Part III

I looked at Kira in utter shock. Nothing much phases a guy like me, but this was different. This was Kira Keen, and once something like this happened a guy starts to get certain ideas. He starts to dream. And I don't care what they tell you. Sometimes you don't have to work for your dreams. Sometimes they fall right into your lap. Like I said, you'd be a moron to wait for it, but a downright fool to kick it in the jaw. I put my arm around her, and sort of nuzzled her hair just a bit on her far shoulder. She in turn pressed her head into me, and Robin turned redder than the time I slammed by thumb in the garage door and they had to cut a hole in my nail so it wouldn't get infected or something. I dunno, I'm not a doctor. You could see this was a humbling experience for Robin. I liked that. You could also imagine that he might wet himself. I liked that even more. But boy, when Kira Keen kissed me full on the lips, I liked that best of all.

Some people say there are fireworks when you kiss. Some people say it's like a moment frozen in time. Me, I just got hard down there, but since I was wearing blue jeans it didn't really matter. I mean, that's a hell of a lot better than fireworks in my opinion. I stayed the perfect gentleman though, and besides, it couldn't have lasted more than forty five seconds at most. But it was enough.

Robin muttered something you couldn't really understand, and he looked like he wanted to sink into the Earth. I wouldn't have minded much. I'd even have helped fix the cement on the pavement.

Kira Keen took my hand and started running some more. I followed, running and running until my legs nearly fell right off. This girl had spice, stamina. I wouldn't have expected anything less. We got to the park about eight or nine blocks down from the school where no one really went much. When you've lived in a town your entire life like most of us at that godawful school, you sorta take the scenery for granted. They say if you've seen one park you've seen 'em all, and mostly I'd agree, but here was one park with a girl whose eyes at that moment made me feel stirrings. Sure as hell they were in my pants, but stirrings in my chest too. Foreign ones. Ones I couldn't rightly explain. Hell, it coulda been a heart attack and I wouldn't of cared. This was Kira Keen. She was as mysterious as she was desirable, as strange as she was darn special. I mean, Jeez. You should get the picture by now.

She looked to her left, looked to her right, and sat down on the bare Earth almost, somehow making it look both like a ritual and something you'd be lucky to ever see again in your life. She told me to sit down in a voice so soft I thought I might have imagined it. I sat.

So there I was, sitting cross legged and awkward across from Kira Keen. She looked me in the eyes, and I was taken for a moment by how plain they were. Brown. Just brown. But they weren't brown. They were the color brown all the other things of brown had to be approved by before they could dare call themselves brown. She had that ability you know. She could take something so ordinary, so mundane, and just make it seem like you were visiting the Pope. I bet the girl even made brushing your teeth something memorable, something that makes you ache kinda like jogging for two hours and lying down just to feel the dull throb of something worth doing.
Kira Keen spoke.

“Spindle, Spindle,” she said my name twice, laughing, letting it roll off her tongue softly almost like you'd repeat something that happened to catch your fancy. She got very solemn all of a sudden.

“Why don't I know you?”

I didn't rightly know how to answer her question, so I paused, took a deep breath, and tried to find words that wouldn't come out harsh and unsophisticated. This was Kira Keen after all.