Chapter 9

Sunday afternoonI’m lounging on the couch with my family watching a movie when my phone begins to blare Queen. Freddie Mercury boasts about being the champion asI grin and my parents exchange amused looks as I pick it up.

“Yes, hello, is this the limo service?”

“Yeah,” Cam scoffs. “Something like that. Are y’all about ready? I’m fixin’ to head your way.”

“Yup we’ll be ready soon, Beth’s just gotta finish waxing her nose hairs first.”

“Elliot!” She shrieks next to me as she punches my arm. “Don’t say stuff like that to people!”

“Gotta go,” I laugh as my mom throws us a warning look. “See you soon!” I hang up the phone. “Mom, you’re just gonna let her hit me?!”

“Would you both behave?” She lets out a long-suffering sigh. “Can I trust you out in public tonight?”

“Yes!” Beth throws her arms around my neck to hug me dramatically. “My big bubba is my best friend in the whole world, right El?”

“Yeah, sure…” I roll my eyes.

“Right,” dad says, less than convinced. “Well, here’s some ticket money for both of you. Stick together, stay safe, and have some fun yeah?”

“Thanks, daddy!” She scrambles over my lap, ignoring my sounds of protest, to hug him as he chuckles.

I pull out my phone to shoot a quick text to Casey.

We’re heading out I’ll see you there!

I was just about to come pick you up, are your parents bringing you there?

Cam is giving Beth and me a ride

Ah okay

As he pulls up we hurry outside and jump into the cab of the truck. Beth grumbles as she settles herself over the gearshift, complaining the whole time. Her leggings rub my leg hair and we bicker for a minute before Cam turns up the radio and starts to drive off. I settle back in my seat, grinning despite myself. We’re going to the fair. The fair!

“How many corndogs are you going to eat?” I ask.

“Probably two,” Cam grins.

“Four.” Beth determinedly answers without hesitation, staring straight forward.

“Four?!” I squawk. “Why would you want to eat four corndogs?”

“Because fair corndogs are the best,” she shrugs.

“Sure, but you’re going to puke!”

“No, I’m not!” She snorts indelicately. “Unlike you savages, you won’t catch me dead on those rattling deathtraps they call rides.”

“Just because you don’t know how to live,” I shrug.

“Maybe it’s because she likes to live?” Cam suggests with a grin.

“Bah!” I throw my hands in the air. “Without a turn on the Crazy Eights, can you even say you’re living?!”

“I think I’ll manage.” She rolls her eyes but smiles as we head to the edge of town and the rodeo grounds that host the traveling fair.

Cam pulls into the dirt parking lot and parks Glory along the fence line. We pile out of the truck and walk to the front gates of the grounds, where Casey is waiting with folded arms and a tight smile. She waves as she sees us coming, her denim jacket and short white dress stark against the red-brown dirt surrounding us. I glance at the three of us in t-shirts with our shorts and Beth’s leggings, and can’t help but think she’s a little overdressed. Looks like Beth will have a partner while we go on the rides since there’s no way Case plans to shoot into the air wearing that. I can feel Cam’s disapproving gaze on me as we approach, but I don’t turn his way.

“Hey, Case!” I grin and hug her. “You look great, that’s a nice dress.”

“Thanks,” she blushes a little and smiles, pleased with my compliment, though she doesn’t seem to lose her stiff posture.

“Come on!” Beth squeals as she throws an arm around Casey and drags her, laughing, through the archway. “I can smell the corndogs from here!”

“Beth!” Casey wrinkles her nose. “Corndogs, really?”

“Her goal is four.” I grin.

“Ugh!” her brows fly to her forehead as she leans in and starts the (pointless) battle of trying to convince my sister to stay away from the fried delicacy.

“Elliot Graves,” Camden growls into my ear as he holds me back. “Did Casey think this was a date?”

“What?” I hiss back with raised brows. “No way! We always go to the fair, every time it’s in town. She just reminded me it was this weekend.” I shrug off his accusing stare. “Honest! She didn’t say she wanted it to be me and her, she knows you and I come here together…”

“El,” his voice is strained. “She dressed up, and she does not look happy… She did her hair! You are so obtuse sometimes, and you made me and Beth accomplices!”

“Well!” I rub the back of my neck with a grimace. “It’s gonna be fun anyway, okay? Come on, don’t make it weird!”

“I’m making it weird?!” his jaw hangs open and he falls behind.

