summertime sadness | ethan dolan

funnel cake

chapter forty three
——mackenzie's pov
july 21st, 2019

"you know what pisses me off?" i said, one foot crossing over the other as cooper and i navigated the crowded sidewalk in front of fantasy island, the family amusement park in the middle of beach haven. "all these families."

i swung my arm wide and almost knocked over a scrawny kid flying by on a skateboard.

"i mean, look at them! look at that guy!" i pointed in the general direction of a beefy dad with two kids hanging on his arms as he tried to check his phone. his skinny, tan wife walked ahead of him, chatting on her phone, while one kid whined that he had to pee and the other begged for ice cream.

"i mean, why are you even here? it's like they're pretending to be a happy family cause it's, like, something they're supposed to do, but if you're just gonna be on your freaking phone all night, why not just stay home?!" i shouted as the dad passed us by. he glanced over his shoulder at me with an irritated look, but didn't seem to think i was talking specifically about him. he probably thought i was just some random, drunk teenager. which, let's face it, i was. "your kids would be happier in front of the tv than screaming to get your attention!"

"okay, okay, that's enough with the public service announcement," cooper said, stopping me and pinning my arms to my sides. he looked me in the eye. "man. who knew you were going to turn out to be a mean drunk?"

"i'm not," i pouted. "just honest."

some woman wearing her sunglasses and straw hat at night sideswiped me with her huge michael kors purse and i bristled. "why are we here again? i liked the beach. let's go back to the beach."

"we're here because you had a sudden craving for funnel cake, remember?" cooper said, turning me toward the elaborate fantasy island gates with the carousel horse at the top, smiling down at us.

"oh yeah. right." i slung my arm around his shoulder as we walked by the security dude at the entrance. he gave me the stink eye and i tried to look casual and sober. "and you brought me here because you're the best boyfriend ever."
"that's me," cooper said.

he held me around the waist as we skirted clumps of screaming children and a huge puddle of melting ice cream. there was a line in front of the funnel cake stand, so cooper deposited me on a bench, told me not to move, and walked up to the window. he, of course, knew the girl behind the counter. as he waited for the food, ignoring the grousing of the other people on line, my phone beeped. i didn't even look at it. i knew it was my mother. she'd been calling and texting for the past three hours. like she was worried about me. yeah, sure. just another parent pretending to give a shit about her kid.

"here we go!" cooper said, offering me a funnel cake on a flimsy paper plate. he tore off one end and popped it into his mouth. "you wanna eat it here or..."

i saw grayson stare at me. he was in line for deep fried oreos, which sounded disgusting. although i'd never really talked to him, except that one afternoon, his presence kind of made me nervous for some odd reason.

"let's go someplace else," i said as the kids on the tilt-a-whirl screamed. all the flashing lights, swirling rides, and wailing voices were making me dizzy. "someplace alone."
cooper nodded and tugged me up with one hand. "i know a spot."

i leaned my head into his shoulder as we walked out the back exit of the park and through the parking lot toward the bay. there was a playground in the sand near the edge of the water with a plastic climbing wall and a cave beneath it. cooper ducked inside, then stuck his head out.

"you coming?"

"uh, sure." i dropped to my knees. the sand was cold and rough. when i crawled inside, i realized the cave was the perfect size for two people. we sat with our backs against the wall and our legs stretched out across the sand. cooper tore off another bite of funnel cake and held it in front of my lips. i smiled and snatched it with my teeth, showering powdered sugar everywhere.

"thanks," i said, leaning my head on his shoulder again. "i like you."
he laughed. "i like you, too."

he took a breath and a bite, then fed me another one. the sounds of the amusement park were muted inside our little cave, and it felt suddenly as if we were the only people in the world.

and then my phone beeped again. i groaned, pulled it from my pocket, and threw it at the wall. it thudded against the plastic then fell into the sand.

"well. you showed that phone."

my eyes suddenly filled with tears. i was so sick of feeling like crap. so sick of worrying and stressing and being sad. why couldn't my mother just leave me alone? she didn't care about how i felt. she'd promised i didn't have to hang out with the cresties, then shoved them in my face all summer. she hadn't asked me what i thought about her and dad getting divorced. she'd decided she didn't like cooper without ever even having a conversation with him. did she even care that he'd been there for me this entire summer while she was off making out with her doctor boyfriend? the guy barely knew me, but he'd listened to me when i complained about the cresties and my parents and everything else shitty in my life. he actually wanted to know how i felt.

"cooper?" i said, leaning back.
"yeah," he said, touching my hair with sugar covered fingertips.
"my mom doesn't like you."
he smirked. "that's not surprising."
"but i do," i said. "a lot."

"yeah?" he put the funnel cake aside and turned his knees toward me. then his lips were on my neck and my eyes fluttered closed. "how much?" he whispered into my ear. i shivered.

"like, a lot a lot," i said.

"that's a lot," he said, his lips moving up my jawline toward my mouth. his hand slipped around my waist and under my shirt, sending tingles all over my skin.

"let's just stay here for a while," i said, hooking my finger over the collar of his shirt. i looked into his eyes and bit my lip. cooper grinned.
"i have no problem with that."

then his lips came down on mine. our tongues met and before i knew it we were lying down in the sand, doing things that should never be done on a playground.

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[1170 words]
-m
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