It Was Always You

Ch. 24 Vacation

Ellie was having so much fun running around the amusement park on the pier close to the little house Piney had let them stay at in San Diego. It felt good to laugh again. To be outside in a place that was warm and filled with smiling people. Going back to school after losing her mom had been tough; every one treated her with little kid gloves. All the teachers looked at her with the same sad look in their eyes. She was tired of it. She wanted someone to treat her like a normal girl for once. She'd been worried about the trip. Worried Angela would force her to talk about her Mom more. Try to therapize her like others had done, but Angela hadn't mentioned her once. It made it easier for her to move past it for a couple hours. Enjoy what she was doing. Angela had even let her borrow her fancy camera and was teaching her how to use it. Ellie hadn't been so sure at first. At their quick stop at the mission, Angela had handed it to her and briefly explained how to use it. Ellie had snapped a few pictures and was kind of surprised by how much she liked it. Angela hadn't asked for it back yet, so she'd taken it with her to the boardwalk.

They were eating snow cones now. The syrup staining their lips and tongues. Angela and Juice were currently sticking their tongues out at each other, laughing at how blue his was. Ellie lifted the camera and snapped a picture, smiling with them. She'd never seen grown-ups act so silly.

"What's next, guys?" Angela asked, wiping at her face with a napkin and handing one to Kenny to do the same.

"Can we ride that one, Angie?" Kenny asked, pointing at the large wooden roller coaster.

Angela grinned in response, excitement in her dark eyes. "Oh hell yeah. You in, Ell?

Ellie had been watching it wearily all day. She'd never been on a roller coaster like that, and she didn't really want to do it. It looked too fast and too high. Nothing about it looked like fun. She bit her lip and kept quiet. If they all wanted to go, she'd force herself, but nerves were already starting to make her feel sick to her stomach. She looked down at the camera, messing with one of the buttons. "I dunno..."

"Y'know, I'm not feelin' great. Think I'm gonna sit this one out," Juice stated, rubbing at his stomach as he wrinkled his nose. Angela's eyes immediately grew concerned, and he shrugged. "Too much sugar, probably. You want to hang back with me, Ellie-belly? Can take some sweet shots of these two clowns on the roller coaster."

Her cheeks warmed at the nickname. She didn't know a lot of her dad's friends. She swore most of them didn't even know her name. She liked Juice, though. He was kind and just a little nerdy. He was like a big kid. She felt a wave of relief at the easy out he'd given her. She wondered if he'd known how much she didn't want to ride that thing. "Y-yeah," she answered softly. "Sounds good."

"All right, then. C'mon Kendo," Angela said with a shrug. "Ell, you make sure he stays away from that cotton candy."

"I will," she agreed. Ellie saw Juice scowl, but it looked like he was hiding a grin too.

Angela stood from the table. Juice tilted his head back a bit, and she leaned over to kiss him quickly. "Have fun, baby," he told her. "Ken, make sure to put your hands in the air, all right?"

Kenny nodded, following after Angela, a slight skip in his step. When he caught up with her, she ruffled his hair and slung an arm around his shoulders. Ellie smiled a little, happy to see her brother happy. She glanced over at Juice who was grinning at them as well. He turned towards her with the same big smile. "You havin' fun so far?"

Ellie nodded, blushing at his blinding smile. He was one of the more handsome Sons, and she couldn't help but have a little crush on him. "Yeah," she answered softly.

"There anythin' you wanna do?" he asked, gesturing around them. She shrugged a shoulder, feeling just a bit shy. He bobbed his head in a nod, messing with the ball cap on his head for a moment. "Okay. I got it. Let's get some good shots over there. I'll teach you some shit."