Sealed with a kiss

Alice Brown stood outside the coffee shop, her lips still tingling from the kiss she had just given Jack Miller. Jack had smiled at her, but Alice knew the truth-he didn't like her. He never had. He had just wanted to prove something to his friends. Alice could feel it in the way his smile didn't reach his eyes, in the way he talked about her when he thought she wasn't listening. Yet, for reasons she couldn't explain, she kissed him back.

That kiss haunted her as she walked home. The memory of it was uncomfortable, like a scratch that wouldn't stop itching. Two hours later, as Alice sat by her window, watching the rain patter on the glass, her phone buzzed with a message.

It was Emily, one of her classmates. The words on the screen made Alice's heart freeze.

"Jack's been in an accident. He's in the hospital. It's bad."

Alice's fingers trembled as she gripped the phone, the blood draining from her face. She reread the message over and over, hoping she was mistaken, but the words remained the same. Panic settled in her chest like a heavy stone, making it hard to breathe.

No, it couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

She thought back to when she was 16. It was during a game of Truth or Dare. She had kissed Brian Owens, a boy who had spread mean stories about her around school. She hadn't wanted to kiss him, but it was a dare, and she didn't want to seem scared in front of everyone. Just like with Jack, two hours after that kiss, Brian had been in a car crash. He had broken his arm and leg.

Back then, her mother had noticed how strange Alice had become after hearing about Brian's accident. Alice had sat at the kitchen table for hours, her hands gripping her mug tightly, eyes wide with shock.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" her mother had asked gently, sitting across from her.

Alice had hesitated but eventually told her the truth-about the kiss, the accident, and the strange feeling of guilt gnawing at her.

Her mother had looked at her with a seriousness Alice had never seen before. "Alice," she had said quietly, "there's something you should know. Kisses aren't just sweet gestures. Sometimes, they carry more than feelings. You must be careful who you kiss. Never kiss someone who doesn't truly care for you or who you don't care for."

Alice had brushed it off at the time, thinking it was just a weird coincidence, but now, sitting by her window, her heart raced. Jack didn't care for her, just like Brian hadn't. And now, Jack was in the hospital too, just two hours after the kiss. The same as Brian.

She quickly texted Emily back. "What happened?"

Emily replied almost immediately. "He was hit by a car while crossing the street. They don't know if he's going to make it."

Alice's stomach twisted into knots. The words echoed in her mind: "They don't know if he's going to make it."

Her breath came in quick gasps as she stood up from the window and began pacing her room. It was her fault. It had to be. Her kiss had caused the accident. She didn't know how, but it had happened before, and now it was happening again.

Her phone buzzed once more.

"You okay?" Emily asked.

But Alice couldn't answer. She couldn't tell anyone. No one would believe her anyway. It sounded too strange, too impossible. But she knew it wasn't. She had a secret, and it was eating her alive.

Over the next few days, people kept telling Alice it wasn't her fault. They said accidents happen all the time. Jack's friends, who usually ignored her, now tried to comfort her. They didn't know about the kiss, of course. They didn't know about the other accident. All they saw was a girl who seemed sad about what had happened to Jack.

But Alice knew better. She knew her mother's warning had been true. That kiss had power. And somehow, it brought harm to those who didn't really care for her.

Jack's condition didn't improve. Alice visited him once, standing at the door of his hospital room, unable to go inside. The guilt was too heavy, like a weight pressing down on her chest.

She remembered her mother's words again: "Never kiss someone who doesn't truly care for you." Alice hadn't listened. Twice now, she had ignored the warning, and twice, someone had paid the price.

From then on, Alice vowed never to kiss anyone unless she was sure. Sure that they liked her, that they were kind, and that she felt the same. She couldn't risk it. Not again.

But deep down, she wondered if the damage had already been done. If every kiss she had given was a curse that couldn't be undone.