Last Kiss Goodbye • Teenage Juice Ortiz

20 - An Unexpected Twist

Shocked at her words Juan looked at her. Was June really in love with him? Sure – he had noticed she liked him, but he never thought she would like him as much as her friend was suggesting.

"Listen. June has an enormous crush on you, she has for what feels like forever, and like you might have noticed; she isn't the best in taking initiative, so that's where you come in. You should do that. Now, I don't plan to force the two of you to do much of anything; so you can continue to breathe."

Juan felt his cheeks getting hot. Since the moment that Jordy had said June was having this enormous crush on him, he had forgotten how to breathe.

Jordy's arm glided away from his neck and she reached to zip open her purse. A second later she took out an MP3 player. "June's favorite song is the only song on it. Just find a romantic spot where you can both be as clumsy and awkward as you want because there is no one else around. Plug in an earpiece and go gliding with her like you both have wanted to do ever since you entered this party. She's gonna be nervous which means she will probably barely move and stare at the ground half of the time, but don't be discouraged because of that. Just be sweet and patient – like you always are around her. Give her a bit of confidence and if you want to kiss her, be careful so you don't scare her, she's never kissed anyone before. But believe me: she really wants to be kissed by you." Chuckling, Jordy squeezed his cheek. "So, how about it? This is a great plan, huh? I already told June she should go outside and that I will send you after her. That song of hers takes almost ten minutes, so if you repeat it a few times, you two will be good for half an hour." She winked. "I'm sure she'll feel comfortable around you after that."

Juan was so overwhelmed by her stream of words that he was sure he would forget about half of it, but he understood at least the purpose of the MP3 player and shoved it inside his pocket.

"I don't know what to say," he muttered.

"Just thank you. I bet I'll be hearing tomorrow about how good you can kiss." She showed him a wide grin. "If my super good idea indeed leads to a magical moment, I'll come back to you for a favor in return."

Juan rubbed his neck. Since she had mentioned the word kiss his thoughts had paused and it took a while before the sentences after that seeped into his head. "What favor?"

She lifted the corner of her mouth. "I want you to get me a date."

"With who?"

"Emilio."

Juan's eyes went wide. Emilio? Well, in that case he would probably have to blindfold his friend. He however kept that thought to himself and shrugged. Emilio wanted to be a good wing man, so he would use that excuse. "Deal."

She laughed, showing him her straight, white teeth. "Deal!" She looked around. "Is June still here?"

Juan looked at the spot where he had seen her for the last time, but she was no longer there. "I guess not. A few minutes ago she was still dancing with her date."

"Of course that cousin of mine is messin' up my plans. Come, let's find 'em." Hooking her arm around his, she dragged him outside.

Usually, he would have wondered what people thought about him, walking around with Jordy, but at this moment there was only a knot in his stomach urging him to find June.

Would Jordy's plan work? Or would he manage to fuck up something as simple as this?

Outside, his eyes wandered through the dark looking for any sign of her. There were plenty of people smoking or making out, but June was nowhere to be seen. Was she still inside? He had a bad feeling creeping up his spine, especially when he remembered Rodey's smirk from earlier.