Freaky in Fresno

by Laurie Boyle Crompton

  He looks back and forth at Lana and me, covered in glitter and staring him down.

  I say dully, “Why don’t you just show us what you brought.”

  “Righto.” He holds both arms out to the rainbow wad. “It’s a ginormous bouncy castle to help with the drive-in’s opening night.”

  Lana unfurls her arms and starts bouncing on her toes. She’s always had a special love for bounce houses.

  “That’s actually . . . a really great idea,” I say.

  “Yeah it is!” Lana says with grin. “Come on, let’s get this thing blown up so we can make a fun gif and promote the heck out of it online!”

  I picture the kids in PJs having so much fun jumping around tonight, and my chest tightens at the thought of me missing it all as I’m shoved onto some stage in LA as Lana. We’re running out of time to switch back.

  “Wait, Ricki,” I say. “Did you try talking to Aunt May?”

  “Briefly.” Lana shakes her head. “I don’t think she knows anything.”

  “What do you mean she doesn’t know anything?” I say. “Did you ask her?”

  Lana and Erik are working together, carrying the deflated bouncy castle away from the van.

  “I hinted,” Lana says with a grunt. “But I can tell she’s as clueless as we are. Give us a hand, would you?”

  I move over to help them get the giant rainbow wad up in the air and the three of us shuffle back and forth, dragging what we can’t lift.

  “We don’t want to obstruct the view of the screen from the picnic tables,” Erik says in a strained voice, “but we need to be close enough to the electrical outlets to plug in the blower.”

  As the two of them discuss optimum bouncy castle placement, I look over to see Aunt May and Wes still talking while all the dogs run in wild circles nearby.

  It seems the Chihuahua has effectively established her dominance and is now leading the pack of wolves. She guides them in our direction, where they all run a loop around us before stopping to commence sniffing every inch of the canvas mountain we’re again dragging back and forth.

  Lana drops her end and says, “This looks like a good spot for it.”

  “Let’s inflate this thing!” Erik heads back to the van, pulls out a giant and very heavy-looking blower, and sets about getting it plugged in and attached to the bouncy castle’s base.

  While he’s distracted, I pull Lana closer to the concession shack. “What exactly did you ask Aunt May?”

  “I asked her if the Skylark got a magical upgrade,” she says.

  “What?” I say. “You asked her outright if our body switch was some sort of add-on feature that came with the car? That’s just silly. What’d she say?”

  “Heh, yeah. She stared at me like I was nuts and went back to flirting with Wes.”

  We both look over to where the two of them are deep in conversation. “So that was it?” I say. “You just gave up?”

  “Well, then I saw Erik pull in . . .” I groan, and she adds, “But I did ask Wes if the drive-in was built on an ancient graveyard or something,” she says.

  “Okay, long shot,” I say. “What was his answer?”

  “He just looked at me like he thinks I’m nuts too.” She pauses a moment. “Well, I guess technically they both think you’re nuts.”

  “Thanks.” I sigh. “But Aunt May must know something. At least about the car. I’m going to give it a shot.”

  “Fine,” Lana says, “let them think we’re both nuts.”

  “Hey, you two nuts, a little help over here?” Erik has somehow managed to get one of his arms pinned underneath the still-deflated bouncy castle.

  We take our time walking over and stare him down with our hands on our hips.

  Lana says, “We should leave you trapped here after that prank you pulled.”

  “I’m going to be finding glitter in crevices for months,” I tell him.

  “Hey, don’t blame me.” Erik looks up at Lana. “It was all Jake’s idea. I mean, I came up with the details, of course, but Jake’s the one who said we should prank you two.”

  “Why would he want to do that?” I ask as I lift one end of the thick canvas.

  “He thought it might help you two connect,” Erik says while Lana helps pull him out. “Like some sort of team-bonding exercise.”

  Lana and I look at each other. After a beat, we both burst out laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” Erik asks, starting to laugh along with us.

  “Oh, nothing,” I say.

  Lana adds, “Just that at this moment, the bond between us is fairly solid.”

