Chapter Fifteen - I Didn't See This Coming
"Thanks for giving me a lift home," I said as I got out of the car. He waved and I waved back before sprinting to the door with one arm shielding my head from the rain. I knocked frantically, and my mum opened the door almost instantaneously.
"You're back a little late," she said.
"Something came up. Archer's mum and dad just sot of broke up," I replied, taking off my shoes.
"Lainie and Peter are getting divorced?" My mum exclaimed. I nodded slowly. "I'm going to call her after dinner. Quickly, dry off and set the table."
I could hear the water running as I passed by the bathroom. "Dad, are you done yet? I need my towel," I called.
"Just get a new one," he answered.
After drying off, I headed back into the kitchen and set the table. We were having mashed potatoes with some steamed vegetables and some sort of beef. Despite it being one of my favourite meals, I struggled to finish it.
"Stop picking at the food and eat it," my mum chided.
"What happened today?" My dad asked.
"Lainie and Peter are getting divorced, and I think Archer's taken quite a hit," my mum said, slowly.
"Lainie and Peter? They're the friends you had from high school right?" My mum nodded. "Hey Cathy, you're that worried about Archer, huh?" My dad teased.
"Jeez Dad," I groaned.
"I think he's a great kid," he grinned.
"Michael!" My mum scolded.
"Alright, alright, it's been a long day. You finish off dinner and go do your homework. I'll do the dishes tonight."
I did as I was told and pondered for the remainder of the night in my room. I overheard Mum talking to Lainie. There was some sniffling on the other side of the line, and some comforting from this side.
There was a pang to my heart when I remembered the defeat in Archer's eyes. But the anger in his eyes when he looked at his dad was unforgettable, and I was afraid; afraid that he would do something that later he would regret.
"Hey Cathy, what're you doing daydreaming - nightdreaming? In the hallway?" Dad asked.
"Nothing. I was just getting a drink," I replied.
"Still worried about Archer?" He asked. I nodded glumly.
"I get that you're worried, but don't get too worked up. He's a good kid, and everything will get better with time. The best thing you can do now is just listen."
I took his advice. For the next few days, I behaved normally - so I didn't constantly ask him whether or not he was okay, or pester him about how everything was going to be okay. He sort of smiled every once in a while.
"Still zoning out in chemistry?" Hunter asked, waving his hand in front of my face. I blinked and looked at him. "I know it must be hard to concentrate with such a good looking guy sitting next to you,but please focus on your studies."
"You wish," I mumbled. "Why don't you focus on your studies so that you can get a seventy five?"
"Ace got a seventy five, which basically means all of us got a seventy five," Hunter claimed.
"Really? How so?"
"We're a close knit bunch...we've known each other for a while, and, so yeah," he rationalised poorly. It was good that he wasn't thinking of becoming a lawyer.
"So it's like marriage? Where what's mine is yours?" I laughed.
"Ugh. You have issues." He turned away, but obviously, he didn't stay silent for long. About five minutes later he turned back. "So, we're all going to the show tomorrow right? Meeting at ten by the ferris wheel?"
"Uh yeah, I'll just double check with Archer."
Would Archer still even want to go to the show? Would it be weird if he was glum all day? I didn't want to drag him along if he wasn't keen on going.
"Hello?" Hunter said again, waving his hands around. I looked at him. "You've been doing that a lot lately. You should go see a doctor," he joked
"Whatever. I just don't like listening to you."
I turned around slightly to look at Archer. He was staring out of the window with the exam paper open on his desk. I turned back around to find Hunter studying my face.
"What?" I asked, backing away.
"Ah, I see. So he's the reason you're all airy fairy," he said, stroking his imaginary beard.
"Yeah right," I lied.
He kept staring. Mayday. I could feel the heat in my cheeks; I was probably as red as a tomato. Mrs Smith looked at us and I quickly faced the front again, continuing to take notes.
