"What do you think?" Abby spun around in front of her sister.
Abby and Bex were practically twins. Both girls were of average weight, although Bex was a tad bit more toned in her legs due to Band. Abby's hair is dark brown, unlike her sister's sun-bleached almond brown hair. They both had their dad's hazel eyes and their mom's heart-shaped face. The main difference between the two is that Abby is slightly shorter than Bex, other than that the differences are minor.
The two were getting ready for their double date at the carnival. Abby wore blue jeans and her new fur boots that their grandmother had given her a few days ago. She had on a long-sleeved grey shirt and a baggy yellow cardigan. Her straightened hair fell just past her shoulders and her makeup was simple and showcased her natural beauty.
"You look great, and me?" Bex also did a twirl.
"What does it matter? She's already your girlfriend," Abby smirked.
"Just humor me," Bex frowned at her.
Bex had on purple skinny jeans and black leather combat boots. Her hair was pulled up into a neat ponytail, she was sure to slick back any flyaway hair. She had on a plain black t-shirt and a leather jacket with a purple scarf hanging loosely around her neck.
"You look fine, come on!" Abby grabbed her sister's hand and dragged her downstairs.
All week Bex had been trying to get Lyssa to warm up to her. Lyssa proved resilient. Bex took it as a personal challenge, she needed something to keep her mind off the fact that she wasn't talking to her usual friends' thanks to Joan. She was dying to talk to them about Lyssa, not the vampire part, just the Lyssa part. Of course, she still wasn't ready to face Joan yet. The betrayal was still fresh and still stung when she thought about it for more than a few seconds.
"Ready girls?" their dad asked, he was their ride.
Rory agreed to meet Abby there and take her home later, the same could be said about Lyssa.
"Yes! Let's go! Rory just texted me he's almost there," Abby pushed her dad out the door.
"Okay, okay," he chuckled.
"Shotgun!" Bex called out as she raced her sister to the passenger seat.
Abby pouted at her defeat but quickly jumped in the backseat, eager to go on her date.
Bex felt her stomach flip around as she was only moments away from going on a date, well sort of a date, with Lyssa. They two would be alone together with nothing to talk about. Bex bit the inside of her cheek. What if Lyssa was a stick in the mud and refused to have fun? What if Bex said something that set her off again? What if...
Bex thought about her dream and felt her cheeks warm up. Her heart raced in anticipation and her leg shook impatiently as she sat silently in the car. Soon she was going to be alone with Lyssa and they were going to have fun, she was determined.
Bex's dad went on about rules and curfews and whatnots the whole way there. Neither girl paid him much mind. When they finally got there Abby said a quick goodbye before squealing and running out of the car to the ticket booth.
"Keep an eye on your sister," Bex's dad sighed.
"I will, bye dad," Bex kissed him on the cheek before getting out of the car.
The two girls quickly paid to get in and it wasn't long before Bex found herself alone. Abby having run off to have fun with Rory. Bex glanced around for Lyssa but when she didn't see her, she pulled out her phone to call her.
"Yes, Rebecca?" Lyssa sounded nonchalant when she answered.
"Hey, where are you? I'm at the carnival."
The line was silent for a moment.
"Lyssa?"
"I uh, cannot make it. I um... need to uh, run some errands."
"You're lying!" Bex accused.
"Am not!"
"Are too! You are totally trying to blow me off."
"You are being dramatic Rebecca."
"You know what, forget it!" Bex hung up the phone.
She plopped down on a bench and sniffled, holding back the tears in her eyes.
"Stupid vampire," she mumbled out loud.
She glanced around to everyone having fun with friends, family, significant others. She sighed and brought her scarf up to cover the bottom of her face. She didn't want people to see the frown engraved on her face. No need to ruin their good time.
"Rebecca?" Someone called out to her.
She turned and saw Darci, Mike, and Jaden walking her way.
She cringed and looked away before quickly wiping her tears and moving her scarf to put on a fake smile.
"Hey guys," she said too enthusiastically.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Mike asked.
"Same as you," Bex forced a laugh.
"Are you alone?" He pushed.
"Oh uh, guess so. My sister is here somewhere, she's on a date."
"Are you okay? You look sad," Darci moved to comfort her.
"Hey, guys I got the..." Joan ran up to them and locked eyes with Bex.
"I should go. Have fun," Bex turned to leave.
