I never got those braces. This may have contributed to the end of my fantasies about getting stuck in a kiss. Something else about kissing kept popping in my mind though. It was something my dad shared with me numerous times over the years. He would kiss me goodnight and often say something like, “You know Kelly, your kisses are special. Don’t give them away to just anyone.”
My dad walked on water in my eyes. I had no reason to doubt his words. So even as I entered the hormone engulfing years of junior high, his words rang true in my ears.
As luck, or fate, or (let’s call it like it really is) God would have it, I ended up switching schools my seventh grade year and found myself at the same school as Joey. We held the same group of friends. As is the case in junior high, everybody “goes out” with everyone else at some point or another simply by checking the yes box in a note written “Will you go out with me? Check yes or no.”
That first year of junior high, I was chosen to be a part of the homecoming court. My escort that year was Joey’s best friend, Jeremy. Joey tells me that he (to this day) remembers being jealous of Jeremy that night. I probably wouldn’t believe him if it weren’t for the fact that Joey was asked to be the escort for the homecoming attendant the following year and I remember burning with jealously almost as red as the cumberbund he wore that night.
Besides seeing Joey at school each weekday, I saw him at church each Sunday. Junior high is when the fun starts at church. My parents were junior high youth sponsors, so I had been an observer of their activities for years, but now I got to be a part of the fun. Pizza parties, retreats, lock-ins, games - I loved all of it.
I also got to be a part of a discipleship group for the first time in junior high. I’ll never forget my first discipleship group leader. Her name was Kathy. One night, she asked us to write on a 3x5 card some answers to some odd questions. “How much time each day do you spend eating? sleeping? doing homework? watching television?” The questions went on and on. The last question finally came. “Now how much time each day do you spend personally with the Lord?”
Ouch.
I didn’t really. Prayers before meals and family devotions really didn’t count. Of the twenty-four hours in my day, I spent more time doing just about everything else BUT spending time with God. That got to me. That night, I resolved to change this. The habit of having a daily quiet time between just me and God became a regular part of my day.
Joey and I were never “going out” with each other during junior high. We were around each other a lot though. I remember one time when our entire group of school friends went to the state fair together. I had recently checked “yes” on a note from a boy named Brad and agreed to be his girlfriend. Joey was “going out” with a girl named Rachel at the time.
Brad made it well known to our group of friends that night that he planned to kiss me. I was completely put out by the thought of this. I had no intention of allowing Brad to “steal” one of my kisses. After all, my kisses were special and I knew it. (Thanks dad!) He tried to sit next me on a couple of rides, but I scooted as far away as possible. Needless to say, I broke up with him before the night was over.
Joey, on the other hand, had given his girl Rachel a kiss on the cheek before calling it a night. He recalls it being the most awkward, forced kiss of all time. She broke up with him shortly after that.