I could never get a break. Straight after exams, we didn't even get a slow easing into new work. We were thrown head first into notes and new content again. Highschool was painful.
"Are you taking down your notes?" I mumbled, noticing that Hunter was just staring at the board, his right arm as still as anything.
"Nope."
"Uh why not?"
"I'll just get them off you."
"Why would you do that?"
"I think, maybe," he contemplated for a moment. "Well, it annoys you, so yeah, it's worth while." The bell rang.
"Well, you can go borrow someone else's notes then." I shut my notebook, picked up my books and made my way to lit.
Yay. Lit. "Today, we'll discuss the main themes and meanings of A Streetcar Named Desire," Mrs Meller announced, scrawling the title on the whiteboard with a bubble around it.
I might as well smash my head onto the desk.
"Did you finish reading the play?" Jenny asked.
"Yup. You?" I replied.
"Yeah. What'd you think?"
"I don't know. I hate Stanley. I hate Stella. I didn't like Mitch, and I didn't even like Blanche that much. I just felt sorry for her."
Mrs Meller continued writing up the main themes on the board. Desire and lust were among the words she wrote up. "Any other themes?" She asked aloud. No one said anything. Then Jenny raised her hand. "Yes?" Mrs Meller said, gesturing to Jenny.
"The creation of a facade to hide the truth," she answered.
"Very good," Mrs Meller commented. "You will have plenty to discuss about this in the upcoming essay."
I wasn't a contributor in lit; I was a leecher. I wrote down all the ideas and when the time came for an essay, I compiled them and expanded.
Sometimes the ideas were so out there, I didn't even know which planet they'd been taken from.
School days were truly mundane. It was painful to know that I would have to go through a sport lesson soon. The day slowly came to a close, and my boredom gave way to some skewed feeling of excitement.
The show was costly and pretty much the same each year, but the fact that you had to wait a whole year for it made it that much better. There was still something I needed to sort out.
I avoided everyone on the walk out of school and home and beelined for my room as soon as I got there, barely hearing my mum asking about how school was.
I flipped my phone around in the palm of my hand as I paced up and down my room, wondering if it would be necessary to call. Finally, I opened up my contacts and clicked on Archer's name.
He answered after three rings, "Hey."
"Oh hey, I was just wondering if you were still on for the show tomorrow," I said.
"Definitely," he replied. "Do you and Ella want me to pick you up? You have a choice - the Audi or Mercedes?" He laughed.
"Nah, you can take your expensive car, we're bussing it there and then we're bussing it back."
"Where do you catch the bus?"
"We're taking the one near the school. It's on a corner near the roundabout," I said, trying my best to describe the location.
"Won't it be cramped?"
"We're going early right? Maybe it'll be less cramped in the morning," I said hopefully. "Besides, student fare is only fifty cents."
The conversation went awkwardly silent. I'd never been good at talking on phones, or hearing over the phone. "I gotta go do homework now," I said. "See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, bye."
In actual fact, I wouldn't touch homework until Sunday. Friday nights were off limits, Saturday was already taken up, so logically, Sunday would be homework day this week.
After dinner, I spent the whole night marathoning the Batman movies.That occupied me until about ten thirty. Usually, I'd stay up until at least eleven thirty on Fridays, but I had the show to go to tomorrow, and it wouldn't be great to look like a zombie. So, I went to bed.
The big day had arrived. All the pains of exams had accumulated to this. My mum opened the door to my room as I brushed my hair. "You better hurry and eat breakfast, doesn't the bus leave at eight thirty?" She reminded.
"Yeah, I'm coming out now. I'l just get changed first," I replied.
According to the weather report, despite it being the middle of winter, it would be a fairly warm and clear day. Whatever it was I was going to where, it had to be comfortable. I decided on a pair of black shorts, a light blue t-shirt and a grey jacket.
My legs would probably get cold, but skinny jeans were uncomfortable, and leggings looked weird on me. When I caught sight of my mum's face when she saw what I was wearing, I immediately knew I was in for some long lecture, so I took the chance to explain myself first. "We'll be walking around a lot, so I'll get warm. If it's cold we'll go into one of the exhibition halls."
