Hourglass

3.

Dora looked around the amusement park that held so many memories for her. The year before she had spent some amazing time there with her friends.

Now she was there alone with Percy. She wanted to ask Trace to join her, just like the old days but how could she when he was busy in his life with his friends. She had no right to.

It was weird how the year before they all had plans to work there.

"What are you thinking?" Percy asked.

"Remember how you wanted to work at the ice cream shop and I was going to work at the snacks counter." She said with a small smile.

"Yeah, so could steal some snacks." He laughed heartily.

"Yeah, shut up." She told him but with a chuckle of her own.

"Tim wanted to apply at the ticket counter and Alex, he was content doing anything. He just wanted to be here."

"None of us could do anything." She said sadly.

"Because of me." Percy replied with a sigh.

"No, because of me."

Dora knew she was at fault. She destroyed their lives. If it wasn't for her, things wouldn't have happened.

Percy went somewhere asking her to get tickets for them.

Dora stood in the long queue waiting for her turn to buy tickets.

"Two tickets, please." She said when her turn came, looking around to find Percy but couldn't see him anywhere.

"Dora?" She heard a familiar voice.

She looked up to come face to face with Trace.

"Trace?" She asked. "You work here?"

"No, I am covering up for my friend. Remember, I said I am helping out a friend" He told her.

"Oh!" She said as he handed her two tickets. She couldn't help but look at his face. He looked genuinely happy to see her.

"This is also a trial for me. If they like me, they would hire me." He said with a shrug. "It's good to see you here. Who did you come here with?"

"Um. A friend." She lied uncomfortably. She didn't like lying.

"Oh." Trace too looked disappointed. "Was this why you asked what I was doing?"

Dora gulped down nervously. "Yeah. I thought maybe for a day it could be like old days. You know I couldn't ask Tim. He hates me."

"I am sorry Dora." He said earnestly. His eyes held warmth in them. Something she hadn't felt for a long time. They were sad and sympathetic but had something else. As if he was holding back something. Something he wanted to say but couldn't.

"Will you please move, others are waiting?" An irritated voice said from behind her.

"Sorry." Dora said robotically.

"Work calls." He smiled at her. "But I will see you around."

And that was a silent promise.

______________________________________

"Hey Dora." She looked up to see Trace smiling at her from the other side of the fence. After school, Dora had wanted to spend some time alone and came to her backyard to mop around but it wasn't bad to have her neighbour as a company.

"Trace, what are you doing here?" She asked in surprise. He threw a leg over the fence and jumped in.

"Thought we would hang out together, just like the old days." He said repeating her words from the day before.