"Rebecca wait," Joan caught her by the arm.
"Where's Lyssa? Isn't she your new friend?" Jaden asked.
"She's uh... she's not coming," Bex couldn't face her friends.
"Oh no! Bex did she stand you up!?" Darci hit it on the nose.
Bex yanked her arm free from Joan and wiped her eyes as new tears threatened to spill over.
"Something like that," Bex said.
"Well you can hang with us," Mike suggested.
"Yeah who needs her," Jaden tried to lighten the mood.
"I think I might just go home," Bex tried to walk away.
Joan once again caught her by the arm.
Bex turned to look at her best friend but flinched when she heard,
"Rebecca!" Lyssa called out, almost as if she was mad at her.
Bex whirled around and quickly pulled free of Joan's grasp before jogging over to Lyssa.
"You said you weren't coming."
"Well, I changed my mind," Lyssa stuck up her nose.
"Thank you!" Bex engulfed the vampire in a hug.
Lyssa tensed up.
"Honestly Rebecca," Lyssa sighed.
Bex pulled back and flashed Lyssa a big goofy grin. Lyssa felt all warm and gushy inside just looking at it. She quickly averted her eyes and pushed the feeling away. Then her eyes were drawn to Joan.
"What are you doing with her?" Lyssa hissed.
"No, I wasn't-"
"Nice to officially meet you, Lyssa." Joan interrupted Bex and walked over to Lyssa to forcibly shake her hand.
Bex gave Joan a confused look.
"Likewise," Lyssa eyed her.
"Hey, maybe you guys could hang out with us now that the gang's all here. Come on Bex, it feels like forever since we hung out," Mike begged.
Bex looked at Lyssa for permission and Lyssa sighed before eyeing Joan again. It was clear Joan wanted to pretend that she didn't know Lyssa, and Lyssa had a feeling she knew why. The slayer wanted to get close to Bex again. Still, the pleading puppy dog look on Bex's face made Lyssa give in.
"Fine," she grumbled.
"Yes! You're the best," Bex hugged her again.
Again, Lyssa tensed up, and everyone but Bex noticed a small soft smile spread across Lyssa's face. When Bex pulled back Lyssa put on a straight face again.
"Come on," Bex dragged Lyssa towards the ticket booth.
Lyssa stumbled forward but let Bex lead the way.
"My dad only gave me ten bucks, but that should be enough to get 10 tickets, five for you and five for me."
"Nonsense. I'll buy you as many tickets as you please," Lyssa said.
"Really?" Bex's eyes lit up.
"How many?" Lyssa challenged.
"I want 50 tickets!" Bex declared.
Which is how Lyssa paid for a hundred dollars' worth of tickets for rides and games. Bex held the bundle of tickets close to her chest and had a big smile painted on her face. Lyssa smirked in satisfaction. When the two walked back over to the group everyone marveled at all their tickets.
"Now what should we do first?" Lyssa asked.
"We were going to the roundup! Come on," Mike started towards the ride.
"What's a roundup?" Lyssa asked.
"That one," Bex pointed to the small ride.
It was the kind of ride where you go inside a large wheel, sit in a chair, and wait until it spins and tilts rapidly. Lyssa eyed it and made a face. She jolted when Bex interlocked their hands and pulled her towards the ride. Lyssa glanced down at their conjoined hand which caused Bex to blush and quickly retract her hand. When they got to the ride each person paid three tickets to the attendant and walked in.
Lyssa chose to sit on one side of Bex, while Joan sat on the other.
"I'm terrified," Darci squealed in excitement.
"Me too," Jaden laughed nervously.
"What about you Lyssa?" Bex turned her head to face Lyssa.
Lyssa examined the grimy and old ride. Noted how the floor creaked and the belts on the seat were discolored and worn down. She pushed against her restraints just to see how sturdy they were and found it fairly loose. Her face said it all, but she swallowed a lump in her throat before turning to face Bex.
Bex laughed at the obvious terror on Lyssa's face.
"Shut it," Lyssa snapped at her.
"The ride hasn't even started yet, not to mention this isn't even the worst one," Bex pointed out.
"I am aware of that," Lyssa grumbled and clung tighter to her seat.
Just then the ride started up and began to slowly spin before quickly gaining speed. Screams of the fellow riders filled the air. Bex cried out in laughter as she felt the ride tickle her insides. Lyssa clenched her eyes shut, doing her best to remain composed.
