‘It’s not the most valuable,’ said Carl. His voice was thick. I knew he was trying not to cry again.
‘You mean the poor Glass Boy,’ I said, looking at the little glass foot, five small perfect toes, a graceful arch, a slimly turned heel and then an ugly jagged edge of ankle.
‘No, I mean my special champagne flute,’ said Carl. He nodded over at the shelf of glasses. They were nearly all broken, snapped off at the stem, but my champagne flute birthday present seemed untouched.
‘There!’ I said. ‘I’m so glad!’
I could see there was a little chip in the glass at the top. I’m sure Carl could see it too, but we both pretended it was still perfect.
‘You still have a collection,’ I said. ‘Small and select.’
‘True.’
‘And you can carry on collecting.’
‘Maybe,’ said Carl. ‘Or maybe – I don’t know …’ He started very cautiously pushing bits of coloured glass around with his bandaged hand.
‘Careful!’
‘Yeah, yeah, I’m being careful. Look, you pick up that blue piece, and that one, and that darker bit. Look, if we put one piece here, the other there …’ He nudged them into place. ‘There!’
I looked. I didn’t see what he was getting at. ‘I don’t think you can mend it,’ I said gently.
‘No, no, I’m not mending, I’m making. Pick me out some more blue bits.’
I didn’t get it until Carl made me put a tiny chip of yellow against the top blue piece – and then I saw.
‘It’s a bird! A bluebird with a little beak!’
‘Maybe I’ll start glass appliqué? It might work, mightn’t it?’
‘You’d be brilliant at it. And maybe later on you could learn real stained-glass making, when you’re at art school.’
‘And you’ll come to art school too.’
‘And we’ll rework all the Glassworld Chronicles and get them published and make a fortune,’ I said, picking up the big book.
Little splinters of glass fell from it but it was safe too.
‘And King Carlo and Queen Sylviana will always live together and love each other,’ said Carl.
‘Of course,’ I swallowed. ‘Even if we don’t.’
‘I’ll always love you, Sylvie,’ said Carl.
He took a step until we stood together, the Chronicles clasped between us. He leaned his head forward and gently, softly, sweetly, kissed me on the lips.
It wasn’t the kiss I’d been hoping for. But it was the next best thing.
About the Author
Jacqueline Wilson is an extremely well-known and hugely popular author who served as Children’s Laureate from 2005-7. She has been awarded a number of prestigious awards, including the British Children’s Book of the Year and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award (for The Illustrated Mum), the Smarties Prize and the Children’s Book Award (for Double Act, for which she was also highly commended for the Carnegie Medal). In 2002 Jacqueline was given an OBE for services to literacy in schools and in 2008 she was appointed a Dame. She has sold over thirty-five million books and was the author most borrowed from British libraries in the last decade.
Also by Jacqueline Wilson
Published in Corgi Pups, for beginner readers:
THE DINOSAUR’S PACKED LUNCH
THE MONSTER STORY-TELLER
Published in Young Corgi, for newly confident readers:
LIZZIE ZIPMOUTH
SLEEPOVERS
Available from Doubleday/Corgi Yearling Books:
BAD GIRLS
THE BED & BREAKFAST STAR
BEST FRIENDS
BURIED ALIVE!
CANDYFLOSS
THE CAT MUMMY
CLEAN BREAK
CLIFFHANGER
THE DARE GAME
THE DIAMOND GIRLS
DOUBLE ACT (PLAY EDITION)
GLUBBSLYME
THE ILLUSTRATED MUM
JACKY DAYDREAM
THE LOTTIE PROJECT
MIDNIGHT
THE MUM-MINDER
MY SISTER JODIE
STARRING TRACY BEAKER
THE STORY OF TRACY BEAKER
THE SUITCASE KID
VICKY ANGEL
THE WORRY WEBSITE
Available from Doubleday/Corgi Books, for older readers:
DUSTBIN BABY
GIRLS IN LOVE
GIRLS UNDER PRESSURE
GIRLS OUT LATE
GIRLS IN TEARS
KISS
LOLA ROSE
LOVE LESSONS
Join the official Jacqueline Wilson fan club at
www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk
‘At the heart of KISS … is an emotional truthfulness, courage and comedy’
The Times
‘A sensitive tale of sexuality and love’
Independent
‘A beautiful and touching story about love and whom it’s directed to’
First News
‘KISS is a must-read for teens and parents alike’
Irish Independent
‘Wilson, renowned for tackling issues other children’s writers don’t, writes beautifully about first love, lost love and gay love. It’s a great read for both boys and girls’
Sunday Tribune
KISS
AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 407 04316 6
Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital
an imprint of Random House Children's Publishers UK
A Random House Group Company
This ebook edition published 2012
Copyright © Jacqueline Wilson 2007
Illustrations copyright © Nick Sharratt 2007
First Published in Great Britain
Corgi Childrens 9780552554411 2008
The right of Jacqueline Wilson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.