sheepish.
"Yeah, I guess girls don't really go by their last names," he mutters, pushing back his hair. "Oh, you were saying, though?"
What was I saying? Oh yeah. "Oh, just that it looks like they've left us to pair up, I guess," I remark, waving my hand at our coupled-up friends.
"Yeah, I was under the impression more people would be hanging out." He looks at me suddenly. "Not that this isn't fun! I just meant-"
"It's fine; this isn't my ideal pastime either," I laugh, playfully bumping him with my hip. I see a smile playing on his lips, and I smile back at him. I'm trying to force a friendlier vibe between us, so we don't have to follow our friends around like pets.
To my relief, we walk by a movie theatre, and I grab his elbow and walk us over to the poster wall. "Which one of these do you think will suck the least?" I ask him.
"What if we pick the one that sucks the most instead and make fun of it the whole time?" He replies with a grin. I nod happily and call out to our friends.
"You guys want to see a movie?" They talk between themselves for a second and then walk over to us. They don't seem to care which movie we picked. Yorkie and I realize why at the same time and widen our eyes at each other. I'm hoping he doesn't think we're going to make out in the dark of the theatre...
He breezes over to me and leans in so the others can't hear. "They're definitely going to be all over each other in there... want to sit away from them?" He whispers. I let out an exhale I didn't realize I was holding and nod, relieved.
Once we have the tickets, I find us seats while he grabs a bag of popcorn. I spot Maia and Will cozying up in one dark corner at the back of the theatre and Nicole pulling Aaron into the other.
Yorkie and I poke fun at the movie, an action film about big guys and bigger cars, the whole way through. We laugh so loud that we get shushed by an older couple a few rows ahead of us. By the end of the movie, I feel like we've become good friends. I don't even care that we were paired up as third wheels.
After the movie, Nicole, Maia, and I wait at the movie theatre exit for Nicole's dad to pick us up. We lean in close together so we can gossip without anyone overhearing.
"I can cross off movie theatre off my list now," Maia says slyly. Nicole squeals and I can't help but giggle. Maia laughs too. "I'm not crossing Will off the list yet, though... I feel like this won't be the last time for us," she adds with a wink.
Nicole pouts jokingly. "I'm jealous! Aaron didn't seem to pick up on any of my hints... I even pulled my v-neck down!" She complains. "Maybe he's not interested?"
I shake my head at her. "But you guys kissed over the summer, right? Maybe he just felt awkward or something." I shrug. She nods thoughtfully just as her dad's car pulls up.
The car ride home is mostly quiet until Maia squeals and grabs my wrist. She holds up her phone for Nicole and me to see a new text from Will.
"Yorkie is head over heels for Rachel ;)" the text reads.
I gulp.
Now it's Nicole's turn to squeal as she turns to look at me from the front seat. She opens her mouth to speak but suddenly remembers that we're in the car with her dad and pulls out her phone to message our group chat.
Nikki: Rachel's first kiss = sorted 💋
Maia: Ooooooh, Rachie and Yorkie sound pretty cute together 😏
Me: Guys!!! This is not happening, I'm not even into him!
Nikki: Who says you have to be???
Maia: Yeah, you don't have to go out with him if you don't want to!
Maia: Although, wouldn't it be nice to have your first kiss with someone sweet?
Nikki: and funny! The whole theatre heard you two giggling.
Me: I guess... isn't that kind of mean, though?
Me: Like I would kind of be using him, wouldn't I?
Nikki: Don't think of it like that! You guys would just be hanging out... if it happens, it happens
I bite my lip and consider. The car slows as we pull up to my house. "I'll think about it," I say. I thank Nicole's dad for the ride and head inside. My siblings are asleep already, and it's just my dad downstairs, watching a football game. I greet him quietly, and he waves at me without looking away from the screen.
I head upstairs and take a quick shower before changing into pyjamas. I get started on my homework just as a new text chimes on my phone.
*Hey it's Yorkie ! Had fun hanging out with you today :)*
I take a deep breath and message the group chat.
Me: Which one of you gave Yorkie my number?
Maia: 🙋🏼♀️
Me: 🙄
Nikki: Don't forget about your lists, ladies!
Shit, I totally did forget. I lay back on my pillow and stare at the ceiling, hoping it has answers for me. My friends are right. It would be nice to have my first kiss be with someone I feel comfortable with... it's not like we have to date or anything. I sit up and reach for my phone.
*Hey Yorkie :) I had fun too*
He responds almost immediately.
*Wanna do it again sometime? Like maybe Friday?*
I bite my lip. Why not, I guess.
*Friday sounds good! Text me when and where :)*
I put my phone down and pull out my notebook. I flip to the last page and make two lists.
PLACES
- Loud party
- On the beach
- Elevator
- Park
- Movie theatre
- Library
I drum my pen against my chin, racking my brain for ideas. I already stole movie theatre from someone else's list, but I don't want to make it a completely unoriginal list. I decide to leave it at 6 for now. I can always add more later.
💋 THE LIST 💋
I mimic Jessica's titling and smile. Afraid to get too ahead of myself, I just write down one entry.
- Yorkie?
YOU ARE READING
The Kiss List
Romance"Let's make a list of places we want to hook up in and people we want to hook up with," Jessica says with a playful glint in her eye. - Making a hook-up list was not the way Rachel imagined 10th grade would begin, nor did she think it would take ove...