I tug him along behind me as Beth makes a beeline for the food stall. We pay for three corn dogs, and a tray of tater tots that Casey turns her nose at but doesn”t refuse with a pile of ketchup in the corner. After the three of us have topped our treats with a ribbon of ketchup and mustard, we all start off down the path packed into the dirt. Casey starts to relax as we walk together, singing along to the canned music piped into the air around us. It isn’t dark just yet, but already the bright lights create a sort of fog that drifts over us as we laugh and slide into the back row at a clown show. I reach around her shoulders, snatching a tot and dipping it in ketchup before drawing in front of her to pop it into my mouth. She laughs and leans against my shoulder, and I seem to be forgiven.

We laugh and cheer at the clown’s antics as they do magic tricks and pull little pranks on kids in the audience, and by the time we stand to applaud the end of the performance, my sides are aching from more than just the beating I took Friday night. Casey reaches for my hand as we stand, and I take it with a smile. I swing our arms as we start off again, heading for the games. Beth and I exchange some cash for tickets, laughing and shoving to get to the best ones first. Casey claps and bounces as I try my hand at knocking down milk bottles with a ball, then tossing rings with no more success. A wall of colorful balloons calls my name, and as I approach I see the goldfish in bags as prizes. I turn to look at Camden with a wide open-mouthed grin.

“No.” He shakes his head.

“I’ll win my own goldfish!” I crow as I skip over and hand the man five tickets.

I close one eye, sticking my tongue out for dramatic effect as I carefully aim the dart. I fire with confidence, but it glances off the side of a balloon and lands on the ground. The second one sticks to the board, but squeaks just in between two balloons. The final dart manages to hit the balloon sideways, and everyone ducks and screams with laughter as it bounces and comes flying back at us. I pout and sulk as I walk away with empty hands, but Cam just laughs and claps his hands on my shoulders.

“It’s for the best,” he assures me with a squeeze. “Come on, let’s go find you a prize that won’t end in murder.”

We continue down the path and I grin as I see one of those hammer strength test games. Stuffed animals hang from a fence next to it, and a man leans against the pole smiling as people walk past. I grin and make a show of stretching my arms and popping my knuckles.

“This is it,” I nudge Beth. “I feel it. Give me two of your tickets.”

“No!” She laughs. “If you’re so confident, use your own! These babies are for corn dogs.”

“Here,” Cam grins. “I’ll cover you, and if you win I’ll let you drag me onto one of those murder machines.”

“Yes!” I pump the air.

“What if he loses?” Casey chimes in with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, ye of little faith!” I hold up a hand. “I don’t even need to know! I’ve got this.”

“If he loses,” Camden continues with a grin, “he hand washes Glory every weekend for a month.”

I hand the tickets over and receive the hammer, testing the weight in my hands. I get two swings, so I take a second to breathe and focus before driving it toward the metal plate. It rises a little more than halfway, and I frown slightly as my friends laugh and cheer behind me. It’s a little tougher than I thought it would be… adjusting my stance, I square my shoulders and take a deep breath. I bend my knees and push through as I swing the hammer, and the bell at the top dings as it’s tapped. A light hit, but it counts!

I raise my hands in victory as we all shout and cheer. I exchange the hammer for a pink stuffed bear, which I proudly present to Casey with a grin on my face.

“Thank you!” She laughs, rising up to peck me on the cheek as she hugs it close to her.

“And now,” I rub my hands together in anticipation as we near the end of the row of games. “Let’s go ride a coaster!”

“Count me out,” Beth’s face screws up. “I’m going in for my second corn dog.”

“Someone’s got to watch her,” Casey laughs. “Besides you won’t find me on one of those death traps.”

“Maybe I should stay here too,” Cam starts.

“Oh no,” I grin. “The girls can beg out but you promised! Let’s go spin until we hurl!”

“You boys have fun,” Casey shakes her head. “We’ll catch up with you after!”

“Okay!” I grin, grabbing Cam’s arm and pulling him along behind me.

Despite his protests, he’s laughing as we enter the midway. I eagerly pull him along to my favorite ride, the Crazy Eights. Four sets of two chairs, back to back, spin in circles while the machine winds and spins them in a wide loop. We’ve caught it at a good time, there’s hardly a line and we hop on the ride right away. I’m whooping and laughing, wiggling as we buckle in to make the seat shake.

“Stop it, you menace!” Cam calls with a laugh from behind me.

“What?” I bounce as much as the restraint will allow. “I can’t hear you!”

