"Pretty boy, fall is better. Think about it. Gilmore Girls, pumpkin spice lattes, sweatshirts, crisp morning air, autumn leaves falling into place, Halloween- it's heaven on Earth."
I'm sitting in the passenger seat of Cole's car and he's in the driver's seat. We are having a friendly disagreement on whether fall or winter is better while he drives us to our town's annual fall carnival. There's a pumpkin patch, corn maze, petting zoo, bouncy houses, and other games.
"Winter is better! It's cold out and there's snow-"
"We live in Southern California! The closest thing we have ever had to snow is hail. Which quite frankly is a rare occurrence in itself," I point out, rolling my eyes.
"Keep rolling your eyes and I'll do something that will make them roll all the way back, babe," Cole says with a smirk.
"M'kay when and where? I am a busy woman," I say, playing along. Although I am not sure if he is playing or not...
Cole shakes his head and chuckles. "You are hilarious Lil."
"I know. I should have a comedy show."
"It would be called Lilianna's Hot Takes. Get it? Because you are hot."
I roll my eyes at him and his stupid commentary as we pull into a parking spot at the carnival.
"Remember what I said earlier, darling. If you really want me to, I'll give you something to roll your eyes at."
"Oh yes, the ridiculous proposition," I say looking at him with a bored face.
"It's not a proposition, it's a promise, babe."
*******
We have been here for an hour. We went to the petting zoo because I am a child at heart. Obviously. Then we went to the corn maze because Cole said he could figure it out better than anyone and we would be in and out in record time. Ergo, we spent forty-five minutes in that damn maze.
We also went to the sunflower patch because I wanted to see the sunflowers- Cole took pictures of us with my Polaroid. He took one where he is kissing my cheek and now has it in the back of his clear phone case. He claims it to be the best picture he has ever taken.
"Can we go on the ferris wheel?" I ask as I take the last bite of my funnel cake that we got at a concession stand after looking at the sunflowers.
"Only the cheesy couples do that, Lil."
"What if I want us to be a cheesy couple?"
"Then I would do whatever it takes for you to be happy and your wishes to be fulfilled," he says with a smile. He grabs my hand and walks into the ferris wheel line.
Cole hands the worker two red rickets, one for the each of us, and we wait in line. A girl wearing a short plaid skirt and what looks to be five inch stilettos walks past us with a guy hot on her trail.
I turn to Cole, knowing he saw it too and ask, "Why would you wear a short skirt and heels to a carnival?"
"Because at a certain point, things don't become so family friendly and it becomes date night," he says, raising his eyebrows for effect.
"But I'm wearing jeans right now and you aren't complaining."
"That's because your ass looks great in these jeans," he says, grabbing my butt and pulling me into him.
Geez, Cole. We are in public for God's sake!
"Colson."
"Lilianna."
"Lovebirds," the guy controlling the ferris wheel's voice breaks us out of our haze and points to the ferris wheel seat waiting for me and Cole. "You are up."
Cole let's go of me and we walk onto the platform and into the seat. We put the seatbelt on and we pull the bar down over us.
The ride continues and we ride to the tippy top of the ferris wheel. Cole puts his arm around me and states the obvious, "The sun is setting."
"Yeah, we got on at just the right time. It's beautiful up here," I reply, my eyes fixed on the gorgeous painting that is the sky.
"Not as beautiful as you, darling," Cole says with a genuine smile, his eyes fixed on me.
I blush and look down at my feet, "It's funny."
"What is?" Cole asks, intrigued.
"How when I'm up here, on this ferris wheel with you I feel like I'm on top of the world. How everything feels small from up here. How all my problems dissipate and all I know is you," I say looking him in the eye.
"You may be on top of the world, but you are my world," Cole says and he crashes his lips onto mine just as we reach the top of the ferris wheel with the sky a blazing mixture of pink, orange, blue, and purple.
*******
It's Monday morning and I would rather be in a million different places besides school. I swear, I've had so much caffeine in the past two hours to keep myself from dozing off in class.
Note to self- next time you decide to go to a carnival with Cole, don't go on a school night.
The bell just rang signaling the end of the second period which means I finally get out of science. I hate my science teacher. In fact, it's not just me- everyone hates her. She makes us do excruciatingly long assignments and she's failing more than half of her students.
I put my binder in my backpack, zip it up, and get out of there. Per usual, Cole is waiting for me outside the door. He is always one of the first people out of this class because he sits by the door.
"I'm so dead to the world," I say while me and Cole walk to our third period history class. "Next time we do anything that involves us staying out late, we are doing it on a Friday or a Saturday."
"Agreed. I almost fell asleep during Mrs. Crazy's half hour lecture," he says while we walk down the stairs to the main level of our school.
Some people say they want a two story school. I however hate it. The constant walking up and down the staircase to class kills my knees everyday. Just as me and Cole are about to walk past the office and into history class, I hear it.
"Hey kiddo!" I stop in my tracks and turn around only to be met with the one face I know all too well. I gasp and suddenly want to puke my guts out. Scratch that, I feel like I am going to pass out.
As the room is going black, I feel Cole catch me in his arms and I want to run. Run away from this situation I don't want to be in. Pretend this isn't real. Pretend he isn't here right now.
And before I know it, we all end up in the principal's office. All three of us. With my mother on the way.
author's note
word count: 1,180
i'm going to start off by saying we have hit so many milestones since my last update, it's not even funny.
9.02k- november 7, 2021
10k- november 13, 2021
11k- november 14, 2021
12.1k- november 16, 2021
13.1k- november 17, 2021
14k- november 18, 2021
15.2k- november 21, 2021
thank you all so very much for the reads, votes, comments, shares, and thank you for having us get our first tiktok!! thank you all this means so much to me and i appreciate you all and what you have done for this book is much.
i am so sorry for not updating for awhile. my grandma got diagnosed with cancer, then she has surgery for the removal of the cancer, then schoolwork pilled up, i had writer's block, and i was in the emergency room- it's been crazy around here.
thank goodness for thanksgiving break, i promise i will write more and update :)