"Alright, but bring an extra jacket," my mum finally agreed after some contemplation.
"Already have one," I grinned, unzipping my backpack to show her.
After finishing breakfast, I brushed my teeth and headed straight to the bus stop. The morning air was still as cold as ever, sending clouds of white smog out of my mouth every time I breathed.
I spotted Ella by the bus stop frantically waving and I hurried across the road. "Hey!" I exclaimed.
"What took you so long?" She asked.
"I'm not late right? I swear there's still four minutes until the bus arrives," I replied, checking my phone.
"I know, but how can you contain the excitement?" She squealed. "Very stylish," she commented, looking at my odd choice of clothing. She was wearing a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, black long sleeved top and leather jacket. Typical Ella stylish.
The bus finally arrived, two minutes late, but the punks were still nowhere to be seen. "Are they taking the bus?" Ella asked as we boarded.
"Pretty sure. Hunter said he was, I think," I said, looking out for any people walking along the path.
Ella and I chose a seat near the front and sat down, eagerly discussing what we wanted to do first.
"Since we're meeting at the ferris wheel, we should go it first!" She reasoned.
"I hate ferris wheels," I muttered. "C'mon how about the skywalker? That is actually fun."
"The skywalker? No. How can you find the ferris wheel scary but like the skywalker?"
The skywalker was a ride that had a large pole in the middle that branched out into four separate arms. These arms had chairs attached around them and these arms rotated while the pole spun.
The bus had started to move off, and they still weren't there. "They're really not coming?" She asked after realising I was staring aimlessly out of the window.
"Who cares?" I mumbled. "Their loss right?" I added.
"Nah. You have to admit, it would have been fun with them."
"Isn't it always fun with just us?"
"Oooh, not lonely today, are you? Almost forgot, Archer's coming there," she cooed lamely.
Even without the punks, with Jenny and Archer there, this would be the largest group I'd ever gone to the show with. By the end of the bus trip, we had sorted out the order in which we would explore the show. Ella was determined to spot someone cute there.
"Oh yeah, and then we can stalk them," I laughed.
"Of course, of course."
The bus arrived at the show ground and it was obvious everyone was bustling with excitement. We got off the bus and surrendered our tickets at the gate, hurrying in.
"To the ferris wheel!" Ella exclaimed, leading the way.
"Race you there," I laughed as I took off in a sprint towards the gigantic wheel.
I zipped in and out between groups walking in the opposite direction, glancing over my shoulder at Ella who was hot on my heels. I cackled wildly as she got held back by a large pack of highschoolers.
Just as I turned back, I realised there was someone right in front of me and skidded to a halt by the side, barely missing them. "That eager to see me?" A familiar voice asked. I looked at the person, to find Hunter looming over me.
"Jeez, people on the cross country team really run faster than the average human," Ella puffed, finally stopping. "Oh, you guys are here," she remarked, realising that the four punks were staring at her.
"Yo," Dean said, with a slight wave.
"Of course we had to go after Hunter's whining," Ace said. "Now who's up for the skywalker?"
I was ready to yell out 'yes' before realising Archer hadn't arrived. "Let's wait for Archer for a bit," I said instead.
"Hm...Prince charming not here yet?" Hunter asked, arching an eyebrow. I glared at him and turned back to Ella.
"Archer's not usually late," she mumbled. "Don't worry, he'll be here," she said, lamely winking and nudging me in the ribs.
"Really?" I growled. "Really?"
Children ran around with their parents chasing close behind. Copter hats bobbed up and down amongst the crowds. And of course, there were couples walking around, arms linked or hand in hand. The judges wore little blue ribbons on their white shirts and would occasionally walk up to couples and say something - probably asking for names.
"Man, sorry I'm late," Archer said, whacking me on the side of my arm.
