Molly took a deep breath. She and Andy had ducked behind the trees while Mrs. Morton was yelling at her cousin Billy. Andy’s hands were a little sweaty but she didn’t mind, she was hoping he didn’t notice that she was sweating too. He fumbled awkwardly with her hands. But he leaned in close. She could smell the spearmint gum he had been chewing after lunch.

“You know,” Andy said. “I’ve never kissed a girl before.”

Molly smiled. “I’ve never kissed a guy before.”

“I think,” Andy said as he leaned closer. “We should fix that.” His lips pressed against Molly’s. They were warmer than she had imagined, but not as soft. Her heart fluttered a little. There was a cold sensation down her back. Molly jerked and Andy pulled away. “Something wrong?”

Andy didn’t have to wait long to find out. Cold rain came driving through the leaves of the trees.

Molly and Andy dashed out from behind the tree and made a break for the pavilion where the rest of their class was huddling. Half the class looked wet, shaking the rain out of their clothes. Molly and Andy got under the pavilion, finding what little room they could. Molly tried to cover herself up, her white shirt was almost transparent now. She tried not to stare at Andy, but his shirt clung to his torso rather tightly, showing off his toned pecs and abs.

Molly was just starting to enjoy herself again when a raspy voice spoke up behind her. “And where were you two?” Mrs. Morton asked.

Later on the bus back to the school, Molly had to sit next to her cousin Billy. Andy had been sent to the back of the bus, while Molly was sitting closer to the front.

“How’d your big plans for Andy go?” Billy snickered.

“Shut up,” Molly said. She tried to wring more water out of her hair.

“You know, that rain came out of nowhere.” Molly kept her hair between his gaze and her face. “Your mom was a water, I know she was, first on our side of the family for a while. Think you might have found uniqueness?”

Molly slumped backward onto the seat. Billy leaned forward. “I can’t tell if you’re crying or if that’s rain on your face.”

“All we did was kiss,” Molly whispered.

“That’s gonna be rough,” Billy said. “Never being able to kiss in public or outside. And keeping your uniqueness a secret from boyfriends will be impossible.”

“I hate this,” Molly said. A drop made its way down her cheek. “Why do we have to be unique? Why can’t we just be normal?”

“Hey,” Billy said, “It’s not so bad. Being unique can be a lot of fun.”

“Do you think I’ll have fun making it rain every time I get kissed?” Molly’s look was angry.

“Sorry,” Billy said. “Why don’t you talk to Amy about your uniqueness when we get home. Her uniqueness is a bummer too.”