"C'mon, Connie," Breanna begged as she followed me around the kitchen as I cleaned up after lunch. "Ma said it was fine for me to go. And your mother's gone for the weekend. Company meeting down in Oklahoma City, right? Plus, James is with Linda, and Megan and Paul are probably having great sex on the beach right now."
"Bre, I don't need to hear that from you," I said, shaking my head as I dried my hands on a dish towel before grabbing a wet rag.
I had the house to myself for the weekend. Indeed, mom had a company meeting down in Oklahoma City and wouldn't be back till Sunday night. Megan on the other hand had been surprised by Paul with a vacation to the beaches of California. Like I said to Bre, I didn't need to hear what they might have been doing.
I'd get my answer soon enough anyway.
"And anyway, don't you have final exams to study for?" I asked. Bre sighed.
"Yes, but finals can wait. We haven't spent any time together in forever!" She exaggerated. "Not to mention, your birthday is in exactly one week, and guess what?"
"What?" I asked, just to amuse her as I started whipping off the counters.
"I haven't gotten you a gift!" She huffed, jumping onto one of the bar stools.
"Breanna, I've told you once, and I'll say it again, I don't want anything for my birthday. Not from you, not from anyone." I announced, tossing the dirty rag in the sink.
"Well, I was gonna consider this an early birthday present," Bre said. "And, it's rude to turn down a gift, y'know?"
"Breanna..." I sighed, placing a hand on my hip and my forehead.
"Connie, I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. I'll get down on my hands and knees if I have to." She said with a deadly serious look on her face.
"I'm sure you will." I chuckled.
Bre suddenly hopped off her stool, striding over to stand in front of me. "I will." She challenged.
"Alright." I gave in before my friend could do anything stupid. "Just know that carnivals are scams."
Bre rolled her eyes. "You say that. I won the ring toss last year."
"Because you called the vendor out for his tricks and he gave you a prize," I mumbled. Bre giggled, snatching my wrist and dragging me out of the house to the car.
- - -
Like every year, the line to get into the carnival was a mile long. We must have been waiting there for almost an hour before we finally gave the girl our money and ran into the rows of rainbow-colored tents and booths.
People were everywhere, playing games, messing around at food stands, and admiring different views. Bre had decided to test her luck again on the ring toss and ended up blowing half our money.
"I told you it was a scam," I grumbled as she lost for the ninth time in a row.
"One more try, I got this." She told me.
I groaned, handing her the last quarter I had.
"Good luck." I crossed my arms.
Bre rolled her eyes, lining herself up for a final throw. "I don't need luck. I got this." She said again like she was trying to convince herself. I sighed, just as I heard someone call out my name. I glanced over at the source, smiling at what I saw.
Whales, Damien, and the twins were making their way through the crowd in our direction.
"Hey, Connie." Whales said with a smile.
"Hey guys, what are you doing here-?"
"Damn it!" Breanna yelled before I could finish my sentence. We all looked over at her.
"I'm all out of quarters." I held up my hands defensively as Bre looked over at me with a pleading expression.
"The ring toss is a scam." One of the twins suddenly said, stepping forward, he pulled out a quarter and smirked. "Now, balloons and darts... you win every time."
"Is that so?" Bre asked, plucking the quarter from his fingers. "Well, I might just try that. What's your name?"
"Gage Davis."
"Breanna Lopez." She smirked, grabbing his hand. "Vamos, guapo."
Bre and Gage disappeared into the crowd, Oliver following fast behind them. The rest of us just stood there before Damien finally voice all our thoughts.
"Guys, what t'hell just happened?"
"No idea," I said bewildered.
"Flirting. I think." Whales said flatly. "My Spanish might be a little rusty thought."
I was struck dumb. That encounter just showed how easily Bre could pick up a boy. I shook the thought from my head, instead looking at Whales and Damien as we started to walk.
"So what are you guys doing here?"
Whales shrugged. "Shepard heard they had a ring down here. He's been itching to get in a fight of any kind."
"Why would he want to?" I asked. "Fight, I mean."
"Fights blow off steam," Damien answered, jamming his fists in his leather jacket pockets. "Y'know, they get your blood pumping. It's fun."
"Getting hurt doesn't sound fun," I mumbled.
"Shoot, skin-to-skin fights don't hurt that much. Besides, it puts a few extra bucks in our pockets." He explained.
