AN: Before I forget, I would like to credit this idea to Siriusly Amused. She is one of the best writers in the Harry Potter section – I highly recommend the Howarts High series. I got permission from her to use the idea for her own Kiss story, for the HP section, in this forum.
Okay, now EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS AN. I don't like it when I say someone in an AN, but people ignore it and ask me questions that I already ANSWERED in the AN, so here we go. Requests are encouraged. The following chapters will be based on the reviewers' requests – either by majority, or by whichever one I want to write the most. I will also write pretty much anything – slash, femslash, twincest. I won't discriminate. Although... I'm sorry, but there won't be any Coach Bolton/Sharpay, or Miss Darbus/Troy, or Chad/Math teacher. Let's keep it within the students.
You can thank Promise.Me.Forever for the first couple. :)
Title: Kiss
Rating: T
Author: MadiWillow
Summary: A compilation of various couples' first kisses.
Genre: Romance
Chapter: Taylor and Jason
Jason Cross sat, overcome with boredom, at his Homeroom desk, slowly flicking eraser remnants onto the ground. He never thought he'd be waiting for the bell to ring, but with Zeke acting like a servant to Sharpay, and Chad and Troy having a heated argument about which women teacher's were menopausal or just plain bitchy, he found himself counting down the seconds.
His attention was averted from the second hand of the clock with the arrival of his friend, Taylor McKessie, striding into the room and taking the seat in front of him in a huff. He tentatively tapped her shoulder and asked, "Did you get my text yesterday?"
She turned around and gave him a small smile. "Yes, I did. Thanks for remembering."
He shrugged. "No problem. If there's anything I always remember, it's birthday's. Although sometimes I wish it could be Geometry..." he added.
"It is a big deal, because..." she sighed. "Well, you're the only one who remembered."
"What?!" he exclaimed. "What about --"
"I mean, I understand that Gabriella is busy, being in California for the funeral and all," said Taylor quickly. "And, well, I don't really know Sharpay or Kelsi that well, or Zeke, or... Ryan... or Troy..." she bit her lip. "But Chad should've remembered, right? Or am I making too big a deal?"
"No, you're not," said Jason. "Chad's my friend, but he should've remembered."
"Did you ever forget Kelsi's birthday?" she asked.
"Well, while we were dating she didn't have her birthday. But I knew when it was. Still do!" he said proudly. "November 13th."
Taylor sighed again. "I'll talk to him about it later." She stole a glance at him. "I guess he's kinda busy right now."
Jason gave her a reassuring smile. "Good luck."
She laughed a little, and jumped at the sound of the bell.
"Get in your seats, you miscreants!"
"Here we go..." Jason groaned.
During lunch, Chad looked particularly happy and was louder and more obnoxious than normal. Jason's eyes kept flickering towards the door of the lunchroom, waiting for Taylor to walk in, a bright smile on her face, and sit down next to Chad. But after nearly twenty minutes without her presence, he began to get suspicious. After telling his friends he was going to the bathroom, he began to search the halls of East High for her.
He tried her Chemistry classroom first, thinking she had a last minute Decathlon meeting, but the room was empty. He wasn't keen on entering the girls' bathrooms, so instead he entered the library and found her sitting in one of the corner tables, her face in her hands.
"Taylor?" asked Jason slowly, sitting down next to her.
She removed her hands, and he was surprised to see her eyes swollen and blood-shot. She had a couple droplets of tears coating her eyelashes, and her cheeks were flushed.
"What's wrong?" he asked instantly.
She clamped her eyes shut and shook her head, her lips pursed. A couple tears leaked out of her eyes, and Jason leaned over to wipe them away. Taylor inhaled, before opening her eyes and saying, "Chad dumped me."
"What!? Why?" asked Jason indignantly.
Taylor shrugged meekly. "I – I don't know. He pulled me aside after Homeroom and just said... that it wasn't working out... between us." She gulped. "He didn't even say anything about my birthday."
"Taylor, I'm really sorry," said Jason earnestly.
She shook her head again. "It's just... I was so excited about having a big sweet sixteen party. My parents danced at my mom's sweet sixteen, and I wanted to be able to dance with Chad."
"Well you can still have a party without Chad, you know," Jason reminded her.
"No, I can't," she said miserably. "Who'll I invite? Gabriella's too upset about her grandma, Chad won't let Zeke or Troy go, and if Zeke doesn't go Sharpay won't go, and if Sharpay doesn't go Ryan won't go, and Kelsi won't go if Gabriella doesn't go."
