Never have I ever kissed a man – Jason

Ella was in the sixth grade. She remembers it very distinctly because that's when her friend at home, Naomi, told her that girls liked boys. It startled her at first.

Boys had cooties, boys played in mud, and boys pulled on her pig-tales! But, it had stuck.

She had noticed how her brother held his girl-friend. She didn't run away, in fact, it looked like she enjoyed it! Her mom and her dad were certainly affectionate to each other. But her dad wasn't a yucky boy!

He was nice and didn't tease her! He showed her how to do things like how to take apart toys or that Mentos and Soda Pop make a really cool fountain show. He would never pull mommy's pig-tales! Well, if her mommy wore pig-tales.

But the idea lasted into the summer and even carried with her to camp. Loading her things on the bus, she waved good-bye to her parents and was thinking about boys. But, unfortunately for her, there were no open seats for her when she got on.

She saw one with a boy with big curly hair under a hat, who was tapping on his leg like he was playing piano.

"Hi! I'm Ella! Can I sit with you?" At eleven, Ella had already figured out that she was more cheerful than others, and judging by the way the boy slammed his hat down next to him and stated that the seat was taken, other people caught on to that too.

"Ugh, just switch seats with me." A boy maybe a year older than her rolled his eyes and switched places with Mr. Grumpy, though Mr. Grumpy did not seem to be any happier sitting next to an older boy with a bird catalog.

"Hi Ella, I'm Shane. The moody one is Nate and the dork is Jason." A small rubber ball smacked Shane on the side of his face.

"The dork Jason has excellent hearing and great aim, silly younger brother Shane." Jason stated, never looking up from his magazine.

"You might have guessed this, but they're my brother's. Nate is eleven, Jason is thirteen, and I'm twelve."

"Oh, that's cool." The cogs in her head started to whirl as she watched his mouth move at an alarming rate.

"What are you thinking about?" He ask curiously, and Ella looked him in interest.

"Kissing. My friend, Naomi, said that you're supposed to kiss boys."

Shane's face crinkled in disgust as he nodded his head.

"Yeah, they have a lot of that in my mom's movies."

"Huh, guess that's true."

"Wonder what it's like?" He asks, his nose still wrinkled but look up to the front of the bus.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Me too."

Then Ella got an idea. Why not kiss him? What did it really matter?

"Then why don't we try it?" The honesty of her voice knocked Shane off his feet, so he thought about it and nodded his head.

"Okay."

As they inched forward towards each other, the bus roared to life and jolted forward, resulting in the preteen's first kiss.

Ella looks around the table with a grin. Looking at the Grey brothers, she thought about her first kiss with Shane. She looks at Jason and remembers her first french kiss. But sitting next to Nate, she knows who she wants to kiss next.

But for now, she'll just put a finger down.