About an hour later, I came to find out that we had done exceptionally well. Our group walked out of that high school with the first prize trophy. The chatter on the way back was so animated that Mrs. Matthews didn’t bother to try to keep the noise level down. A part of me felt bad for the bus driver.

We arrived back at school with three hours to spare. When we entered the music room, Mrs. Matthews had a surprise waiting for us. We had boxed lunches with chips, several dips, drinks, and candy bars. She walked over to her CD player and put on party music for us. The room was between the auditorium and gym, so we could get away with being a little loud.

“I’m going to have my lunch in the faculty room,” Mrs. Matthews announced. “You have a half-hour to yourselves. Don’t make me regret it when I get back. And, West Hamilton Chorus, well done!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Matthews!” We all responded, some in unison, and others a little late. But, the sentiment was all the same.

Most of us finished up eating our lunch in five minutes or less. At some point, someone lowered the music down a bit and half of the group began to play spin-the-bottle. One would think that, by high school, they’d have given up such a childish kissing game. But, who was I to judge? 

Zoey roped me into sitting down in that circle. Leo was also seated there, beside his friend, a classmate named Rick. I observed as the girls squealed in delight whenever one of them managed to receive a kiss from the more attractive boys. The bold teens kissed on the lips, but the majority opted for a kiss on the cheek, especially if it was someone of the same gender. The teasing lasted only until it was the next person’s turn to spin.

Before I knew it, it was Leo’s turn to spin. The room became quiet and tense. I imagined that there wasn’t a girl in the room who wouldn’t mind receiving a kiss from Leo, even if only on the cheek. The tension was from the boys who would feel embarrassed to receive a kiss from their rival. As if to add to the suspension, Leo spun the bottle so hard that it spun for nearly twenty full seconds before slowing to a stop right in front of me.

My stomach immediately dropped as if I were on a roller coaster.

Zoey squealed so hard she nearly burst my eardrum.

I gulped hard as I sensed Leo move to crouch in front of me. I felt my heart racing and my face heating up as I chanced a quick glance at his face. Leo was staring at me so intently that my blush darkened and I avoided his gaze.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” came Leo’s soft whisper.

That got my attention. I locked my gaze with those amber eyes. Did that mean that he didn’t want to? Why wouldn’t he? I was cuter than a quarter of the girls at school! A spark of indignant anger flashed through me.

“What, am I somehow not kissable just cause I’m a guy?” I countered with a slight glare.

His chuckle startled me out of that train of thought. “Quite the contrary,” Leo clarified. “I consider it quite the honor. So much so that I hope you forgive me for being so bold…”

As his lips brushed mine, I realized that my first real kiss was being witnessed by a whole group of people. Then, I registered the warmth within that contact. The sensation was quite nice. When my hand reached up to gently touch the side of his face, a swarm of images filled my head.

No, it wasn’t porn. Though, as a healthy teenager, that would have been perfectly normal. Not to mention that Leo would probably feature prominently in them-

The point was that they were more like scenes or memories...memories that weren’t mine.

I saw visions of an ancient Egyptian couple in different stages of their relationship. Casual touches. Clothes being discarded...

Nevis!

They obviously weren’t my memories. Or, were they?