Chapter Text
Johanna's promise to herself to kiss someone before reaping day was all well and good, but despite being one of the smartest kids in her class, she couldn't figure out a plan to make it happen. As school drew to a close on Friday, and with no idea how to go about getting her first kiss, Johanna finally admitted defeat.
"Woods?" Linden suggested, as they packed up their bags.
"Don't you need to catch your train?"
"Yeah, but I don't need to be back 'til Harry gets home," Linden told Johanna. "We've got half an hour."
"Then, yes! Definitely!" Johanna grinned, leading the way out of the classroom. "I don't want to go straight home. Justin is gonna be in so much trouble if Mom's found out he skipped school today."
"See, this is why you're a nicer older sister than Willow - she would LOVE to watch me get in that kind of trouble!"
It was true, and Johanna acknowledged it with a laugh.
"Yeah, but if my parents find out I knew what he was doing, then I'll get in trouble, too!"
"Good point," Linden conceded. They were quiet for a moment as they weaved through the crowd of other students, then as they emerged from the stream towards their woods, Linden told Johanna, "I can't believe little goody-goody Justin skipped school!"
"I know!" Johanna agreed, proudly. "I've never done anything like that!"
"Not true - what about that library book you illegally borrowed?" Linden teased, nudging Johanna's arm.
"Fuck off," Johanna laughed.
The girls began to walk down their usual path in the woods, away from the other high schoolers.
"Did you do anything this year?" Johanna asked Linden, trying to sound casual.
"No," Linden shrugged, then suddenly seemed to remember what Johanna had said a few weeks ago. "Wait, did you ? Did you kiss someone!?"
Linden's excitement made Johanna even more embarrassed to admit she hadn't managed to follow through with her plan.
"No," she awkwardly admitted, feeling her cheeks getting hot already.
"Why not?"
"It was just… too weird."
"Too weird?"
"Too… awkward. I couldn't work out how to… uhh…" Johanna flailed her hands, rather than finishing her sentence.
"You just put your lips on their lips, Mason! It's not difficult!"
"No, I mean before that!" Johanna defended, feeling even more embarrassed that she had accidentally led Linden to think she didn't know the basics of how to kiss. "I didn't know how to start it off, you know? Like, do you just go up to someone and say, 'Hi, would you like to kiss me' ?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure that worked out for some of the people on my bus yesterday," Linden joked, pulling an expression of disgust.
Johanna dropped her bag from her shoulder and slung it up onto its usual branch as she chuckled her agreement. "I'll bear that in mind for next year," she said, dryly.
"'Next year'?" Linden hung her bag next to Johanna's, "You're giving up already?"
"What do you mean, 'already'? The reaping is tomorrow!"
"Exactly. You still have all evening."
"Yeah, but everyone's hanging out with their friends and family this evening."
"Exactly," Linden said again, softer this time.
"Exactly what?"
"You're hanging out with your friend…"
Johanna still didn't understand what Linden was trying to say. Her confused expression drew a sigh from Linden, which morphed into a small quiet laugh.
"What I'm trying to say, Mason, is, ' Hi, would you like to kiss me? '"
Johanna's heart and mind both began to race. She would like to kiss Linden. A lot. She had wanted to kiss her for months . But did she want to kiss her now , like this? She had only wanted to kiss someone before the reaping - she hadn't wanted it to be Linden.
Johanna worried she would regret saying no. She worried she would regret saying yes, too. She worried that it was somehow dishonest to kiss Linden like this, without telling her about her crush. But she also worried she might never get this chance again - to kiss anyone , but also to kiss Linden.
The whole time Johanna struggled to find an answer, Linden watched her intently.
After far too long hesitating, to her surprise, Johanna heard herself say, "Yes."
Linden smiled, and stepped closer.
"But what if it's weird?" Johanna asked, before they got too close.
"Then we stop," Linden answered, with an easy shrug.
Maybe it really was that easy. Linden's simple plan helped Johanna relax just enough to allow their eyes to meet again. The nervousness in Linden's expression made Johanna wonder how much worse hers must appear.
"Ready?" Linden asked, interrupting Johanna's anxious thoughts before they threatened to take over.
Johanna's heart was racing. She darted her eyes down to Linden's lips, then met her gaze again.
"Ready," she confirmed, daring herself to do it.
They each took a small, hesitant step to bring themselves closer. Linden placed one hand to Johanna's waist, gently holding her. With her other hand, she used a single finger to softly tip Johanna's chin up. Then, she leaned in to bring their lips together.
The kiss only lasted a second. But it sent powerful sparks of joy, hope and excitement through Johanna's mind and body. She was almost surprised she couldn't see them, with how strong they felt. They had certainly banished all traces of her earlier nervousness.
The girls remained standing close as their lips parted, their eyes flickering over each other's faces in an urgent attempt to assess the situation.
"Was it weird?" Linden asked, cautiously.
"No!"
Full of relief, happiness and desire, with no nervousness to hold her back, Johanna seized a sudden wave of confidence. She quickly searched Linden's expression one last time, looking for any indication the other girl wanted to stop. Then, she rose onto her tiptoes, and leaned in for another kiss.
