The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney, Caroline Bruce

Janie and Reeve kiss for a long time. When they separate, Janie takes a moment to feel amazed; she then kisses him again, putting her hands on the back of his neck, feeling his pulse. They are interrupted when Mrs. Shields calls out to Reeve to tell him he has a phone call. Reeve runs inside. When he is gone, Janie fixes the leaf pile to erase the impressions of their bodies. Reeve does not come back out, so Janie goes into her house.

Inside, Janie’s mother excitedly takes a pan out of the refrigerator. She has been practicing her cake-decorating skills all day, with impressive results. She has created a frosting football scene on a sheet cake. Tomorrow Janie's family is having a tailgate party with Reeve’s and Sarah-Charlotte’s families, and Mrs. Johnson is planning to serve the special cake for dessert.

The mention of the party makes Janie realize she has all day tomorrow to spend with Reeve. The idea excites and frightens her, partly because Sarah-Charlotte will be there, too. Janie is not sure that she is ready to tell anyone that she shared her first kisses with Reeve. She does not even know if the moment meant anything to him.

Janie’s mother notices the leaves in her hair, and Janie says mildly that she and Reeve have been acting “like a pair of third graders,” jumping around in a leaf pile. She excuses herself, saying that she wants to get the weekend’s homework done early because of the tailgate party tomorrow. She goes upstairs and thinks about kissing Reeve. She debates whether or not to call her friends and tell them about it. Finally, she decides not to call.

Janie opens her school bag and dumps her books on the bed. Her notebook flops open, revealing the milk carton she has clipped inside. She takes it out and looks at the picture of Jennie Spring. She picks up the phone and starts dialing the 800 number listed below the picture. Before she can finish dialing, she loses her courage and hangs up.

Calling the number seems impossible. For one...