["Ah, I see." Eda turns back to the eggs and flips them. "Could you set the table for me?"
"Of course!"]
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𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲.
The smell of pancakes roamed about the air. Checking the time, you saw it was about 9:00. You slept in later than you usually do.
Come to think of it, you don't remember the last time you slept in. You always felt stressed these days.
You slug out of your room, your muscles feeling sore. You didn't bother to change out of your pajamas, but that's what Saturday mornings are about, right?
You step into the kitchen and see you dad at the stove, burning- I mean cooking some pancakes!
"Morning, Squirt!" He says happily. "Could you go wake up your mom for me? She'll sleep in till 2pm if you let her." He chuckles.
You yawned in reply, stumbling toward your parents bedroom.
You push open the white door gently, talking over to her side of the bed.
"Mama," You gently shake her, tugging at her arm. "Mama wake up." You yawn.
"mmghrgmg" She groans, "Five more minutes."
Her actions made you sigh a bit. This was how weekends usually went. She was always so exhausted from the week that she would spend nearly the entire day sleeping. You didn't blame her for it, obviously, but it still made you sad.
"Dad made pancakes." You say quietly. "Pancakes?" She says, suddenly jolting up and wide awake. "Why didn't you say so!"
She jumps out of bed and pulls you along, back to the kitchen.
✰
"So, Y/n." Your father starts. "We have a little surprise for you!"
You perk up slightly. "Oh?"
Your mom smiles. "That Carnival you like came into town last night! We figured you would want to go! We also invited Ainsley." She says, her smile becoming slightly forced after uttering her name.
You gave a small smile. "Really? Thanks!" You quickly go back to eating.
You dad glances at you for a moment. "Would you like to invite any more friends?" His tone is careful, hesitant.
"Ainsley is my only friend." You say quietly, not really liking all this attention on you.
"Really? You haven't made any other friends this year? But it's already October-" Your father is quickly cut off by your mother shooting him a look. "It's only October, [F/n]. She has plenty of time." Your mother finishes.
You silently thanked your mother, though you knew she had her suspicions about Ainsley.
"So, what time are we leaving?" You asked quietly.
"Well Ainsley should get here at about noon, so we can leave then." Your mother answers, shoveling a big bite of pancake into her mouth.
'Is it good?' You hear your father ask your mother with a chuckle. You don't bother to continue the conversation though. You knew that your mother was only using this experience as an excuse to paint Ainsley in a bad light.
What if your mom said you couldn't hang out with Ainsley anymore? You literally have no one else other than her.
Right? You think to yourself. Is there anyone else?
No. There isn't.
You quietly excuse yourself from the table. "I'll go get changed."
"Okay, Sweetpea. Dress warm! It's starting to get cold!" Your mother calls after you.
You enter your room and shut the door. Your mother and father were both fairly popular when they were in high school, so it's only natural that they'd expect you to take after them.
Maybe you disappointed them in that sense, it's not like you were #1 on the varsity wrestling team like your dad, or head flyer on the cheer team like your mom.
In fact, what are you good at? What are your hobbies?
You were kinda good at photography? And you thought Spanish was a fun class.. and you loved English!
But do those really count? Maybe you should explore some hobbies one of these days.
You push those thoughts away for now. You were going to see Ainsley today. That was something to be excited about!
You giddily look around your closet, trying to find the perfect outfit for this occasion.
Your mom told you to dress warm, so you settled on a fluffy sweater and some black leggings. You reach to check your phone, wondering if Ainsley has texted you at all. She hasn't.
It's only about 11 o'clock, so you have some time to kill. What should you do? Watch tv or something?
You sigh to yourself and walk out to the living room quietly, hearing your mother and father converse about this and that in the other room. The living room was different shades of gray, you didn't like being in it because it made you sad. You wished your mother kept the house the way it was, it was a lot more colorful back then. You remember the couch used to be a dark brown color, and the walls used to be a deep maroon color. You liked it a lot more than how it was now. But if it makes your mother happy, then so be it.