When the ride was over Lyssa was the first one off.
"Oh my god, that was so much fun!" Bex laughed. "We should go again."
"I thought I was going to hurl," Joan laughed.
"Me too!" Bex giggled.
The two shared a look for a moment finding themselves in that familiar groove of being best friends. Lyssa watched as they laughed and playfully bumped each other, a warm and comforting aura around them. Lyssa felt her stomach turn and averted her eyes.
When Joan and Bex calmed down there was a moment of awkward silence as Bex's smile slowly faded away. Before things could get weirder Mike said,
"On to the next!"
The group went ride to ride wasting tickets, each ride more thrilling than the last. Lyssa wasn't much of a social person, only ever talking to Bex and no one else. Other than that, she would remain silent. Not that it mattered because her facial expressions often gave her away.
Bex noted how she would crinkle her nose at something she didn't like. How Lyssa's eyes would go wide when she was scared. Or Bex's favorite when Lyssa was trying to act all tough, she would avoid eye contact and cross her arms, pouting in a way that Bex thought was super adorable. The more the two hung out without everything weighing on them, the more the vampire seemed to come back to life.
At some point in the night Bex had grabbed Lyssa's hand to lead her to the next ride, and this time neither girl pulled away. Lyssa just let Bex hold her hand, and Bex didn't do anything to bring attention to it. Just in case she made Lyssa mad again by doing so.
With the rhythm of the night going smooth it wasn't long before Bex and Joan fell into old habits. As if nothing had ever happened between them. Their friendship began to rekindle back to its original strong blaze. Joan doing everything in her power to keep it that way by doing all the things Bex liked.
They didn't address the elephant in the room, mostly because Bex wanted to be in a good mood, and Joan wanted to keep her there.
Lyssa was keeping a close eye on Joan, not as forgiving as Rebecca.
"Look at the picture," Mike chuckled as they left the roller coaster booth.
"Let me see," Bex snatched it from him.
She snorted before full on laughing at Lyssa's face, which was clenched tight in terror.
"Lyssa! You didn't even have your eyes open," Bex laughed.
"Aw man, look at my face," Jaden peeked over Bex's shoulder.
Everyone took turns looking at the photo, passing it back and forth. When Bex looked to Lyssa, Lyssa had put some distance between the two. Her arms hugging herself in some sort of insecure way. Lyssa was staring at everyone around her as she observed the crowd.
"Hey, are you having fun?" Bex walked over to her.
"If you call being in a constant state of terror fun, then yes."
Bex snickered before grabbing Lyssa's hands in her own.
Lyssa looked down at their conjoined hand.
"Come on, we don't have to do those types of rides anymore. What do you want to do?" Bex tugged her closer.
Lyssa glanced around the carnival once more before her eyes settled on mini games with prizes. She smirked and turned back to Bex.
"Come on," Lyssa pulled Bex over to the strong man game.
"Which one do you want?" Lyssa picked up the hammer.
"Hmm," Bex eyed the prizes. "That one."
She pointed to a rather large stuffed panda bear that looked to be chewing on bamboo.
"That one," Lyssa told the game attendant.
"Okay, if you want that one you need to ring the bell." He informed them.
Lyssa smiled in confidence and lifted the hammer, pretending it was heavy as her arms struggled to hold it up. Bex giggled. This egged Lyssa on. She heaved the hammer over her head for show and slammed it down hard. Causing the light to go all the way up to the bell which gave a proud ding.
"Wow, good job. Here you go," He handed the panda to Bex.
Bex giggled in glee and hugged the panda close, nuzzling their heads together.
"Holy cow Lyssa, you're strong!" Darci said in amazement.
Bex's friends had followed them and watched the whole thing.
Joan frowned and quickly scanned the fairgrounds.
"Thank you!" Bex forced Lyssa into a hug with the Panda bear.
This actually got a chuckle out of Lyssa.
"We are just getting started, on to the next Rebecca," Lyssa declared.
"I bet I could win you something," Joan jogged up to Bex as they walked on to the next game.
"Yeah?" Bex said indifferently.
"Yep. Look over there," Joan pointed to a game where the goal was to hit balloons with darts.
"Okay, let's go."
Lyssa narrowed her eyes at Joan and quickly followed after the group.
"Which one do you want?" Joan asked.