  “Yup,” I say. “You could almost call it unbreakable.”

  “So, Jake was right.” Erik smiles. “He thought a silly prank was exactly what you needed to start getting along.” He flips the switch and the air blower roars to life.

  The whirring motor is deafening and the wolf dogs all scatter in fear. Only Zelda walks toward the roaring machine, sniffs it, and immediately lifts both back legs in an attempt to pee on it.

  I’ve seen her “handstand pee of defiance” plenty of times, but Erik starts laughing and pulls out his phone to take a photo. “Is she a circus dog?” he asks.

  Evil Z doesn’t manage to get pee on the actual blower, but when she finishes, she turns and boldly kicks her tiny hind feet, flinging gravel on the mechanical beast.

  Taking the Chihuahua’s cue of owning the moment, I mime to Lana that I’m heading over to talk to our aunt. She answers with a thumbs-up, but raises one eyebrow to show she isn’t very hopeful.

  * * *

  When I get close to where Aunt May and Wes are talking, I pause a moment. It feels like I’m intruding on a serious discussion. If I wasn’t desperate to learn whatever I can about the car and our switch, I’d slowly back away instead of interfering right now. Because it’s obvious they’re into each other and, honestly, it’s pretty adorable.

  Wes leans close. “Hands down, the best,” he says, and Aunt May laughs.

  “Really? You don’t strike me as a Pixar guy,” she says.

  “I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a Pixar guy. All I know is that Inside Out is a beautifully layered exploration of the complicated role emotions play in mental health.”

  I clear my throat, and the two of them startle and turn to me. “Hi, Lana, what’s up?” Aunt May asks, her eyes shining.

  “Hi, guys,” I say. “Hey, Aunt May, can I ask you something really quick?”

  Aunt May glances at Wes. She’s clearly not ready to abandon their Pixar debate, but says, “Sure, Lana, what can I do for you?”

  I put an arm around her and guide her out of Wes’s earshot. “Ricki and I have had an interesting twenty-four hours since we got the car.”

  “I’m so glad you both love it!” she says. “Ricki told me it’s really brought the two of you closer together.”

  “That’s one way of putting it,” I say. “Another way would be to say we’re kind of . . . inside each other’s heads?” I look at her meaningfully.

  She glances back at Wes, who gives her a wink before bending to pull some ambitious weeds growing through a small fissure in the pavement.

  Aunt May blushes and shakes her head as if she’s just remembered she’s supposed to be having a conversation with me.

  “Your mom and Aunt June and I were like that when we were around your age,” she tells me. “We called it our ESP for extra-sisterly perception. Like we could read each other’s minds.”

  Her eyes swing back to Wes again as if acting on their own.

  Taking my aunt’s face in my hands, I force her to look me in the eyes. She registers surprise then reaches up, clutches my hands, and nods. “Sorry, Lana. I’m listening. What’s going on between you and Ricki?”

  “After you left yesterday, the two of us were arguing over who should get the Skylark for tonight,” I say. “We both have big events and both really want to use it.”

  “I totally understand,” she says. “Ricki told me all about your Digi
performance in LA, but now talking to Wes, I can see that this is a big night for the drive-in too.”

  “Tonight will determine whether or not the Starlight has a future, but that’s not—”

  “I’m sorry,” Aunt May interrupts, “but like I told Ricki, I can’t make this decision for you girls. I gave you the convertible to help with your relationship. It’s up to you two to work out the details, even if it gets messy.”

  Just then, the pack of dogs runs past and loops around us. Aunt May laughs and instinctively looks over at Wes. They share a spark that spans the space between the two of them and I grunt in frustration.

  “Aunt May!” I say sharply. “I’m not asking you to decide who should have the car. I’m trying to explain to you that while we were arguing over it, there was a flash of electricity and everything switched when we woke up this morning.”

  She widens her eyes. “Wait a second . . .”

  She looks me up and down as if it’s just dawned on her what’s really happening. I nod at her and gesture for her to tell me what she knows.

