Relying On Ben and Jerry (Waltham #1)

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Carnival of DEATH

Kline cackled evilly. “That was the best part of that night.”

“She could have died!” Norma exclaimed, horrified. “She came about two inches from hitting her head on the table!”

“But it was so funny,” Kline giggled, going so far as to clap her hands together as she laughed. “Her face!”

“Shut up, Kline,” I muttered, my arms crossed defiantly over my chest moodily as I glared at the road moving through the windshield in front of me, the places we passed blurring in my peripherals. “I agree with Norma—it’s not funny. I fainted.”

“Of all people!” Kline continued to laugh. “Of all people, that girl picked your brother.”

“Kline, dude,” Colonel chimed in beside me, his hands firmly on the wheel and his lips making a show of not turning up at the corners like he seemed to want to. He lost it for a moment before he screwed it back up into a serious expression. “Tomatoes couldn’t have known that her best friend wasn’t makin’ smart decisions.”

“Your brother is an idiot, Lena,” Kline told me from the back seat, and I didn’t have to turn to know that her grin was still the size of Montana—and it had been over a week since that day. She was still laughing herself silly over it.

And I was really getting sick of hearing about it.

Yeah, it’s true—my best friend had the bright idea to date my brother. I wasn’t insulted or offended or even disturbed that Aubrey had the hots for Felton; my brother certainly wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but it was a known fact that he was at least a good piece of eye candy. I wasn’t angry that she didn’t tell me until she saw me face-to-face and I wasn’t even mad that my brother had failed to mention that he had a long distance girlfriend.

What annoyed me was that now everyone thought that I should be mad. And I wasn’t.

So I was mad because I wasn’t mad.

I have great logic.

Kline, meanwhile, thought it was the funniest thing since sliced bread. I really loved Kline, I really did, but if she didn’t stop laughing about it by the end of the night . . . I was going to have to kill her.

Well, not for real.

Actually . . . Yeah, probably for real.

I was jarred from my thoughts of planning one of my best friend’s murders by the sound of Peter giggling.

“Lena has the best faces,” he cackled, leaning toward me with a big smile. “We’re just messing with you, kid. No hard feelings.”

“Nothing but amusement toward your best friend and her misguided decision making,” Kline felt the need to add.

I let out a frustrated scream. Norma reached forward to pat my shoulder, hoping that it would take a soothing effect but she was thumping me so hard that I nearly fell off of the seat.

Kline opened her mouth to say something else but thankfully Colonel hooted from the front seat, hitting on the steering wheel. “Hot damn!” he shouted happily, sounding like a three year old who had been given way too much candy. “We’re here, y’all!”

“Good lord,” I muttered, eyes wide. “You just said y’all.”

“No judgment,” Colonel argued, narrowing his eyes at me. “I stood up for you. I’ll gladly go ’bout takin’ the opposite side of this fight.”

I sighed.

“No more sighing!” Kline sang, leaping from the car. “We’re at a fair!”

“A carnival,” Norma pleasantly corrected her. Kline waved her off, her grin not wavering in the slightest.