Barbie Girl (Baby Doll Series) by Heidi Acosta

stunt have begun to spread like wild fire. I try to dodge the looks I am getting as I walk in to school. A group of girls point and go back to whispering in a huddle. “Dude that was an epic move on her part, everyone is talking about it,” Third walks with a limp next to me.
    “I don’t know why you are tripping over it.” I wonder if his new swagger walk is him trying to portray that he jumped as well.
    “No, it was not epic, that little stunt she pulled, taking off her clothes.” I shove my bag in to my locker. “Was freaking hot! The girl’s got a banging body,” he says.
    The memories of the way she looked come back to me, her tanned skin glowing against the sun, the way her long hair brushed the small of her back, the curve to her hips, the way the purple strap…
    “She made us look like freaks.” I shake my head clearing it of the images.
    “We went from losers to freaks, great.”
    “Bro trust me, that move she pulled made every guy wish they were you. Think about it if you saw Katie jumping off the falls with some guy in her under wear, you would think that they were going to do it after, right?” I sigh. Third has a demented view on life, it always seems to come back to sex with him. Funny because he is more of a virgin than me; the only girl he has kissed is his mother.
    “Can you leave Katie out of your demented philosophy?”
    “You need to just ride this thing out, relax. Barbie is manipulating you into some sex god or something. You went from being a virgin loser to the guy with the hot girl who can’t help but strip down into her skivvies in front of him.” I slam my locker shut. “I think you need to up your antics. You have her tip-toeing around you at school. If you want people to buy this, son, then you need to let that sex stallion loose.” He holds his fist out for me to bump it. I leave him hanging. Maybe in some messed up way, Third is right.
    Barbie is waiting for me when I leave English, Katie brushes past us and the smell of jasmine lingers behind her. “Could she possibly wear anymore perfume?” Barbie coughs and waves her hand in front of her face.
    “I think she smells nice.”
    She rolls her eyes. “Whatever,” a wicked grin spreads across her lips. “So people are talking,” she says proud of herself.
    “I heard.” Up my antics how? She slips her hand in mine. This is comfortable her holding my hand at a safe distance. If Third was here right now he would tell me to push her up against the locker and start making out like animals, that would really have people talking.
    I wonder what she would feel like pressed under me. Would she let me kiss her? I stop walking I need to do something drastic not safe. Barbie stops and looks confused, “What’s wrong? You are going to be late to Bio.” Why does she sound concerned? She doesn’t care.
    “I…I…” I stutter, but the words are stuck in my throat with the nerves that hold them down. I grab her face in my hands and kiss her. At first she is stiff, but then she relaxes and her mouth parts. I have kissed girls before, not a lot but I know how to do this. This is awkward, why did I let Third get in to my head. Barbie senses my hesitation and brings her hand to cup my cheeks in her soft hand. Her tongue slips into my mouth. I am not expecting it but it feels like fireworks are going off inside my chest. People push past us; somewhere a bell rings, the world fades away in muted colors. I deepen the kiss, she tastes sweet like vanilla and electricity travels through me, she lets out a soft moan that vibrates against my lips and I back her up into the lockers pressing into her. She feels amazing under me. She wraps her arms around me pulling me into her, wanting more and damn if I don’t want to give her more. I want to keep feeling these fireworks that are exploding in my chest. She stops me one hand on my chest, she leans her forehead against mine.
    “If you kiss Katie like that…” she says breathless.
    Katie