And then we’re off. We spin and whirl, laughing and holding onto the restraint bar until we come to a stop. The lights around us dance as I meet Camden at the gate.

“What next?” I ask breathlessly.

“Funhouse!” He points with a grin, and we run toward the entrance.

From the moment we step onto the porch, my stomach tightens with nerves and excitement. The tilted floor and eerie sounds playing over the stereo leave me uneasy as we try to walk through. The carefully angled mirrors make the seemingly easy-to-navigate hallways an endless series of walls we bump into before finding the open space and making our way to the end, laughing as we run into each other. In the last room of the funhouse, a row of mirrors line the walls. Some make me look unnaturally skinny and tall, while others make me look short and stacked. Camden laughs as I make the image even more exaggerated, fisting my hands and making my arms stick out and bend to create the illusion of a very angry man marching our way. He steps over to the skinny mirror, twisting and sticking out his chest and arching his back to try and manipulate the image, and it just looks odd. We are both cackling with laughter as we exit the building and survey where to go next.

As I look around, I realize Cam’s eyes are glittering with the lights of the Ferris Wheel as it slowly spins ahead of us. A slow grin crawls across my face as I watch him, entranced; him by the lights, me by the wonder in his eyes.

“Come on,” I start ahead. “Let’s go ride it!”

“Are you sure?” He bites his lip, a sign of nerves I’m not used to seeing from Camden. “We don’t have to, we can go get the girls…”

“They’re fine,” I shrug, turning to smile at him. “Hurry up, Holt, or I’ll have to ride it without you!”

He grins at that, following me despite the emptiness of my threat. This line is longer, and Cam practically vibrates with excitement as we wait. Canned music plays around us, and lights flash on the wheel as well as strings of lights overhead as the evening starts to settle in. The bucket seat swings down, letting a giggling couple of girls off, and we step up to the podium. With a jolt the wheel starts again, stopping on an empty car, and we hurry to take our places before the ride starts back up again.

With a whoop, I scoot in as close as I can to the middle of the seat. My knuckles are white on the bar, but I’m smiling so big my mouth hurts. Cam’s hands are next to mine, and he leans back against me as if we might fall off of the edge if we weren’t pressed together so closely. The bars break up the light as we slowly rise, our backs facing the emptiness behind us as we press close together. Heat grows where our legs touch, from our calves up to our knees and back to our hips. I can hear my heartbeat in my ears as we lurch forward, beginning our first downward descent. We brush past the ticket podium, moving more quickly this time on our way back up to the top, and I turn to face Cam. My hands grip tighter on the bar as I watch the lights dance in his eyes, the smile slipping from my face. We reach the top, our seat swings as we stop at the top of the world, and he turns to look back at me.

“Look,” he breathes, letting go of the rail with one hand and gesturing over the lights of the town below us. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yeah,” I agree, soaking in his expression. I can’t look away. “Beautiful.”

His hand rests back at the bar, pinky overlapping mine in his haste. His eyes shoot to the bar, then back to my face. Waiting for a reaction. I just smile and turn back to the open air, and he does the same. We float back to the bottom, and Cam helps me step off at the platform. We don’t say a word as we make our way to the seating area, finding Beth chatting gaily while Casey idly stirs the straw in her soda.

“I’m gonna go grab another corndog,” I say as a way of greeting. “Y’all want anything?”

“Yes, please!” Beth grins, patting her stomach.

“Sure,” Cam hands me the tickets.

“No thanks,” Casey gives me a look I couldn’t quite interpret. “I’m alright.”

The smell of frying oil draws me to the stand, where I wait in line before placing my order for three corndogs. When they’re ready I top them with ketchup and mustard on my way back to the table, where I find Beth and Camden sitting together.

“Where’d Casey go?” I ask as I join them.

“She said she was tired,” Beth looks at the table as she speaks. “So she decided to head home.”

“Oh, okay!” I take a big bite, closing my eyes as I savor the mix of flavors. “I guess it’s pretty late, with school tomorrow. You guys want to head home after this?”

“Yeah, we probably should.” Cam agrees as he tucks into his corndog as well.

We finish our meal and throw the trash into a blue plastic barrel, wiping our hands on some napkins before making our way back to the parking lot where Glory waits. Beth rubs her bloated stomach as we settle in the truck, a satisfied smile on her face.

“I’m gonna sleep great tonight,” she announces.

“Yeah,” I chuckle. “I think I will, too.”