01 | expert

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e x p e r t


I'd like to say it started with a kiss, but then we'd all know that I'm lying. I believe it began way before that, when Declan was still the egotistical, immature meathead that he was, and I was still the quiet, shy girl who sat at the back of the class, unseen and unheard by all.

Maybe I'm being very evasive here, but at times it is a lot easier to push the blame on other people. Like Declan, whom despite his insistent claims that I 'seduced' him first, I still maintain that he was being the more desperate between us two. Or Joey, who was really the one that started the challenge in the first place.

Or we could just blame it on the cherry knot.

Cherry knots ought to have a definition on their own and I thought it went kind of like this:


cher·ry knots

An indication of one's technique pertaining to kissing, or such similar acts*.

*which are too explicit for me to name.


While the technique of kissing can be mastered by practising on one's pillow, or the back of one's hand, or by invariably running around the playground planting random kisses on unsuspecting girls (which, of course, was what Declan used to do), it appears that cherry knots are the best form of practice. And here's how it's done:


1. Select a soft cherry stem.

2. Chew the cherry stem gently. Be careful not to break it.

3. Using the tip of your tongue, fold the stem in half around it.

4. Bite the stem down with your front teeth, until the two ends of it intersect in an X-shape. Now you've formed your loop.

5. Hold down one end of the stem with your teeth, and with your tongue, push the other end through the loop.


And there you have it, a cherry knot. It does not seem particularly difficult at first glance. Picture it as a science subject. You have the theory of kissing, and then the practical bit, where you start experimenting, actually perfecting your kissing technique.

You know what they say, practice makes perfect.

But ultimately, cherry knots make for poor substitutes compared to the real deal. There is a lot more to kissing - the chemistry, the moment, the passion.

And for me, all these came in the form of Declan Harte.


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It was Joey who started the cherry knot challenge.

Despite the hectic schedule of the sixth form, students like Joey and Declan somehow managed to keep a levelled-head, not freak out at the thought of the upcoming examinations, which the majority of us did.

During one of the free periods we had in between chemistry and literature, Joey conveniently swiped Martin Duvek's bag of cherries. Martin, who was a well-known pushover and one of the more studious students in the class, mildly protested, but Joey naturally paid no attention to him.

Joey and most of the class had gathered around Declan's table, and for the past twenty minutes, the bunch of them had been arguing who was the best kisser. While Declan, like the git that he was, suggested hosting a free kissing spree right there and then, Joey had a better idea.

"First person who ties a cherry knot with their tongue wins, basically," He explained, setting the bag of cherries on Declan's table. "You can't use your hands, that's a foul."

"Well, I'm in," Royce Evans said, reaching into the bag and extracting one single cherry.

"Same," Stella Banks piped up, and more and more people joined in as the bag gave way to the many hands reaching in for cherries.

Within the next few minutes, almost everyone in the class had a cherry in their hand. So did I. Declan had laid one on my table before I could so much as bat an eyelid, and there I was, one of the participants in the cherry knot challenge.

Declan was timekeeper. Glancing at his watch, he counted down from three, two, one, and then we began, each of us popping our respective cherries into our mouths.

Reluctantly, I threw mine in my mouth as well, my teeth sinking into the juicy flesh of the cherry, the sweet tartness of the fruit staining my lips and tongue as I worked the stem around my mouth, biting down on it gently to soften it.

It was not a difficult thing to do. In fact, it was almost easy for me.

Aside from the fact that I had relatively mastered the know-how of kissing from past relationships, cherries had always been one of my favourite fruits, tying cherry knots were just something I did for fun right after I ate the cherries. One of those mindless little hobbies, like folding paper cranes, or paper stars.

Tying cherry knots was not that much different.

Before I knew it, my tongue was slipping the end of the stem through the loop, a perfect knot sat on my tongue. There, done. And judging by the silent, tensed atmosphere, I knew that I was the first to complete the cherry knot challenge.

I gazed round the class. Joey looked almost annoyed as he tried to work his cherry stem into a knot, Stella seemed like she was on the verge of choking, her face turning an alarming red. I could only hope she wouldn't actually choke. Because dying from a cherry stem was about the stupidest way to die.

My eyes landed on Declan, and that was when I realised he was already staring at me. His gaze was intense, almost thoughtful, shrewd, like he knew I was done with my cherry stem.

I glanced away.

The bell rang shortly after that. Our half-hour free period was up and it was time for our next lesson. A chorus of groans echoed around the class - no one had managed to tie a cherry knot, and hence there wasn't a clear definite answer to who was the best kisser.

Declan - who I was certain was going to snog the living daylights out of the best kisser had that actually been determined - was just going to have to be disappointed. So was Joey, also known as le womaniser.

I waited around, lingered until the last person had left before heading towards the door. There, by the cupboard that stored all our worksheets, was the wastepaper basket, filled with discarded cherry stems.

Pulling the knot gingerly out of my mouth, I deposited it on top of the pile, before heading out of the class, shutting the door gently behind me.


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