Prompt from Anonymous on tumblr: Teen Rizzles getting their braces stuck together.
The names Brace Face and Metal Mouth came to mind as Jane's orthodontist cemented the brackets to her teeth. She had never noticed anything particularly wrong with her teeth, but the orthodontist listed everything problematic about her alignment using words that Jane couldn't even pronounce let alone understand. All that mattered to Jane was that the next two to three years of her life were going to be filled with food restrictions, difficulty flossing, and feeling self-conscious whenever she smiled.
There were other seventh graders with braces and Jane thought it heightened the overall pubescent awkwardness for everyone except her girlfriend Maura. In Jane's eyes, Maura could make anything beautiful, even her braces looked like just another accessory. Maura has braces, so at least I know she won't break up with me for having them.
"Don't worry, Janie, you look fine," her mother told her during the drive home. "A lot of kids your age have braces and having braces doesn't mean boys won't like you." She wanted to tell her mom she didn't care whether or not boys liked her because all of her kisses and hugs were for Maura, but she decided to keep her relationship a secret for fear of how her mother would react.
Angela assumed Jane and Maura were best friends, so she allowed them to be unsupervised in Jane's room and that day was no exception. Jane's mouth was sore and she was upset about being unable to have candy and gum, but with Maura there she forgot all about her sore mouth and focused on her girlfriend.
Maura was Jane's first love and, as long as they were holding hands, she was willing to listen to anything Maura talked about, even if she was rambling about braces.
"It'll only hurt on the day you get them adjusted," Maura informed her. "I know the brackets feel rough, but don't use the wax unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Why?" Jane asked, finally intrigued by the conversation.
"If you use the wax too often, you'll build up a tolerance and it won't be as effective anymore," Maura pointed out. "Jane?"
"Yeah?"
She noticed Maura start to blush. "I still think you're cute."
"I'm you girlfriend," Jane smiled. "You don't have to be nervous. I think you're cute all the time."
"I think you're cute all the time, too." She looked at the red and blue bands on Jane's braces. "You picked Red Sox colors."
"Bands are the only good thing about braces," Jane said as she scooted closer to Maura on the bed. "I think I want glow in the dark bands next time."
They continued with their conversation about braces and bands until Jane noticed they were sitting so close to each other that their legs were practically touching. They had been in Jane's room for over an hour and they had yet to kiss, so Jane took it upon herself to give Maura an innocent peck on the lips, but this time it wasn't enough. With Maura's coaxing, the girls experienced their first open-mouth kiss, as Jane had called it.
So this is what making out is like? I can get used to this, Jane thought as she continued to kiss Maura, but with a single movement of her jaw Jane felt her braces lock with Maura's. And this is how I die…
Their panicked movements only exacerbated the situation and they soon felt the tugging of wires and the pain of hitting their brackets against each other's as they tried to free themselves.
When Angela knocked on the door ten minutes later, Jane and Maura made one final attempt at prying themselves apart before accepting their fate.
"Janie!"
"Help," Jane attempted to say through her teeth.
With a few careful instructions, Angela was able to get them unstuck. Jane had a couple of broken brackets and one of Maura's wires had been pulled, but both girls were too afraid of what would happen next to care about the pain.
"Ma, I like girls and Maura is my girlfriend," Jane began to explain.
"We'll talk about this later," Angela tried not to laugh. "Let's get you both to the orthodontist first and then we'll have a talk over dinner that doesn't require you to chew. And Janie?"
"Yeah?" Jane asked nervously.
"If this happens again, I'm leaving you two like that."