You heard your mothers voice become increasingly softer, yet you didn't bother to listen in on what they were discussing. You turn on the tv and start playing the first episode of a random show called Dawson's Creek. You had no idea what this show was about, but the episodes were long, so it would kill some time.
✰
"Are you watching Dawson's Creek? I loved this show when I was your age!" Your mother says, appearing out of nowhere.
She sits down next to you, watching intently. "Who is your favorite character so far?" She asks, trying to strike conversation.
You were only about halfway through the first episode, you didn't really know any of the characters, so you just threw out the first name you heard.
"I like Jen." You said quietly.
"If you like this show, you might also like Gilmore Girls." Your mom says, a small smile on her face.
You hummed in response, going back to watching quietly.
You heard a buzzing noise come from your moms phone, she checked it quickly. You noticed her smile faltering for a second, but she quickly replaced it with a fake one.
"Ainsley is on her way, Y/n!" She says, trying to sound excited.
"Yay." You smiled to yourself, grateful that you'd have something to do today.
✰
The doorbell rung not long after that, your father got the door and greeted the girl with a welcoming smile.
"Hello! You must be Ainsley! Y/n has told us so much about you!"
The girl in question has a semi-awkward smile on her face as she says hello.
You stand up from the couch and walk to the door. "Hi Ainsley!" You smiled sweetly, holding your arms out for a small hug.
She lets out a sigh of relief when she sees you in the doorway, she hugs you briefly and pulls away first. "Whatcha watching, Y/n?" She asks quietly, trying not to make accidental eye contact with your father.
"It's some old show from the 90s, it's called Dawson's Creek." She nods simply and stands next to you.
"Well, are we ready to go?" Your mom asks the lot of you. She didn't say hello to Ainsley, she only smiled at her.
The four of you pile into the car, the carnival was only about 15 minutes away. Along the way, Ainsley is showing you funny videos on her phone.
You notice your father peering at the two out of the overhead mirror, there's a small, genuine smile on his face. He looks at your mother and gives her a look, still smiling.
You wondered what they were saying to each other.
✰
Your parents let the two of you run off on your own, Ainsley was excited to check out the carnival and she jumped around giddily.
"I forgot to say, I like your outfit! It's very.. simple!" Ainsley said sweetly. Her comment made you smile, you felt a little less insecure about it considering she was wearing such a pretty sundress.
"What do you wanna check out first?" You ask quietly, wondering if she wanted to maybe win a prize or go on a roller coaster or something.
"Lets save the rides for later, it would be more aesthetic that way. Okay?" She says with a smile.
"Sure! Whatever you want!" You smile sweetly.
She pulls you over to a prize booth, excitedly asking to play.
✰
Ainsley had already won a few prizes, even though the games were rigged to be nearly impossible, she somehow had managed to win a few!
You had been at the carnival for a couple hours at this point, you were having a lot of fun. Ainsley was more fun to be around when it was just the two of you.
That feels mean to say. Do you really think that?
As Ainsley pulls you over to another booth, she points at one of the prizes. "Oh look! An owl! You like owls right? From your owl show?"
You giggle and nod gently. "I'll win it for you!" She says, her expression becoming determined. "Really? You'd do that for me..?" You ask in disbelief.
You really didn't deserve someone like her, how could a person be this sweet?
You couldn't stop smiling.
"Hell yeah! I'll win this prize in no time." She snarks playfully. You giggle in reply.
It was one of those game where you throw the ball at a set of bottles, she managed to hit just enough to win the stuffed owl.
"Yes! Here you go, Y/n." She beams pridefully as she hands you the stuffed owl. You smile and take it from her gently. "Thank you so much, Ainsley." You don't know why, but this meant a lot to you. You hold the owl gently, hugging it to your chest.
"What're you gonna name him?" Ainsley asks playfully. "I don't know, what do you think?"
"I don't know! Something cute!" "How about.. August? Is that cute?" You ask her quietly.