To Johanna's delight, Linden didn't hesitate to kiss her back. It wasn't just a one-second peck, this time. Johanna let her instincts take over, her lips moving almost of their own accord in time with Linden's.
When they eventually parted, both girls were slightly out of breath. As reality seeped back in, they both began to giggle.
"How was that?" Linden asked, stepping away to give them more space, still grinning.
"Uhh…"
It was one of the best experiences of Johanna's life. She didn't want to admit that aloud, though, so she struggled to find some more suitable words.
"It was more than I expected - in a good way!"
Linden smiled back at Johanna, blushing slightly. "You're a good kisser, Mason."
Johanna's stomach felt like it was flipping over.
"I, uhh, I mean, I have no comparison, obviously," she stumbled over her reply, "But you are, too!"
Johanna was sure her own cheeks were even more flushed than Linden's. Linden stared down at the floor and giggled again, happy and awkward. The laughter proved infectious, and it was hard to catch each other's eye for a long while.
When, eventually, their giggles died down, Johanna quietly and earnestly said, "Thanks, Lin. I'm really glad I did that before tomorrow."
"Me, too," Linden agreed with a warm smile, which quickly faded into an awkward, hurried explanation, "I mean, I'm glad for you, that you, you know…"
A strange, sudden flicker of hope began to brew within Johanna as she watched Linden stutter. A tiny part of her wanted to believe Linden's mistake was betraying something real. Had Linden wanted to kiss Johanna, too?
"Whatever you say," Johanna teased, torn between burying her terrifying hope, and trying to find out more.
"Fuck off!" Linden laughed, playfully shoving Johanna's shoulder.
The response didn't clarify either way, but Johanna was happy to follow Linden's lead back to normality. She shoved her back, and the girls quickly descended into wrestling - though they were careful not to go hard enough to risk any damage the day before the reaping.
When it was time to leave, the impending reaping seemed to hit them both again. At the street where they parted ways, Johanna darkly wished Linden good luck, with an ironic, " May the odds be ever in your favour! "
"You, too, Mason," Linden replied, too anxious to add any humour to her words.
In the moment before they hugged goodbye, there was a brief hesitation. It didn't go unnoticed. But Johanna was quick to decide that a mild twinge of awkwardness, easily brushed away, was a perfectly acceptable price to pay for her first kiss. They'd get over it.
The hug lasted a long time, as if it might be possible to squeeze the nervousness away from each other.
"It won't be us," Johanna assured Linden, lips brushing against her hair as she spoke..
"It won't be us," Linden agreed, and Johanna felt, rather than saw, her firm nod..
When they finally let go of their embrace, Linden hoisted her bag onto her shoulder, told Johanna, "See you tomorrow," then headed down the street without looking back. Johanna watched her for a long while, before shaking herself free of whatever trance she'd fallen into and heading home.
Johanna replayed the kisses over and over again in her head as she walked home. By the time she reached the door, she didn't have much remaining capacity to feel anxious for the games: she was still too full of excitement about her first kiss.
"You're home early!" Johanna's mother called out from the kitchen, as soon as Johanna stepped into her house.
In typical motherly fashion, it was partly an observation, partly a question.
"Yeah, Linden is travelling to the centre tonight, so we didn't hang out for long," Johanna called back, as she slipped off her shoes. She tucked them neatly onto the shelf, put her bag on the stairs for later, and headed straight for the kitchen.
"Do you want some help?" she asked Juniper.
Through the window, Johanna could see Justin and Jay playing in the backyard. Apparently, her parents hadn't yet found out about Justin skipping school. Johanna wasn't going to be the one to spill the secret, but she was sure it was only a matter of time before the school contacted her parents to inform them.
"There's not much that needs doing," Johanna's mother replied, before giving Johanna a suspicious smile. "Is there something you want to talk about?"
Johanna was too excited to even consider keeping her news secret, and immediately blurted out. "I kissed Linden after school!"
"Oh wow! Was that the first-"
"Yeah!" Johanna answered before her mother even had time to finish her question, nodding excitedly.
Juniper chuckled at Johanna's enthusiasm, sharing in her joy.
"How do you feel, Jo?" she asked, as she rinsed off her hands.
Johanna squealed before replying, "So happy!" and her mother laughed again.
With her hands now clean and dry, Juniper held out her arms, and Johanna immediately launched into them for a hug.
"Tell me all about it," Johanna's Mom said, holding her daughter tight.
"I knew I wanted to kiss someone before reaping day, but I couldn't figure out how to make that happen. And then Linden asked if I'd kissed anyone yet, and I said no, and then she asked if she could kiss me, and then we did! It was just a before-the-reaping thing, but it was so good!" Johanna couldn't articulate the rest of her feelings, and instead made another squealing sound.
"Your first kiss…" Juniper said wistfully, stroking Johanna's hair away from her face. "You all grow up so fast!"
"I'm going to have to tell her soon," Johanna thought aloud, still far too excited to keep her thoughts to herself.
"Yeah?" Juniper encouraged Johanna to explain.
"I really want to kiss her again!"
Juniper laughed again, and squeezed Johanna tight. "Then, yes, you'll probably have to talk to her if you want to make that happen."
"I'll figure it out," Johanna said, still riding the wave of excitement and confidence that the kiss had brought.
"You will!"