I rummage through my backpack. "Have you seen these? I say, creating suspense as I slowly pull out a Kif-Kaf bar wrapped in a white package instead of the usual red one. "It's a Kit Kat bar in white chocolate, Jess. They were almost sold out at the store, but I found this one lonely package mixed in with the regular ones. I know you love white chocolate as much as I do." I wave it in front of her nose. "Smell the white chocolate... crave the white chocolate."
"I can't smell anything. It's still in the wrapper."
"I'm saving it for a special occasion."
Before I can stick my rare white chocolate find back in the special zippered compartment in my backpack, Nathan reaches across the bus aisle and snatches the Kif-Kaf out of my hand. "Cool, white chocolate Kit Kat. I've always wanted to try one of those. Thanks!"
"Give that back!" I yell.
Nathan, who is a total and complete dufus 90 percent of the time, rips the package open and takes a huge bite from the top. He doesn't even snap off one of the four sticks like any normal, decent person would do. No, he bites a quarter off the top, so now all the bars have a chunk out of them. "Damn, that's good."
My mouth is open wide in shock. "I can't believe you just did that."
"What?"
"First of all, I was just telling Jess I'm saving it for a special occasion. I only have one white chocolate, and you... you... you..." I can't even express how pissed I am at him.
Nathan shrugs, then holds out the rest of the uneaten bar. "Here, you want a bite?"
Yuck! "You bit off the whole top. You're supposed to snap off the sticks one at a time. Everyone knows that. Now the entire thing is tainted with your saliva germs."
"Come on, Amy. You've been exposed to my saliva germs before." He makes a smooching noise, then grins. "So what's the big deal?"
I pretend to gag. "Don't remind me."
You probably think I hate Nathan. I don't. Next to Jessica, he's my best friend and the most entertaining thing I have in my life, especially when Avi and I are apart. Nathan is like my very own live Elmo doll that walks, talks, and farts. Maybe that isn't the greatest analogy, but you get the idea.
"I'll have a bite," Miranda sheepishly chimes in, leaning toward the half-eaten chocolate.
Nathan sticks his tongue out at me and moves the chocolate closer to Miranda. She takes a bite, then Nathan finishes it off by popping the rest in his mouth. Miranda can be my guest and swap germs with Nathan all she wants.
"You owe me another Kif-Kaf" I tell him. "A white chocolate one."
"Whatever," he says, licking his fingers one by one, making those little sucking sounds on each one to annoy me.
"Keep doin' that, big guy. You forget that my strong, military commando boyfriend will kick your butt once I tell him you mutilated my white Kit Kat without my permission."
Nathan stops licking his fingers. "Seriously, tell that guy to stay away from me. I think I still have bruise marks on my face in the shape of his fist."
"Avi only hit you because you attacked him first," I remind him.
"You told me to, Amy," Nathan says defensively. "You know, during your stupid Operation Get-Avi-Back on the Northwestern campus."
Nathan's right--but it was only to stall Avi so I could let him know I was devastated we broke up during his trip to Chicago. I was desperate to get back together. It wasn't a stupid plan. It was brilliant, especially because it worked. "Well, that's old news. Avi doesn't even remember you."
Okay, so that's not exactly true. Sometimes Avi will ask about Nathan when we talk on the phone. He knows Nathan and I kissed... he doesn't know it was three times, though. To be completely honest, the first time was awful, the third time was fake (it was actually last month--to make his ex-girlfriend Bicky believe he was dating me so she'd stop dropping into his life), but the second time...
I don't want to think about that second time. So Nathan knows how to kiss when he puts a little effort into it. It's not a big deal.
It doesn't matter, anyway. Avi is the only guy I ever want to kiss. He knows nearly everything about me (of course, he's never heard me on the toilet because I run the water when I'm in the bathroom, and he has no clue I have a fear of spiders), and the guy still loves me. My dad warns me not to wait around for him, because he's in Israel and we have a long-distance relationship. He also says we're too young to say we'll be together forever.
As if my dad knows about love. My dad is single and has just started dating Maria, the woman who runs the coffee shop in the building next to our condo. I admit I set them up... one night I invited her over, and when my dad came home I had Nathan come up with an excuse to get me out of there so they could have some alone-time. The rest is history; at least, it will be when my dad decides to ask Maria to marry him. Then I won't have to worry that he'll be without a partner the rest of his life.
The bus comes to a stop and I glance out the window. The security checkpoint, the gates, and the soldiers in green military uniforms clue me in that we've finally arrived at the base. Almost everywhere you go in Israel, you see someone in a military uniform and most have a rifle strapped to their backs.
I've only been to Israel once before (although this will be my first time on a military base) and I'm already desensitized to seeing military personnel everywhere I go, from the mall (they check your purse before you go inside to make sure you're not carrying an illegal bomb or weapon) to tourist and religious sites. They even have a security guy stationed outside the grocery store. It's totally different back home in Chicago. While the abundance of military presence in Israel isn't what I'm used to, it makes me feel tremendously safe.