Bex once again scanned the prizes before smirking. She wanted to make it extra hard for Joan. So, she picked the rare prize.
"That one."
"The Banana Man?" Joan eyed it in confusion.
"Sure," Bex shrugged.
To get that prize Joan would have to hit the golden balloon while a wheel spun around covered in multicolored balloons. Only one gold balloon. Joan got three darts, three tries. The first dart landed on a plain red balloon, a small prize. The next on a blue on, medium prize.
With one dart left Joan eyed the wheel in worry.
"Come on Joan, you can do it!" Mike encouraged.
Lyssa raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.
Bex eyed her best friend, her face a mask of indifference.
Joan took a deep breath before throwing the final dart.
The golden balloon popped and rained down confetti.
"What! No way!" Jaden said in awe.
"Yay! You did it!" Darci cheered.
Joan sighed in relief.
The attendant handed Bex the Banana Man. She couldn't help but smirk at the silly face it had.
"Don't I get a hug?" Joan said sheepishly.
"Of course, thank you!" Bex hugged her, smushing her between two large stuffed toys.
Joan giggled.
Lyssa narrowed her eyes at the slayer. Joan eyed Lyssa back when Bex wasn't looking and smirked in satisfaction. After that, it was on. Lyssa and Joan competed to see who could win Bex the most prizes, each time trying to outdo the other. After an hour Bex had too many plushies to carry.
"Okay guys, no more prizes for me. Seriously," Bex heaved around a big trash bag filled with toys.
"Where are going to put them all?" Darci said in amazement.
"Beats me," Bex shrugged.
"Maybe you can give some to me. I promised my little sister I'd get her something," Jaden suggested.
"Good idea! Here," Bex began to distribute the prizes to all her friends.
"But..." Lyssa frowned.
"Sharing is caring," Bex smiled warmly at her.
By the end of the dispersal, she was left with the original two prizes. Everyone messed around a bit, showing off their new "winnings" before the toys went back in the bag and Mike volunteered to carry it around until they left.
"Bex!" Abby ran over to her.
"Hey, where's Rory?" Bex asked.
"He's in the bathroom. Just checking in with you, is this your girlfriend?" Abby eyed Lyssa.
Jaden who was sipping on an Icee, chocked on it.
Darci gasped out loud.
Mike's eyes darted between Joan and Bex nervously.
Joan's eyes went wide.
"Uh haha," Bex laughed nervously. "Abby this is Lyssa. Lyssa my sister Abby."
"Nice to meet you," Lyssa said sweetly.
"My sister is totally crazy about you," Abby teased.
Bex elbowed Abby hard in the gut before laughing nervously some more.
"Run along, Abby," Bex said through gritted teeth.
"Ow, jerk."
Abby stuck her tongue out at Bex before running off.
"She's a weirdo, just ignore her. I do." Bex turned to Lyssa.
"So, you're not totally crazy about me?" Lyssa teased.
"Ugh, just shut up. That's so embarrassing, and not true!" Bex defended herself, her cheeks going bright red.
"You two are dating!" Darci couldn't hold in her outburst anymore.
"What! No. It's not like that. My family just has the wrong idea. It's sort of a running gag now," Bex laughed it off.
"So, you're not dating?" Jaden said in confusion.
"Officially not dating. We're just friends."
"But wait, why does your family think you are?" Mike smirked.
"Wow! Look at the time. Come on guys we better get to the Ferris Wheel before it closes." Bex quickly ran towards the big wheel and away from the awkward conversation.
Joan quickly ran after her.
"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Joan grabbed Bex's wrist.
"Uh, sure. Hey, guys go wait in line. Joan and I are going to the restroom," Bex said.
"I'll come with," Lyssa immediately volunteered.
"She's a big girl she can go alone," Joan snapped at her.
"Not a chance," Lyssa got in Joan's face.
"Whoa, everything okay?" Mike laughed nervously.
"Lyssa it's okay. I'll be right back," Bex soothed her.
"We can't trust her," Lyssa hissed, low enough so the others couldn't hear.
"Says the vampire," Joan pushed Lyssa.
"Hey! Enough you two. I'll be right back, I swear. It's okay."
Lyssa huffed and crossed her arms in defiance.
Bex sighed before walking off with Joan.
"Make it fast," Bex snapped.
