High School Journal

Sunday, August 30 - The County Fair

I couldn't sleep last night. All I could think about was seeing Hannah at the fair with Connor. I never thought that she would betray me like this. I laid in bed awake all night thinking about it.

Yesterday started well but ended horribly. Mom dropped Josh and me off at Laura's house. Laura's mom had dinner ready for us when we got there. Her mom made lasagna with garlic bread and ice cream for dessert. The food was delicious. Josh made a mess when he hit his glass by accident and spilled his drink everywhere. I wanted to yell at him for being so clumsy, but Laura's mom was very gracious, got some paper towels from the kitchen, and cleaned up the mess.

Before Laura's mom dropped us off, she reminded us to make sure we stay with the kids and not to let them run off without us.

We got there at around six o'clock. We had to wait in line for about ten minutes to buy our wristbands. They had an all-you-can-ride wristband for $25. Mom and Dad gave me enough money for Josh and me to get wristbands as well as all of our favorite snacks.

After we got our wristbands, Josh ran straight to the rides. The first ride we approached was the Scrambler. I don't know why he would want to go on this ride. Last year he wasn't even tall enough to ride it, but now he is. Laura didn't want to go on the Scrambler, so she took her brother and sister to the funhouse while she waited for us. Josh and I got strapped into the seats, and when the ride operator pressed the button, I started screaming. It spun us around so fast that I thought I was going to lose my dinner. Thankfully, that didn't happen.

When we finished the ride, Josh and I made our way to the bench where Laura was sitting. I was glad to be able to rest for a moment. It felt like the world was spinning.

Laura wanted to go on the Gravitron, so I told her I would keep an eye on the kids while she was on the ride. I took them to the funhouse to play while we waited.

Laura came back a few minutes later, and we gathered up the kids and took them on the bumper cars next. While we were on the ride, the kids ganged up on Laura and me and kept bumping into us. But Laura and I eventually got the upper hand and bumped into them so much that their heads were bouncing around like bobbleheads.

By the time we finished the bumper cars, the delicious aroma of all the deep-fried treats was beginning to weaken our willpower, rendering us powerless against the cravings we were having. Finally, we had no choice but to surrender to the goodness of some sweet snacks. We went to one of the food stands, got cotton candy for the kids, and funnel cakes for ourselves.

We continued to walk through the fairgrounds while we ate our snacks. We walked through the game area next, and all the game operators tried to get us to spend our money.

Josh wanted to play the ring toss game, so I let him. We got twelve rings for three dollars. We had to get at least one ring on a bottle to get the smallest prize- a goldfish. If we got two rings on a bottle, then we could upgrade to a small stuffed animal. I tried tossing a couple of rings and missed every time. Josh got lucky and landed one ring on a bottle. He was so happy to have won a goldfish. He carried it with him for the rest of the night. Laura's brother and sister played a couple of games too. Unfortunately, they didn't win anything.

We had a wonderful evening riding all the rides and eating all kinds of treats, such as deep-fried Oreos, caramel apples, and nachos. Everything was fine until I saw Hannah with Connor.

Laura, me, and the kids were getting off a ride when I glanced towards one of the concession stands and saw her standing in line with him. At that moment, it felt like my heart was torn in half. I didn't know how to feel about what I had just seen. I grabbed Josh's hand and suggested to Laura that we go in a different direction, towards another ride on the other side of the fairgrounds.

Laura could see that something was wrong. She asked me if I was OK, but I didn't answer. I just kept on walking. I told Josh that there was a ride that we hadn't been on yet and that he would like it. I didn't know where we were going. I just kept walking until I saw a ride that looked fun. When I found one, I stopped and brought Josh in line. Laura's brother and sister followed. I told the kids that Laura and I would relax while they went on the ride. As Laura and I stood there watching the kids spin around on the ride, I began to tell her why I was upset.

I talked to Laura about Connor before. She knew I liked him. When I told her that my friend Hannah was at the fair with him, she couldn't believe it. Out of all the boys at school, Hannah had to pick the one that I liked. Laura tried to comfort me, but there was nothing she could do to change how I felt.

At this point, I wasn't interested in sticking around any longer. I didn't want to run into her that night, so Laura and I decided it was time to leave. We called Laura's mom to pick us up, and she arrived about 15 minutes later.

It was getting late, and so it was a good time to leave anyway. Laura and I went on at least a dozen rides, and the kids had more than enough fun, food, and excitement.

When I got home, mom and dad asked us if we had fun. Josh told them that he had a blast. Mom and Dad were grateful that I took Josh to the fair with me. I think they needed some time alone, without us kids.

After catching up with mom and dad for a few moments, I headed to my room and cried all night long. The tears were falling as I made my journal entry last night. The pages are still stained from the tears.

I have no idea how I'm going to go to school tomorrow. I don't want to see Hannah right now. I certainly don't want to talk to her anytime soon. I wouldn't know what to say to her.