I read this book sometime between 6th and 8th grades, so between 1976 and 1979. It was not great literature but catered very much to pubescent and pre-pubescent girls. It was a mass-market paperback anthology of short stories, and I think they all dealt with romance and/or the characters’ first kisses. There might have been some that were just about the trials and tribulations of being that age, but if so, I don’t recall specifics. I do remember one of the stories mentioning chocolate pudding. In another -or maybe the same story- the protagonist went on her first date (possibly a school dance?), and when she and the boy walked home, he kissed her, and she said his lips tasted sweet like Coca-Cola.
Dear Bill, Remember Me? by Norma Fox Mazer has a story called Chocolate Pudding. I don’t remember the Coke scene though.
The American Girl Book of First Date Stories, copyright 1963. I don’t remember the plots of the stories, but this is the only such teen romance story collection that I know of.
Wow, I can’t believe somebody already gave me the most likely answer the same day this was posted! Kristen, I think you’re right, I do think it was “Dear Bill, Remember Me?” I looked it up on Amazon, and the cover art shown in the used books area looks familiar. I believe the story that mentioned Coca-Cola was “Mimi the Fish.” I have ordered a copy, just to confirm, and I will post if in fact this can be considered solved. Interestingly, I did not remember the stories being so serious and impactful, but in reading the reviews of the compilation, it seems that there was more to them than my then-young mind absorbed.
I have received my copy of “Dear Bill, Remember Me?” and can confirm that it was indeed the book about which I asked. Solved!