  “Ricki was acting strange too,” Aunt May says. “Are you girls trying to warn me that Wes isn’t as amazing as he seems? Is this your way of telling me to not date him?”

  She looks over at Wes. He’s now petting two of her wolf dogs as they try to simultaneously lick him in the face. The other wolf is lying on his back, kicking his feet in the air as Zelda aggressively bites at the thick fur on his throat.

  Lana was right. Aunt May has no idea about our switch.

  “No, that’s not it at all,” I say. “Wes is terrific.”

  The grin that breaks out on Aunt May’s face at this news is so bright I can’t help but give her a weary smile. Despite my dread over her not having the answer to swapping us back, I’m happy for her.

  “Ricki and I were just messing around,” I say. “But we want you to know how much we truly appreciate the convertible.”

  “I’m just glad it drew the two of you together,” she says. “That was my only wish.”

  “So, you did make a wish on the car then?” I say accusingly.

  She nods and smooths a hand down her long hair, allowing her eyes to slide back to Wes. “And it worked,” she says softly.

  I give her a tight smile, turn on my heel, and head toward the concession shack. “You have no idea, Aunt May. You have no idea.”

  * * *

  “Well, that was a dead end,” I say to Lana when I get back to her and Erik.

  Unlike my hope, the bouncy castle is fully inflated.

  “Told you Aunt May didn’t know anything.” Lana gives me a smirk as if this news isn’t terrible. Kicking off her heels, she dives headfirst into the bouncy castle and starts jumping around like she’s five.

  “Come on, girlfriend,” Erik says to me, “let’s give this house a bounce!”

  He grabs both my hands and leads me through the door flap and into the giant air castle. Lana is laughing as she executes a series of bumbling forward and backward flips, and it isn’t long before the glitter we’re both wearing is everywhere.

  Lana pulls out her phone and starts recording me and Erik. He’s still holding my one hand as we jump up and down. It’s sweet, but since he’s not Jake, it’s kind of annoying.

  “You two would be so cute doing a channel together,” Lana says.

  Erik stops bouncing. “I’d love to start spending more time with you, Lana . . .”

  “That would be epic!” Lana cuts in.

  “Plus, of course, we would crush it,” Erik says to me. “But at what cost? It would put so much pressure on our relationship. And you think the stress of building a following is bad? That’s nothing compared to the stress of keeping a following. Just, no thank you.”

  “What about you?” Lana says. “Your channel does great and you don’t seem stressed about it.”

  “That’s because I think of my whole channel as one giant prank I’m playing.” He does a spin jump and gestures to the mesh castle walls. “It can’t be taken seriously. None of this is real.”

  “None of it?” Lana asks.

  He stops bouncing, turns to me, and takes both of my hands.

  “Listen, Ricki,” he says over his shoulder to Lana. “Do you mind if Lana and I grab a minute alone?”

  “I’m not listening,” she says. “Or filming.” She puts her phone in her jeans pocket and continues bouncing. “Really. Forget I’m even here.”

  Erik looks back and forth between us, and her bounces gradually slow and then stop. She stands, watching us, and the silent, awkward pause grows until finally Lana says, “Fine. Castle’s all yours. I wanted to upload the little dog chasing the big dogs anyway.”

  She gives me a small shrug before exiting ungracefully through the Velcro doorway. Her nose is aimed at her phone as she puts her heels back on and strides away.

  When I turn back to Erik he’s looking at me in a way that makes me hyperaware of three things. One, he thinks the two of us are semi-dating. Two, we’re alone here inside the bouncy castle. And three, for a place with no roof that’s filled up with air, this bouncy castle is extremely stifling.

  “Is it hot in here?” I ask.

  Erik laughs and takes a big jump, making me echo bounce. “You’re the one who’s heating things up, Lana.”

  In response, I give a big-toothed donkey hee haw, completely shutting down the sultriness of his remark.

  Unphased, Erik bounces closer and I bounce away. Finally, my expertise at avoiding kissing is coming in handy. I hold my arms in front of me, bunny-style, and bounce, bounce, bounce, until Erik gives up and stops chasing me.

