A Boy in the Hand is Worth Two in the Head

Chapter 7

Despite my moodiness, I’d begun to have a good time. In an attempt to make me less grumpy at him I think, Matt had bought me fairy floss. It had lowered my anger, much to my dismay, but I hadn’t let him know, instead taking the candy sullenly, snickering behind it to Will as Matt paid.

I was waiting for Matt and Will to finish their turn on the best of the three rides here. Pulling off piece after piece, so to make sure I didn’t get it stuck on my face like normal, I hummed to myself as I watched their cart spin in no apparent determined way. Even from short glances, I could see Matt looking positively terrified.

I felt the bench beneath me lurch, and I turned to see a boy, probably Will’s age, settling down. He saw me looking, and smiled.

“Hi,” he said, offering me his hand. I swapped my fairy floss to the other hand, before shaking it shortly, bemused that someone would have so abruptly introduced themselves. “I’m Paul.” I smiled back. His hand had been warm, and his smile could have knocked any girl in their right mind off her feet.

Swapping my food back, and pulling off a piece shyly, I offered my own name, watching him as he talked. I could tell he was trying a bit to make me be impressed, and I had a vague suspicion that it was working.

It turned out Paul had done the same thing I had, college then farming to earn a bit of money, except he’d finished some degree in journalism before he’d left, I didn’t understand what. I had been in on the farming longer than him though, and to his own admission, could probably kick his arse.

By the time Matt and Will had come back, Paul had already gotten my number, and had promised to call me soon. I’d nodded vaguely, too excited to think of anything else but the way his eyes lit up when he’d talked about things he’d liked, or how he’d smiled lightly every time he’d said my name.

Will poked me in the side. “Nice going dippy,” he smiled, watching Paul walk back to his friends, his jawbone twitching as he clenched his mouth. I blushed, and Matt ignored my dazed state, dragging us along to the dodgem cars.

I’d lost all prior frustration at not scouring the aisles of market produce for a new scarf; in fact, I was ecstatic that we hadn’t.

As I piled into the car, Matt in a purple one behind me, and Will ahead in blue, I’d discarded the stick from my food, and gotten ready to race, attempt to drive all thoughts of my future date from my mind.

The very second that the pedals had engaged, Matt had already zoomed around me, his eyes focused on Will. Luckily, both brothers had had a quick start, so I just trailed them vaguely, waiting for one to crash so I could slam into their car. However, they’d made a gap between us, and when my phone rang at the same time as some random girl beside me bumped me lightly, I lost the wheel in my fingers, spinning backwards. I gasped as another two cars jolted into me, my fingers scrambling toward my phone.

With cars scattering from around me, I brought the phone to my ear.

“Hello?” I asked, breathless.

A voice paused, and half shouted back, “Hello?” I froze, grinning to myself like a loon, peeling away from the edge, as I realised who it was.

“Paul?” I asked. I heard a chuckle, and my face flushed a little, as I realised he’d called me only five minutes after we’d left.

“Sorry, I couldn’t wait to call you,” he admitted. I felt my stomach twinge as I rounded the corner slowly. The guy manning the booth yelled at me to ‘not use the phone and drive, put both hands on the wheel please’, but I ignored him.

“That’s okay,” I told him. “Could you give me one minute though? I’m a bit preoccupied…” I glanced around me, to see most of the other cars were gaining on lonesome me. I was going to get pummeled.