"I'll go," he volunteered.
Taylor gave Jason a watery smile. "Thanks, but you don't have to say that just to make me feel better."
"No, really, I'd go!" said Jason.
"It's okay," she said quietly. Swallowing, she started to pack up her bag. "It's amazing how everything can be going great and then just fall apart in two days, isn't it?" She stood up and gripped her bag. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jason."
She turned and walked out of the library, Jason's eyes following her and staying glued to the door, long after she'd left.
Taylor lay sprawled on her queen sized bed about a week later, her hair fanned out over her pillow. She hadn't moved in three hours, but was still exhausted. She felt like she'd cried every tear, and was emotionally drained. Everything had been going so right, but now it was so wrong.
Her phone started to vibrate loudly on her bedside table. She sat still for a moment, not wanting to reach over to answer it, but finally willed herself to. She picked up the phone and held it up to her face, reading the name 'Jason'. She clicked Accept and said quietly, "Hello?"
"Hey Taylor, can you come to the park by your house?" he asked in a rush.
"Jason, do I have to?" she asked, her voice cracking.
"Please?" he begged. "I... I have a present for you."
Taylor may be a nerd, but no girl can resist a present. "I'll be there in five minutes," she answered, and hung up. She tossed her phone onto the bed and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She tied her hair into a bun at the back of her head and covered up her winkled shirt with a Harvard sweatshirt. After slipping her feet into a pair of running shoes, she left her house and dejectedly started towards the park.
She walked with a steady rhythm, her feet pounding loudly on the cement as she dragged them along. Scolding herself for her decision to come, she rationed that she would just take the gift and escape back to her house, as she felt her throat getting tighter before the wave of tears.
Turning the corner into the park, her throat instantly loosened up at the sight in front of her. Her eyes became as wide as saucers, and her mouth fell to the ground. Hanging from the trees were a series of pink and white balloons that read "Happy Birthday Taylor". A single table with two chairs sat right under it, supporting a cake with one candle. She slowly approached it, reading the icing words that spelled out "Happy Sweet Sixteen". She jumped at the sound of her favorite Plain White T's song being played, and turned to see Jason standing nervously in a tuxedo next to a stereo.
"I know you like this band, but I wasn't sure if you liked this song, so sorry if --" he rambled, but Taylor interrupted him.
"No, I love it," she said, and smiled.
"Well, uh." He cleared his throat. "Do you, um... wanna dance?"
"Sure." She looked down at her attire. "Sorry about my clothes... if I'd known --"
"It's okay," Jason interjected. "You look beautiful."
She blushed deeply. "Thanks."
He held up his hands awkwardly and as she did the same, their arms bumped. "Oh, sorry," he muttered, and she let out a small laugh. They managed to get their arms in the right places, and slowly started to sway to the music.
"This is really beautiful, Jason," she said. "Thank you so much."
"It was nothing," he said modestly.
She grinned. "You always say that, but it is something. It really means a lot to me." He smiled back and held his arms around her waist tighter. "But you know... you didn't have to do this."
"Sure I did,"
She giggled. "No, you didn't. I don't want you to feel sorry for me."
"Taylor, I didn't do this because I feel sorry for you," Jason told her.
Taylor knit her eyebrows together. "Then... why did you do it?"
"Because..." he stammered. "Never mind."
She removed her arms from around his neck and stepped back. "You are doing this out of pity, aren't you?" she accused him, folding her arms across her chest.
"No, Taylor --" Jason started, but she cut him off.
"God, this always happens to me!" she cried. "Always! Why can't I just have the fairy tale for once? Why does Gabriella get the perfect relationship? Why do I get the boyfriend who forgets my birthday and dumps me the next day? How come the guy I like only does the fairy-tale-type thing out of pity!?"
Jason was silent for a moment. "Wait... you like me?"
She raised her eyebrows. "I didn't say that..." she said slowly.
A smirk was playing on his lips as he took a step closer. "You really like me?" She stepped back.
"No!" she snapped. "And it doesn't matter, because --"
"Taylor, I didn't do this out of pity," said Jason, as he took another step towards her.
"Oh," she said. "Well then... never mind."
He brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "I did it because I like you too."
"Really?" she said, a smidgen of hope coating her voice.
Instead of answering, he leaned his hand down and brushed his lips against hers, slipping his hands around her waist to pull her closer. In return, she deepened the kiss, running her hands through his hair. He lifted her slowly up off her feet, causing her to giggle against his mouth. He smiled against hers, as the bright lights of her sweet sixteen party shined above them.