When You Least Expect It

22

Holly Dae, her eyes gleaming with excitement, approached us with a pair of tickets for the Ferris Wheel.

"Hey guys! You guys up for the Ferris Wheel?" Holly Dae's grin was infectious.

Ilya, catching wind of the plan, raised an eyebrow, his mouth full of cotton candy. "You're not afraid of heights, are you, Carson?"

Carson shot a wry smile. "I'll survive."

Holly Dae nudged Ilya playfully, "Don't tease him, Ilya. Remember, he's our scaredy-cat."

Ilya chuckled, patting Carson on the back, "You've got us to protect you, buddy."

"I'll stick to solid ground, thanks."

We all felt bad because Carson couldn't go on any of the rides. He trailed along, silent and wearing an expression that revealed his boredom and a longing to be back home. In an effort to include Carson, I proposed a game that didn't include height or speed, leading us on a search for an activity he could enjoy.

With a snap of his fingers, Ilya pointed out the High Striker. "Why not give that a try?" he suggested with a snicker.

If Carson was offended, he didn't show it. He strode over to the mechanical tower and grabbed the hammer, hitting the lever once but not hard enough to ring the bell.

"It's fine if you can't do it," I said. Not knowing how much strength it would take, I did not want Carson to become fatigued.

"Don't worry, we're not expecting much from you," Ilya called.

Carson scowled. "Was that meant to be inspirational?"

"Come on, you can do it!" Holly Dae cheered on.

Someone laughed incredulously. Bones and Garrett mocked Carson as they stood near the tower. "Step aside," Bones said in that condescending voice of his. "Let me show you what a real man looks like."

Bones grabbed hold of his hammer, slammed on the lever, and raised it high enough to sound the bell.

"Who's this kid?" Ilya whispered beside me.

"Some jackass," I said, loud enough for Bones to hear.

"That's how it's done," Bones boasted, flashing a smug smile at Carson.

I touched Carson's arm. He didn't appear to be annoyed. Or, if he was, he didn't exhibit any signs of being concerned about what had just happened. "Come on, let's go elsewhere."

We moved on to try another ride that had caught Miles' interest while Carson waited for us outside the line.

"Are you sure you don't want to join?" Holly Dae called out to Carson, genuine concern in her voice.

Carson answered in a low voice, "It's fine. All this noise is giving me a headache."

I couldn't blame him; the clamor of music, laughter, and shrieking was giving me a headache too. It was enough to drive even the most normal person insane.

As our turn neared, we moved to the front of the line. I turned to let Carson know we wouldn't be long, but he was nowhere to be seen. Regret gnawed at me. I had invited him to the fair only to make him feel left out.

Abandoning the line and ignoring Miles' calls, I searched the fairgrounds for Carson. Eventually, I found him engrossed in a game involving balloons and darts. His tall figure was easy to spot in the crowd.

Silently, I admired him from afar, not wanting to disrupt his good time as he skilfully tossed a handful of darts at brilliantly colored balloons, popping them one by one.