Stealing Third by Marta Brown

Tyler’s touch,
remembering how it felt to be wrapped in his arms not so long ago, and plaster
back on my smile. 
    “So,
Tyler,” I say innocently, like I don’t already know the answer—unless he’s been
busy with more extracurriculars than just job shadowing and baseball. “When was
the last time you kissed a girl?”
    Tyler
doesn’t even flinch at my question, instead he looks at Jenny and then back to
me. “The last time I kissed someone was a few days ago, but the truth is, I
wanted to earlier today but didn’t get the chance.”
    He
shrugs like the kiss a few days ago with me barely even registered in his
memory. And what the hell was that look he gave Jenny right before answering?
Is that who he wanted to kiss earlier?
    Wishing
I could drown the jealously twisting in my stomach I snatch the beer Todd is
drinking out of his hand and take a swig. I guess that explains why Jenny was
so intent on going and watching Tyler, and his ‘crazy kissable lips’, play
baseball today.
    “Okay,
it’s your turn,” Jenny says to Tyler, before taking a sip of her wine cooler,
which I bet tastes a whole hell of a lot better than the warm beer I hand back
to Todd. Uck.
    “All
right, right back at’cha, kiddo,” Tyler says to me, emphasizing his choice of
nicknames.
    I
purse my lips. “Truth.”
    Tyler
smiles. “Same question.”
    “When
was the last time I kissed a girl? That’s easy. Never.”
    “That’s
not what I meant. When was the last time you kissed a guy?”
    I
shoot him a smug grin. “Sorry, next time you should be more clear about what
you’re asking. Next.”
    “Come
on, Em. Tell me,” Tyler says, the words ‘tell me’ rolling off his tongue in the
same low, soft cadence they did on the dock a few mornings ago. It sends a
shiver up my spine, the same way it did then, and I feel my face flush at his
subtle reminder.
    Embarrassed
over my want for him, when I can’t quite tell where he stands, I blurt out a
lie. “Earlier today, actually.”
    Tyler’s
face drops for a fraction of a second before he pastes a smile back on. But it
looks as forced as mine feels.
    Is
it possible he’s a little jealous, too?
    Good.
That’s what he gets for rubbing it in my face that he wants to hook up with
Jenny Osborne.
    “Boring,”
Todd booms. “Let’s get to the dares, already.”
    “All
right,” Lucy says, looking past me at Todd. “Truth or dare?”
    Todd
rubs his hands together excitedly before taking off his sweatshirt and
revealing a neon green shirt with the sleeves cut off, making it more of a tank
top than anything. “Duh. Dare.”
    “Fine.
I dare you to…moon the campfire.”
    “Done.”
Todd jumps up, turns his back to the fire, and drops his shorts just below his
butt. He wiggles his bare ass towards the flames, making me glad for the first
time tonight I’m sitting next to him and not across the fire where Tyler and
Jenny have a direct line of sight to the full-monty.
    I
spit out the sip I was taking and bust out laughing. Is this guy serious? It’s
like we’re down at the tadpole camp again and he’s ten.
    Jenny
giggle-screams before tucking her head into Tyler’s neck, and all of a sudden, I’ve
lost the humor in it all.
    “Next,”
I say loudly, causing Todd to pull up his shorts and flop back on the bench.
    “My
turn,” Todd bellows.  “Okay, Jenny—Truth or dare?” Todd’s question forces Jenny
to unbury her face from Tyler’s neck. So, maybe I don’t dislike Todd as much as
I thought I did.
    “Dare,”
she says, acting timid, which causes me to roll my eyes. 
    “Kiss
Tyler.”
    “What?”
Tyler and I say at the exact same time, earning us a weird look from Jenny,
Todd, and Lucy, too.
    “A
dare’s a dare—and don’t act like you don’t want to, bro,” Todd says, burping
the word ‘bro,’ and making me cringe. What the hell was I thinking last year?
    Tyler
shifts uncomfortably when Jenny turns her head, closes her eyes, and moves in
for a kiss. My stomach ties