He had his phone in his hand. "Do you have your phone? I called you at least ten times," he said. I swung my backpack to the front and pulled out my phone, checking my missed calls.
"Actually, nine times," I grinned, showing him the illuminated screen.
Archer was in a plain white t-shirt and some black jeans that weren't exactly skinny jeans, but weren't baggy either. Although the shirt was loose, it was obvious his broad shoulders narrowed down to his waist. Despite myself, I had to admit he looked good. He had a wonderful gene pool after all.
"Done staring?" Ella whispered in my ear. I could feel my face heating up as I frantically tried to deny it. "Your ears are going red," she laughed. Beside Ella, I could hear Ace's snickers as well.
"Okay, let's go," I said, trying to take charge and change the subject.
"Hey! Can't we go on the ferris wheel first?" Ella asked, jogging to catch up to me.
"Oh yeah. That's right. We agreed on ferris wheel first," I said.
"Seriously? Ferris wheel?" Ace groaned. "That's the most pointless ride in the whole thing!"
"Exactly!" I exclaimed, waving my hand out at him to make my point.
"She's only saying that 'cause she's scared," Ella said to Ace, smiling evilly.
"Alright nerd-bird. Let's go. This one's on me," Hunter grinned, pulling me towards the ticket booth.
I pressed my heels to the ground, trying to pull away. "Nah nah nah punk. If I go on, I'm paying for myself," I protested.
"How many to one of the things?" Hunter asked the lady in the ticket booth. She looked at both of us weirdly; probably because I was looking at Hunter in horror, but answered, "Four".
We turned around and looked at the others, counting.
There were seven of us in total without Jenny there. "Seven," I said to Hunter.
"I can count you know," he replied.
"I never would've guessed," I grinned.
"Why must you be so mean?"
"Because it's fun." I smiled sarcastically and walked back to the others.
"The tickets are seven bucks each, no discounts," I told the others. They looked up at the ferris wheel, probably wondering whether or not it would be worth going on. "I'd rather spend ten bucks on the skywalker," I said. "I don't like ferris wheels," I stated glumly.
Hunter was about to say something when he stopped and pulled out his phone from his back pocket. He looked at it weirdly before answering. "Hello?" He remained silent, listening before saying, "Okay" and hanging up.
"Who called you?" Dean asked.
"It's weird. No one calls you. Actually, no one calls anyone," he said, as though it were like handwriting a letter when emails existed.
"I call people," I mumbled, taking some offence.
"Well, that's because you're old fashioned," he said matter-of-factly.
After I finished exchanging glares with Dean, Hunter finally had the chance to answer the question he'd been asked earlier. "That was Jenny. She just said to wait here because she's coming now."
"She has your number?" Dylan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I don't know man."
"Is it creepy?" I asked, not waiting for an answer before continuing, "Because it sure was creepy when you called me and we hadn't even exchanged numbers."
"O-kay. I'm not getting your point."
I stared at him. Really? Really Hunter? Really? We continued standing around waiting for Jenny, and sure enough, she arrived within minutes.
"Sorry I'm late guys! I missed the first bus," she explained.
"All good," I replied. "So...your decision. The ferris wheel or the skywalker?" I grinned. All heads turned to her.
"Hm...I like the ferris wheel," she finally said. I groaned and Ace groaned. The others didn't seem to mind. Ella seemed particularly keen on watching me squirm. Dean and Dylan were too busy perving on some girls.
We lined up and paid for our tickets, heading up the three flights of stairs to get to the loading area. The queue was unbelievable. It had taken us twenty five minutes to reach the loading area.
Then another problem arose. Who was sitting in which carriage? There were eight of us, which meant we would split up into two carriages. "I dibs going with Cathy," Ella said, grabbing my arm.
"Dude, stop grabbing my arm," I said, looking at her weirdly.
"Okay," she grinned, grabbing the sleeve of my jacket instead.
We all exchanged awkward glances, and obviously, no one was going to state their preferences.