"Yeah! That's super cute!" Ainsley beams. "Bet you're glad I won that for you, huh?" She says pridefully.
"I am." You say, smiling softly as you look at the stuffed animal, examining the pattern.
"Thank you." You whisper.
✰
"Y/n! Look! They're playing Cruel Summer!" Ainsley squeals, tugging out into an open patch of grass.
"I didn't know you liked this song." You smile, still hugging the owl gently. "Of course I do! It's so aesthetic! Dance with me!" Ainsley says, dropping her prizes next to her and grabbing your hands. You felt kind of embarrassed to be dancing in front of all these people around you, but looking at each of their faces as they passed by, they smiled softly, quickly returning back to what they were previously doing.
"You gotta dance the whole time! Until the song is over!" Ainsley challenges. You giggle and nod.
"You like Taylor Swift, right, Y/n?" "Yeah! I like a few of her songs!" You smile sweetly.
Finally the song comes to an end, Ainsley smiles at you, out of breath from dancing.
"That was fun! Let's go get some food!" She says, pulling you over to the food court.
"What do you wanna get?" You ask, looking at the long lines for each of the stands. "Nothing super greasy, ew." She remarks, causing you to giggle.
"Hey girls!" Your dad says to the two of you, him and your mom holding different carnival food in their hands. "We were just about to call you!" He smiles, "Come sit down! Let's eat!"
As you sit down, you place August in your lap, making sure not to get any crumbs on him. Ainsley sits next to you while your parents sit across from you.
"Where'd you get that little guy? He's so cute!" Your mom asks you. You smile brightly and hold him up for her to see. "Ainsley won him for me, isn't he cool? He's pretty high quality for a carnival prize." Ainsley smiles pridefully at the mention of her name. Your mother notices.
"So, Ainsley, how is school for you? You and Y/n are like peas in a pod. I'm glad you have each other." Your dad says gratefully to the smaller girl. Ainsley smiles awkwardly. "Oh yeah, well, we don't hang out every day, we each have our own respective friend groups that we go to, don't we, Y/n?" Ainsley says.
"Hm?" You asked, a bit confused. You didn't have another friend group.
"N-Nevermind.." She trails off, feeling embarrassed.
Your fathers expression falters for a second, he glances at your mother.
"The food is good! right?" You say quickly, trying to change the subject.
Everyone agrees with you, your mom and father start having their own conversation. Ainsley gives you a look, rolling her eyes slightly.
Your eyebrows furrow slightly, yet you don't say anything.
You turn back to your food, suddenly losing your appetite
You were feeling kind of stressed out for some reason. "Ainsley and I were hoping to go on a few rides, if that's okay." You mention quietly, looking down at your lap.
"Oh! Okay, well, we'll be here. Let us know when you would like to leave." Your father says, patting you on the shoulder.
"Are you not hungry, Y/n?" Your mother asks, a small frown on her face. You look back at her and quickly look back down at your lap. "No, I- uh- I'm not that hungry.." You mumble, squeezing August a bit tighter.
"Okay, well.. be back here in an hour, please." Your mother says, her expression filled with uncertainty.
"Okay, mom." You say quietly, standing up from the table with Ainsley following you.
Once you're out of earshot, Ainsley starts talking. "Jeez, your dad was like, interrogating me. Why was he all up in my face?" She grumbles, rolling her eyes. You didn't respond.
You pull August to your chest a little more, looking down on the ground as you walked.
"What ride should we go on?" Ainsley asks, trying to lighten the air. "How about the Ferris Wheel?" She suggests. "Sure." You mumble quietly.
✰
"Y-Y/n.. I-I think I'm scared of heights.." Ainsley stutters, the two of you were at the very top of the Ferris Wheel, it was cold up there, so you were glad you dressed warm. "Would you like to hold August? Would that make you feel better?" You ask quietly, a small smile on your face. She nods vigorously.
