TITLE: Beyond the Tangle Trees
GENRE: Upper Middle Grade Sci-Fi
Kenton's hurtling through space with his sister and several female friends. His feelings for one of his friends intensify and he has no guys to talk to. Ultimately, they kiss:
“I wondered what to get you for your birthday.”
Kenton had completely forgotten he was having a birthday. Too many things had happened since he ate his cake. Didn’t someone say the cake was baked with a chemical reaction? Was that what was wrong with his stomach?
“I was trying so hard to be okay with you kissing Spryte.”
Did she say she was jealous? Kenton’s full attention was on her. The thing in his stomach and throat even stopped moving to listen to her next words. He was afraid to blink for missing anything, but his eyes were so dry he couldn’t keep them open. The second they closed, she moved over to him.
He smelled her, so like home, yet more exotic. Her arms were around him. Her warm body pressed against his. He still held Andy with both hands. Kenton couldn’t move for her closeness. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, but was paralyzed by her nearness.
“Happy birthday.” Her breath tickled his lips. And then their lips met and he tasted the cake on her as if he’d eaten another bite. This last bite was made all the sweeter because it was delivered by her and everything he’d imagined was happening.
Kenton opened his eyes. “That’s the best present I’ve ever had.” He wished he could bite off his own tongue for saying something so sappy.
She giggled. “Don’t get used to that. I don’t go around kissing boys who kiss my friends.”