"Um, are you guys going to get in?" The operator asked, swinging the door of a carriage open.
"Let's go," I said to Ella.
Each carriage had two separate benches facing each other. Ella and I sat on the one on the right. I figured the others would sort themselves out. Eventually.
In the end - half a minute later - Hunter and Jenny were sitting opposite us. "So, you guys finally sorted it out," Ella grinned.
"Yeah, the guys uh shoved me in here," Hunter replied.
Ella wiggled closer to me and whispered, "It's such a shame your prince charming isn't here with you," before moving back to her original place. I slapped her on the arm, screwing up my face in annoyance.
Hunter and Jenny looked at me questioningly. "Ella's just being stupid," I said.
"I speak the truth," she said, crossing her arms.
The ferris wheel began moving up slowly. It would jolt upwards before stopping as another carriage was emptied and loaded. This hardly even counted as a ride. It didn't even go in one smooth circle.
By its fifth movement, we were well above the ground. The wind blew through the carriage, whipping my hair out of place. It creaked as it moved back and forth slowly from previous momentum gained.
I clutched my seat and tried not to visualise the possibility of the carriage falling off from the actual wheel.
I looked down at the ant-like people below and the rooves of the other carriages. Our carriage continued swaying slowly, back and forth. "You're actually scared?" Hunter asked, mouth half open.
I looked back, straight at him, diverting my thoughts from potential death and other miseries that could arise. There were few things I was afraid of. I could conquer spiders and various bugs, but ferris wheels and being a stranger in a large uncontrolled crowd were two things I couldn't do.
The latter was the worst though. "I shouldn't have gone on," I mumbled to Ella.
A smirk crept across Hunter's face and I saw him clutch at two bars on the carriage.
"What are you doing?" I asked slowly.
His arms moved back and forth slowly, his biceps tensing and relaxing. "Don't!" I exclaimed. The swaying increased, the squeaking ringing in my ears. He stopped for a moment and my heart beat slowed down. Then he continued.
"Don't!" I yelled again. "Seriously don't!"
Our carriage had just gone over the highest point and began to descend on the opposite side. Through the bars, I could see into the carriage behind us - the carriage with the other guys inside.
Dean and Dylan sat with their backs to me, facing Archer and Ace. From the look on Archer's face, he'd seen the look of sheer terror on my face. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out reluctantly, clutching it, afraid that it would slip through the bars beneath my feet.
Archer had sent me a text message. 'Calm down. We've been on these before, remember? Enjoy the view. You don't want everyone to see this, do ya?' Attached was a photo of my petrified face, and well, I did not want anyone seeing that.
I replied: 'Just shut up'.
Which was promptly answered with an 'I'm not even talking'.
I found myself chuckling. Without realising it, we were closer to the ground; I hadn't even noticed that Hunter had stopped swinging. The carriage in front of us was unloaded and ours was brought forward. I got out first and waited for the others.
"You okay?" Ella asked.
"Yeah, I'm good," I replied.
"Is that cause your prince charming was texting you?" She teased, nudging me again.
"Don't even," I laughed. "Don't even."
"Didn't realise your fear of ferris wheels was so severe," Dean said, patting me on the shoulder.
"It isn't. It's his fault," I grumbled, snarling at Hunter.
"That face," Ace laughed, impersonating me.
As we stepped onto the platform, ready to head down the exit stairs, I noticed another blonde haired guy step onto the platform from the entrance side. His forehead crinkled when he saw Hunter, and Hunter seemed to notice as well. Ace also looked back over his shoulder at him.
Deanushered us down, using a bunch of girls at the bottom of the stairs as an excuse. That guy had them all on edge. Why?
"To the skywalker!" I exclaimed, charging towards the ticket booth.
"Sure you can take it?" Hunter asked, glancing away from the guy.
"Try and keep up," I grinned.
I convinced myself and the hesitant others that the queue would be worth it, and in the end, everyone agreed. I was positive some had given into peer pressure, but they wouldn't regret it.