You giggle and hand her the stuffed owl. You notice she's also shivering slightly, on account for her sundress being pretty thin.
"Could I wear your sweater..?" She asks hesitantly. "W-Why..?" You ask, tilting your head to the side. "It's cold up here! Could I borrow it?" "I-I'm only wearing a tank top under this.." "Just for a few minutes?" She pleads. You sigh and remove your fluffy sweater, bracing yourself for the cold air about to hit your skin. You shiver lightly as you hand her your sweater, she still clings onto August tightly.
Now you're the one shivering, you didn't plan on taking off your sweater, so you were only wearing a spaghetti strap tank top underneath. Maybe you should have planned ahead for that.
You look out on the scene around you, trying to focus on that rather than the cold air. The trees, the grass, the clouds, the setting sun, anything. It was all beautiful. A part of you wished you could stay up here forever.
You glance over at Ainsley, she didn't seem to be shivering anymore which was good. Your sweater even added to her outfit.
After what felt like an eternity, the Ferris Wheel slowly brought you back down.
The ground wasn't as cold, but you were still shivering a bit. Ainsley seemed to be doing fine, which was good. "Should we go on another one?" She asked, looking around at all the people. Her eyes suddenly landed on a person, staying there for a moment. "Y/n! Look!" She pointed over in the distance to a boy around your age eating a cloud of blue cotton candy. She looked back at you with her jaw dropped. "He's cute! Should I go talk to him?!" She asked quickly. You giggle quietly. "Sure! Go for it! Do you want me to come with?" You ask politely. She gives you a once over, looking you up and down for a moment. "No. You stay here, I'll be back in a second!" She says excitedly, rushing over to the boy.
You giggle and wait nearby next to a lemonade stand. You see her walk over to the boy and say hello to him, he puts his attention on her and they converse for a little bit, your eyes wander to other people for a moment, feeling a bit bored, wondering when she's gonna be done flirting. Suddenly, the old lady running the lemonade stand distracts you. "Can I help you with anything, dearie?" She asks sweetly. You look over at her and get embarrassed for loitering. "Oh! N-No ma'am, I'm sorry.. I-I'm just waiting for my friend.." The old woman smiles. "How old are you? Are you in high school per chance?" "I am!" You smile shyly. "Oh! Then you must know my grand daughter!" She smiles sweetly. "Her name is Briar, Briar Thompson!"
That name did sound familiar.
"I do know her! She seems like a very sweet girl." You say quietly, smiling at the woman.
You glance over and see Ainsley walking back. She's smiling happily. "How did it go?" You ask her, smiling softly.
"I got his number!" She squeals, jumping up and down. "Oh! You can have your sweater back by the way." She says, taking it off and handing it to you. You gratefully take it back, finally not shivering anymore.
"Let's head back to your parents, I'm ready to go home." She smiles, clearly wanting to text the boy already.
You smile and begin to walk, but you stop in your tracks suddenly, looking at her, your eyebrows furrowing gently. "Uh.. Ainsley..?" You ask quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Where is August?"
"Who? Oh! That stuffed animal?" She giggles. "I gave him to Liam, that's his name, isn't it cute? Liam~" She gushes.
You pause. "Wait.. you gave it to him..?" You ask quietly, your smile dropping.
"Yeah! He really liked it! Isn't that so sweet?"
Your heart starting hurting again. "B-Bu-.. But I thought you.. got it for.. for me..?" You ask, your voice breaking slightly.
Ainsley looks at your face, her eyebrows furrowing. "I was the one that won it. It was mine. I was just letting you hold it." She said, her tone becoming defensive.
You feel your bottom lip start to quiver. "Oh.."
"You aren't upset, are you? You should be happy! This is a happy moment! I might get a boyfriend!" She smiles, clearly not noticing the tears welling up in your eyes.
"N-No, yeah.. I'm happy, I'm happy for you." You say, looking down at the ground, your lips pressed together.
You could feel your breathing starting to get heavy. This was such stupid reason to cry. You hated that this was affecting you so much.
Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the old woman you were previously talking to looking at you with a sympathetic look, you were clearly being too obvious about this whole thing.
You try your best to calm down, walking back to your parents with Ainsley following close behind, giggling at her phone as she texted the boy she was oogling.
As you reach your loving parents, your mother immediately notices your expression, her motherly instincts kicking in. "Are you okay, Y/n?" She asks, her voice laced with worry. You couldn't gauge her expression because you were too busy looking down at the ground.
"She's okay, Mrs. L/n! Y/n just got a bit spooked on one of the rides is all, she's a bit afraid of heights." Ainsley says, rubbing your back soothingly.
Your mothers tone is still cautious as she speaks, your father hasn't said anything. "Okay, well, your mother should be waiting for you at the gate, Ainsley. Would you like us to walk you there?" Your mother asks, her tone is very careful.
Ainsley glances at you from the corner of her eye. "No, thanks. Bye, Y/n! I had so much fun!" She says, giving you a quick side hug before giddily skipping toward the parking lot.
For a few seconds you stand there, trying to hold it all in. You feel your fathers presence as he kneels down next to you, putting his big warm hand on your shivering shoulder.
"Y/n, that wasn't true, was it?" He asks gently, you glance up at him, his expression looks heartbroken to see you like this. You shake your head silently. He sighs quietly and pulls you into a hug. You just stand there, not able to move a muscle.
"Where is your owl, Y/n?" Your mother asks quietly, her tone a lot more gentle than before.
You feel more tears well up in your eyes. "Sh-She.. She.. gave it to.. s-someone else.." You say quietly, the tears threatening to fall. You glance up at your mothers expression, she's very upset. But a different kind of upset compared to your father.
Your father is still hugging you, you lean your head on him, sighing softly.
"I-It's fine.. It's not a big deal." You say softly, yet you don't move from his embrace.
"Y/n.." Your mother says, her expression softening. She locks eyes with your father for a moment.
"Let's get you home, squirt. You're freezing." Your father says, standing up and putting his hand on your back.
You can only nod gently as he leads you back to the car.
✰
The drive home is quiet, the only sounds that can be heard are the heat coming from the vents, and the quiet, staticky pop music playing.
Your father wasn't in the car, he said he wanted to get one last corndog before they left, but the line was too long. For some reason your mom allowed him to stay and said she would pick him up later.
"So, Y/n." Your mom starts. "I've been meaning to ask you something."
You hum, implying for her to continue.
"Does Ainsley make you feel like this.. Often..?" She says carefully.
"No." You said quietly, though.. the more you thought about it..
No. Nope. Today was just a bad day, a few days ago was a bad day too. this week was just bad.
Your mother drops the topic for now, pulling into the driveway.
"Let's get you inside, Sweet pea."
✰
You sigh, it has been about an hour since you came back from the carnival and your father still hasn't come home. Your mother left to go get him about 30 minutes ago.
You contemplate just going to sleep, sleeping off this whole day. Or well, the second half of it.
You wondered what went wrong. You were having a great time at the start. What happened?
You sigh again and slump further into the gray couch.
Why were you even upset? It's not something to be upset about.
What would Briar say about this..? You wonder to yourself.
Well, why do you care about what Briar would think? She's not even your friend.
Suddenly the front door opens, you turn your head and see your mother and father enter with big smiles on their faces.
Your father beams at you and pulls out something from behind his back.
He holds out a nearly identical stuffed Owl.
"..For me..?" You ask quietly, feeling the tears starting to return.
"Yes, I was going to try and win it myself, but I had to ask your mother for help." He chuckles, nudging your mother gently, who has a smile on her face.
You take the owl gently, looking at it softly. You smile to yourself.
"𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐃𝐚𝐝."
[✰✰✰]
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[A/n: Hello! I hope this chapter is a little bit interesting. I worry that it was just a bunch of mumbo jumbo. Anyway, till next time!]
[Word Count: 3935]