I looked down as we continued to walk. I didn't see why anyone would want to fight. Not for fun or money. Maybe for self-defense, that would be the only good reason to fight anyone, at least the only reason I could think up.
Damien didn't seem to be fazed by his view, but I was. Fighting of any kind just wasn't right to me. I used to watch my father try to solve things with violence. It never worked out in a good way.
I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, that I didn't notice where we were walking till it was too late. The fight tent was loud and packed with sweaty, cheering people. The ring in the center held two men of different ages, fighting it out. Off to the side was a man in a nice suit, his pockets flowing with cash.
"Stay close to me." Whales said into my ear, firmly taking my hand in his. "Shepard will have my head if you get caught up in all this."
I nodded in response as the three of us took seats in the back. Even though we were sitting down, Whales still had my hand trapped in his, and now had me pressed against his side with Damien close on the other side of me. I think he was a little nervous about me being there. I was nervous too, but it felt impossible to move.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the match as the man in the nice suit stepped into the ring.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" He shouted to the crowd, making them fall silent. "In this corner in his second fight of the day, BJ!"
Some of the crowd started booing as the same guy that was in the ring before stepped back in, holding his arms in the air. However, others were cheering loudly.
"And in this corner-" The man continued. "-the man with a death wish, Tim Shepard!"
"Yeah, Tim!" Damien shouted, his encouragement getting lost in the mix of everyone else yelling.
Tim Shepard stepped into the ring, his dark blue eyes ignited and alive. His hair was slicked back off his face, highlighting the jagged scar that ran across his face from temple to chin. He towered above his opponent. Shamelessly, he flexed his muscles for the crowd to see, his abs practically shining in the dim light.
The bell rang and the match started, and Tim dove right in, clobbering his opponent in the side of the head. The crowd gasped, but then broke out into cheers. However, I was stunned into silence.
I heard of Tim Shepard's reputation long before he came into my life. He was violent, dangerous, and cold. I believed it. Until I met him and found out what I thought was the real him, that was. He was protective, smart, and caring. But seeing him down in the ring, punching his opponent senseless, was a terrifying wake-up call to reality. He was terrifying, and it honestly scared me.
The match was over in minutes and Whales dragged me out of the tent as fast as he could. I was trying my best to not let him see how scared I had gotten, but I don't think it worked.
"We should go find Breanna and the twins." He said, still holding my hand as he dragged me around the carnival grounds in search of our friends.
We must have looked everywhere for them before we finally went to the parking lot, hoping they went to the car.
"Yeah, turns out finding two boys who look almost identical is harder than it sounds." I joked as I jumped onto the hood of Bre's mom's car.
Whales chuckled. "You got that right." He looked around the lot, before smiling grimly. "What about you, you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked. In truth, I was still shaken up by Tim's performance in the ring, but I wasn't going to tell Whales that. I'm sure he would have thought me mad.
"You just seemed a little... shaken up, seeing Tim fight." He shrugged. I bit my lip. How did he know? But then again, I can't lie to save my life.
I sighed. "Maybe a little."
Whales nodded, leaning back against the car but still looking over his shoulder so he could see me. "He's not a bad guy, y'know." He said. "I know from the looks of him it seems he doesn't, but he cares. 'Bout you, I mean."
I tilted my head to look at him. "How come all anyone wants to talk about is me and Tim?" I asked. I mean, seriously, Bre, Curly, and now Whales, didn't they have anything better to talk about?
Whales chuckled. "Cause we like a good bit of romance. And, you are all he talks about."
"So I've been told." I sighed.
Again Whales laughs. "Shepard's in love, but he's too damn stubborn to admit it, so he goes out and does stupid shit like getting drunk and picking fights with the River Kings. You should talk to him."
I groaned. Tim in love? I doubted that. But geez, Whales could put things into words well.
"If only it was that simple."
"Well now's your chance." He said.
Whales pointed to the far end of the lot, where Tim Shepard sat in the trunk of his car, changing out of the clothes he fought in earlier.
"Or you and Breanna could get going." He added, pointing in the other direction to where Bre, Gage, and Oliver had finally come out of the carnival. He looked down at me and smiled.
"I'm gonna go find Damien before he finds the beer tent. Catch you later."
As Whales left, I looked between Tim and the others. It was clear Whales had left me to choose my fate and I couldn't tell if it was a dirty move on his part or an opportunity on mine.