Once we'd been let on, we rushed towards one of the arms. Each side had six seats, so six of us would sit on one side while the last two would sit on the other. I rushed toward the very end seat and sat down, swinging my legs excitedly.
"You pumped?" Ace asked, sitting next to me.
"Definitely," I grinned.
"I liked the ferris wheel a tonne better," Ella muttered, taking the next seat.
"Don't worry, I'm right here," Dylan smirked in reply.
"I'm right here, and she's my best friend. Remember that!" I yelled, craning my neck over to see him.
Archer sat in the very end seat and I leaned outwards to give him the thumbs up. "You're so embarrassing," Ace groaned.
Jenny and Hunter walked past, taking the two seats on the back of our row. Would Hunter ruin the ride for her? They weren't exactly acquainted, and Hunter was well, weird - especially if you hadn't been around him a lot.
I was prepared to offer a swap, but the ride operator had already locked them into their seats.
I leaned outwards again, grinning at Ella and Archer. "Okay, okay, okay," Ace said, also leaning outwards, blocking my view. He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back against my seat again.
"Seriously!?" I exclaimed - a little too quickly for comfort. It was only then that I realised the operator had come by to lock us in.
"Yeah, you're embarrassing," Ace laughed, shaking his head slowly. He leaned forward, doing the thumbs up and grinning. He was impersonating me, except he was facing in my direction.
"I did not look like that!"
"Sure you did."
A low whirring began and the arms were raised up and up, our legs dangling in the air. When we reached the top, we were held up there for a few seconds, sideways.
"It feels like the nerves in my arm are getting crushed," I said, squinting my eyes to block out the glare from what little sun was in the sky.
"Ooh, look how far up we are," he grinned.
"I'm not scared of heights y'know."
"Just ferris wheels?"
"Yeah, and being alone in strange uncontrolled crowds," I replied. "On the bright side, if we fall from here, we'll die almost straight away."
"I'm liking that positive thinking."
The music boomed from the speakers on the platform below. If I wasn't mistaken, 'Party Rock Anthem' was playing. It'd been a while since I'd heard that song. The whirring intensified and I could slowly feel the rotating begin.
Then all of a sudden and far too quickly, the arms started to spin as well. We were hurled around in the air at unknown speeds. The squeals and screams could be heard from behind.
We were suddenly flicked to face downwards, and I just couldn't help myself - I screamed. "Didn't know you were a screamer," Ace commented.
"It makes things at least ten times funner."
"Is that even a word?"
"Does it even matter?" I screamed again as I was thrown back against the seat.
The arms continued spinning while the pole rotated. At times I was blinded by the sun, and at others, my collar bones felt like they would break from the weight on them against the bars.
It was fun - spinning around aimlessly in the air. The ride eventually stopped and the arms were lowered down. I was so short my legs dangled above the platform as we waited for the operator to come past and lift the bars.
"That was fun," I grinned.
"Wait 'till we ride the xxxl," he laughed.
"Best ride in the whole show."
The operator lifted the bar and I jumped off, landing with a thud against the metal platform. "Wouldn't want to break the thing now would we?" Ace said, pushing me along.
"I think most people would be offended by that," I remarked.
"You're not really 'most people' are you?"
"No, I'm -"
"The nerdiest human on the planet," he said, cutting me off as I was about to finish with 'one of a kind'.
We waited by the gate for the others to get off. Man, they were slow. "Way better than the ferris wheel," I said to Ella as she walked off.
"Can't say I disagree," she said, "but we all know you found the ferris wheel scarier."
Dean scrammed pretty quickly, following some blonde girl he'd spotted while on the ride - yes, while he was being flicked around at surrounding blurring speeds. Jenny and Hunter however, were still on the ride.
It wasn't difficult to see why they'd taken so long. Jenny's face was slightly pale and she had one arm loosely slung around Hunter's neck. She was swaying slightly, her clumsy footing evident.