"Look. I just wanted to say I'm sorry okay. About everything. What I did... that was really stupid."
"I trusted you," Bex took a step back.
"I know, and I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you get hurt."
"By who? Lyssa? She's not going to hurt me," Bex assured her.
"Yeah right," Joan scoffed.
"We have an agreement and that's all you need to know about it," Bex glared at her before moving to leave.
"Wait," Joan caught her by the arm. "Look, I don't want us to be fighting. I miss you. Can't we just make peace?"
"Peace!? You tried to kill me! You tried to kill Lyssa!"
"She's a vampire!"
"You are unbelievable," Bex yanked her arm free.
"Okay look, I am willing to let everything go and compromise. What if we can make peace with her? My people won't hunt her down so long as she agrees not to kill anyone else."
"You'd do that?"
"I would for you," Joan stepped closer to her.
Bex looked down in thought.
"Give me another chance," Joan grabbed Bex's chin and forced Bex to meet her eyes.
Bex averted her gaze.
"Bex you know me, you know I'd never hurt you. I'm just trying to protect you. Please."
Bex looked into Joan's deep brown eyes.
There was a moment of silence between them which was quickly broken by two kids with giant cotton candy running by. Bex smiled after them. She did know Joan; they were best friends after all. Her eyes shifted from the kids back to Joan before saying,
"Fine. But you and Lyssa are going to have to work out the details. For now, I just want us to enjoy this. Let's not fight okay?"
Joan smiled.
Bex tried to step back but Joan held her firmly in place by placing her arms on her shoulders. Bex eyed her in confusion before Joan leaned in and kissed her.
"W-what are you doing!" Bex quickly pushed her back.
"I just wanted you to know that I still have feelings for you. And... I would like a second chance at that too."
"I don't know," Bex felt her cheeks warm up as she looked to the ground.
"Please, I'll do anything."
"I'll think about it," Bex began to walk off towards the group.
"Okay, I'll wait then," Joan quickly jogged up next to her.
The two shared a look and smiled. Joan casually grabbed Bex's hand and interlocked their fingers. Bex blushed.
As soon as they got back Lyssa snatched Bex's hand away from Joan. Holding it close to her almost possessively before interlocking their fingers and shooting daggers at the vampire slayer. Joan returned the favor.
Bex felt all gushy inside watching Lyssa get all protective over her. It meant Lyssa actually cared about her, no matter how much the vampire denied it. Bex squeezed Lyssa's hand reassuringly before the two got on a cart together and began to ride Ferris Wheel.
Joan had to ride with Mike, while Darci rode with Jaden.
"So, have you had a good time?" Bex asked once they were alone.
Lyssa eyed her.
"Please say yes. Otherwise, this was all for nothing. I just wanted to make you smile," Bex admitted.
Lyssa averted her eyes and pulled her hand back.
"I enjoyed spending this day with you, Rebecca. But... we must keep things-"
"Stop it! Don't you dare say it. Come on, aren't we friends now? Friends care about each other; I care about you. I want you to think of me as your friend. Not your slave, not your blood bank, and not the random girl you accidentally made a blood bond with. Just think of me as me, Rebecca, your friend."
"Why? Why are you so insistent on gaining my friendship?" Lyssa said more to herself than to Bex.
"I see how lonely and miserable you are. It's okay to be alone sometimes, but not all the time. I just want you to see that there is still so much for you to enjoy on this earth. Just because you've seen and done it all doesn't mean you have to close in on yourself. I understand trusting people is hard for you, but I want you to trust me. To talk to me. To be friends with me, is that okay?" Bex grabbed Lyssa's hand in her own.
Lyssa took a deep breath before squeezing Bex's hand and saying,
"Okay."
"Yeah!?"
"Yes Rebecca, you can be my... friend."
"Yay! New friend buddies," Bex hugged her.
Lyssa wrapped her arms tightly around Bex and nuzzled her head into Bex's shoulder.
"Thank you, Rebecca. I really needed this."
"Anytime."
"Can I..."
"Listen to my heartbeat?" Bex supplied.
Lyssa nodded.
"Of course," Bex smiled.
They adjusted their seating arrangements so that Lyssa was in Bex's arms, resting her head on Bex's chest. Bex mindlessly ran her fingers through Lyssa's soft silky black hair. Lyssa leaned into the touch.
It reminded her of the girl.
Together they watched fireworks light up the sky.