  “Lana, hold up,” he says. “Can we just talk for a second, please?”

  “Fine.” I cross my hands over my chest and fall over backward like a corpse. Erik laughs and drops down beside me, and I shift so he’s just outside of my personal space. We stay lying on our backs, looking up to the clear, open sky.

  Erik says, “I know you’ve been struggling, Lana. And I just want you to know that I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”

  I sit up and look at him. The concern displayed on his face makes it obvious he’s been truly worried about Lana. And he’s invested in helping her. Meanwhile I’ve been too busy with my own hurt feelings of rejection to even see how much she was struggling. But I’m determined to help her now.

  “What do you think I should be doing to help myself?” I ask Erik, since he seems to know Lana best these days.

  “You actually seem to be doing a little better today with Ricki around,” he says. “So that’s good.”

  “Yeah, we’re . . . er, working some stuff out between us,” I say. “What else do you think might help?”

  “Well, you know what I think you should do,” he says. “Question is . . . do you have the guts to go for it?”

  “The guts to . . . ?” I say, leadingly, but before Erik can finish my sentence and tell me what could really help Lana, her head bursts through the opening of the tent.

  “Guys!” she hisses loudly. “Come out quick. Your mom is here.”

  “My birth mom?” Erik says. “How does she know where I am?”

  “Not your mom, Erik,” Lana says. “And you’re not adopted, so stop calling her your birth mom. You know she hates that.”

  “Well, she did give birth to me.” He grins.

  Lana rolls her eyes. “I’m talking about Lana’s mom.”

  I sit up and cross my arms. “No way am I dealing with her,” I say. “She must be furious with me for hanging up.”

  “You have to deal with her,” Lana says.

  “Not if I just keep bouncing.” I stand and start jumping, but Erik reaches and puts a hand on my foot.

  Looking up at me, he says, “This is your chance, Lana. Go talk to your mom.”

  “Nope.” I lightly kick him away and take bouncy steps around the perimeter. When I reach the doorway, Lana has climbed in and is standing directly in my path.

  I give a firm bounce that barely
jostles her. Stupid light and tiny body.

  “What does Erik think you need to talk to your mom about?” I ask in a low voice.

  “Ugh. He has no idea what my mom is like. Can we please discuss this later?” she says. “You need to go out there.”

  I bounce back over beside Erik and tell Lana, “Make me.”

  “Seriously, Lana,” she says. “Get out there before she . . . Oh god, she’s here.”

  And with that Lana is yanked backward out the canvas doorway as if being dragged under water by a great white shark.

  Her look of shock is so funny, I cover my mouth to hold in a laugh.

  Aunt April pokes her head into the bouncy castle and points at me accusingly. My hand and smile both drop.

  “There you are! How dare you do a fake disconnect on me. I invented that move.” Aunt April’s eyes shift to Erik. “And you!” She shakes a finger at him and he moves to hide behind me.

  “So much for having my back,” I tell him.

  He smooths his hands across it. “I have it. Just from right here behind you.”

  I turn around so I can raise an accusing eyebrow at him.

  “Dude! Your mom is scary!” he says.

  I have to nod in agreement.

  Aunt April looks around the inside of the bouncy castle. “What is this? Some sort of glitter dome?”

  “Erik did this,” I say. “It’ll be fun for the kids to play inside before the movie starts tonight.”

  I bounce up and down to demonstrate and Erik clears his throat.

  He moves from partially behind me to partially in front of me. “There’s something I think Lana needs to tell you.”

  Aunt April puts her hands on her hips and her expression shuts down.

  “Go ahead, tell her,” Erik says into my ear. “Say you need a break from the pressure of making videos.”

  I clear my throat. “I just think that if I were to consider taking a step back from Lookie Lana! tonight might be a good time to—”

  “That’s just your nerves talking,” Aunt April says. “Do you have any idea how many girls would give their left ovary for this kind of opportunity?”