Kiss & Sell Read Free Page A

with it. I sighed. “Let me read it again.”
    I got up and took a seat in front of the computer.
    MY FIRST KISS COULD BE YOURS
    14-year-old Arielle Sawyer is looking to get rid of her first kiss. That’s right, no other lips have touched hers—here’s your chance to be the first one there. All bidders must be between the ages of 14 and 16 and have good personal hygiene. Jerks need not apply. Arielle is a good-looking, talented and bright gal, who we’re sure, once she’s had a little practice, will be a fine kisser. Help make her dreams come true and kiss the girl!
    “You think I’ll just be a ‘fine’ kisser?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips. “Not a ‘great’ kisser, or an ‘awesome’ kisser, but a ‘fine’ kisser?”
    “I just don’t want to put too much pressure on you by saying you’re going to be the ‘best kisser ever,’ before you’ve actually ever done it,” Phin said.
    “Oh,” I said. “Well, maybe I could just kiss
you
and get it over with and then we’ll see who’s a ‘fine’ kisser.” I faked like I was leaning in for a sloppy smooch, pushing out my lips and batting my eyes at Phin enticingly.
    “No way, Red,” Phin said, covering his mouth with his hand. “It would be like kissing my sister or something. I’m
so
not going there with you. No offense, of course.”
    “I was just teasing you. Jeez, tell me how you really feel,” I said and plopped back onto my bed. “And for the last time, stop calling me Red!”
    Ever since I’d met Phin back in third grade, he’d insisted on calling me Red every once in a while just to annoy me.
    “Fine. A-r-i-e-l-l-e,” he said slowly, spacing out my name like he was sounding it out.
    “So, are we going to do this or not?” McCartney asked, before I could lunge at Phin for being a major pain in my backside.
    “Let’s do it,” I said, turning back to the computer screen. “I’m ready to be kissed.”
    And without hesitating, I clicked on the “Sell Item Now” box, and watched as my first kiss went to the highest bidder.

I’D HAD THIS reoccurring dream ever since I was a kid, where I was at school and everyone around me was pointing and laughing. I had no idea what was so funny and couldn’t remember how I’d gotten there in the first place. The room would start to spin as I turned around and around, looking into unfamiliar eyes that all seemed to be mocking me. The spinning always got faster, until I was so dizzy that I fell down. And that was usually when I woke up.
    I was having that same feeling right now, only I wasn’t asleep, and I wasn’t going to wake up in a cold sweat in my bed. Because I actually
Was
at school.
    “Are people looking at me weird?” I asked, lowering my eyes to stare at the ground as McCartney, Phin and I walked down the hallway the next day.
    “No,” Phin said. “But if you keep looking at the floor you’ll probably run into someone and
then
everyone will be staring at you for-sure.”
    I glanced up from my feet long enough to shoot an icy glare at him.
    “Chill out, Arielle. We aren’t even sure anyone knows about it yet,” McCartney said with a frown. “Come on, we’ve got a few minutes before class. Let’s go and check it out.”
    I fought to keep up with them as they sped to the nearest computer lab, which wasn’t exactly easy to do with my eyes still downcast. It’s also not something I’d recommend, even if you
are
in stealth mode.
    Once we were safely in the nearly empty room, McCartney sat down in front of a computer and I waited silently as she pulled up my eBay account.
    “Nobody’s even looked at it yet,” McCartney muttered after a minute, frustrated.
    “Told you no one would want to bid on a kiss from me,” I said, looking around to make sure no one was listening.
    “Dude, you’ve got to turn that frown upside down,” Phin said. “It’s all about attitude. If you think something long enough, eventually you’ll feel like It’s true. So, just start