"Woah, are you okay!?" I exclaimed, rushing to her side.
"Just a little dizzy," she said with a weak smile.
"Get your other arm around my shoulder."
"No, it's okay. I should be fine." She stumbled again, catching Hunter off guard as he staggered slightly to keep them both upright.
"We should go find somewhere to take a rest," Ella said.
"The picnic area is over here," Archer suggested, pointing in its general direction.
We all helped Jenny down the steps and walked towards the picnic area, shielding her from the wild teenagers and hyperactive children. "Hey Hunter, are you tired? We can switch," I said.
"Are you challenging me?" He raised an eyebrow.
"What? No. Seriously?"
"I'm good," he replied, obviously to maintain his male ego.
"Are you sure? 'Cause you drop her and you die," I threatened. "Ace, you should stand behind him in case he falls over," I said, moving behind Jenny.
"No," Ace replied simply, continuing to walk forward.
"Dean! Dylan!" I hissed.
"Why don't you get Ella to?" Dean whined, finally moving beside Hunter.
"Because if he falls he'll squash my best friend," I grumbled.
Dean continued muttering angrily to himself even though technically, he was the one who agreed to do it. Did I hold a gun to his head and force him to? No.
We finally made it to the picnic area. I stood by, my arms hovering near Jenny's arms as we all helped her sit down. "Feeling better?" I asked. She nodded slowly.
I was actually getting hungry despite it only being around ten in the morning. It wouldn't be wrong to eat scattered snacks throughout the day. Show food was a complete rip off, but it was one day of the year. "Anyone hungry?" I asked open-endedly, hoping someone else would suggest going to buy food.
"No," came the scattered replies.
"You're hungry, aren't you?" Ella laughed.
"Possibly," I mumbled. My stomach growled, and I got the impression everyone heard, because they all stared at me.
"Alright then!" She exclaimed. "You and the four punks can go get food! For us too obviously. We'll pay you back later," Ella ordered.
"Since when were you giving the orders?" Dean grumbled, yet again.
"Just go. Please?" She did those weird puppy dog eyes that seemed to work on just about everyone, except me. He grumbled again. Everyone obviously took it as a 'yes'.
Just a few minutes later, we were all strolling down the food street. Vendors of all sorts lined the sides. There were foods of all cultures, healthy options, and unhealthy options. We looked at all the options available and peered into all the little tents.
It was probably funny because our group looked like a little short girl was surrounded by guys at least a ruler taller than her. Undoubtedly, we were drawing quite a bit of attention – especially from girls.
I glanced to the sides and immediately noted that Dean and Dylan were doing their usual act – the smiling and talking thing. "Are you going to pick something?" Ace groaned.
"I dig the fish and chips," I said.
"But I want the pizza," Hunter whined.
A little tent caught my eye; well, its contents caught my eye. On the right was a stall selling fried potato on a stick. Immediately, I rushed forward to stare at it and work out the price.
As I turned around to ask the guys if they wanted any, a girl came running up before swinging her arms around both Ace and Hunter.
She was at least five foot seven and slim, her hair in even light brown waves down her back. I walked slowly back to them and finally caught a glimpse of her face. She had browny-green eyes that seemed to glimmer as she grinned happily. She looked our age and was undoubtedly the prettiest girl I had ever seen.
"Where's my hug?" Dean asked, holding his arms out. She shook her head slowly but walked over and gave him and Dylan a hug and one of those weird semi kisses on the cheek.
"Well, well, Carla, who thought we'd see you here?" Dylan asked.
"Let me borrow them for a sec," she grinned playfully.
"Be my guest," Dean said.
She wedged herself in between Ace and Hunter, linking arms before leading them away somewhere.
"Who was that?" I asked, still gaping.
"That was Carla Forbes; the only reason Hunter and Ace have ever gotten into a fight, and Hunter's ex," Dylan answered.
~
The spacing is actually killing me omg sorry