Potent Potables

Today over at Laurel's Leaves, it's the Whoops! Blog Fest! Now's your chance to share favorite clumsy, awkward, embarrassing moments suffered by a character in a WIP, or post links to laughable gaffes from film, YouTube or Fail Blog.

Here's a scene from a failed WIP that will probably never see the light of day again. To set it up, rumors are starting to spread about 16-year-old Maggie ever since she dared to stand up to the Queen Bee, Colleen.

***

As I made my way to first period, I spotted Caleb several steps ahead of me on the staircase and paused to put a few more people between us. I didn’t know how to act around him after the previous night and I knew I’d start stammering and blushing if I tried to talk to him.

But my plan backfired. As he rounded the staircase to head up to the third floor, we were suddenly facing each other, one story apart. His eyes lit up when he saw me and he did a one-eighty, eliciting yelps of disapproval from the people behind him.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said to them, pushing his way toward the corner where he could wait for me. I smiled despite my terrible mood.

“Hey, partner in crime,” I said, a horrifying blush rising hot in my cheeks as people glanced at us and snickered.

“You two-timing snake!” He said, shaking his finger at me with a laugh. I could tell he was trying to show people that he didn’t believe what Colleen had said, so neither should they. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be doing anything but eliciting more whispers.

I shook my head apologetically. “I’m so sorry you got dragged into this.”

“It’s not your fault.” He shrugged one shoulder casually, but his eyes were searching my face intently. “Are you ok? Is anyone being rude to you?”

“They haven’t really had time yet, you know?”

“Well, if they do, just let me know.”

“What are you going to do? Pull your Vulcan death grip on everyone at St. Mary’s? It doesn’t seem to have stopped Mitch.” I regretted saying it before the words even left my mouth. He glanced away with a hurt look on his face. “Shit. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I really do appreciate your help last night,” I said, inwardly cursing my big fat mouth.

He shrugged again, but his eyes were focused on something over my shoulder. He suddenly smiled widely. “I guess if there’s nothing we can do about it, we might as well give people something real to talk about, right?”

I was in the middle of pursing my lips to say, “What do you mean?” when he leaned toward me and wrapped his long, thin arm around my waist, pulling me against his side.

“Colleen’s right behind you,” Caleb whispered and I realized he was trying to make it seem as if he and I were a couple and, therefore, a team.

Suddenly, it was as if a flip was switched inside of me and, without even thinking about what I was doing, I planted my lips on his. I felt him tense with surprise at first, his arm slipping from around my waist for a second before he tightened his grip and breathed in deeply, pushing his mouth harder against mine.

If the other people streaming by us on the staircase said or did anything, I’ll never know, because in that moment, Caleb was the only thing I felt, heard, smelled, and thought about. It was as if all my aggression toward Colleen was being channeled into this kiss. I pressed myself against him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, entangling my fingers in the curls at the back of his neck.

And then a hand gripped the back of my shirt and yanked me away from the warmth of Caleb’s lips. The expression on his face was one of equal parts shock and ecstasy and I laughed at him before turning around to see who had interrupted us. The stern face of Sister Mary Louise stared back at me.

I suddenly remembered where I was. “Oh, Sister, I’m so sorry,” I stammered, looking around at the crowd of people who were all staring at my bright red face.

“There is no excuse for that kind of behavior, Miss Castle. And it will not be permitted!” Sister pointed her crooked, arthritic finger at me and Caleb. “You both have detention after school today. Now, get to class!”

I gave Caleb one last fleeting look before following Sister down the hall to my Calculus classroom. He waved and then disappeared into the crowd of onlookers who’d slowly started to disperse. Colleen Flannery stood to one side of the hallway; she and the Twits laughed loudly as I walked past.

***

Now go read everyone else's scenes!