by Raathi Chota
“Sometimes,” Keene replied as he stood next to Levi. I let out a sigh as I flicked through the vinyls until I came across one I was sure I didn’t have. It was a special one since I loved the album.
“Bastille,” I said to myself as I looked through the song list. I noticed Keene, Levi, and Blake lingered around the booth too as they checked out other music. I wanted the vinyl yet I wasn’t sure, because I already had so many types. I sighed as I put the vinyl down and walked to the girls. Thankfully Benny was there with two crepes in his hands. He spotted me as a smile crept onto his face.
“Strawberry or bananas?” He raised his hands.
“Strawberries.” I grinned and accepted the crepe from him.
“Do you guys have change?” Ethan asked with an irritated look. We shook our heads, and he groaned and walked off. We followed his gaze to see Liam and Aidan by a game booth as they yelled in frustration. We followed Ethan and approached the two.
“Benny, I need a dollar,” Liam demanded as he eyed the buckets.
“I don’t have change. All I got is a five dolla—” Benny held up the note. Liam snatched it as he shoved it in the guy’s hand.
“Thanks, dude,” Liam said as he picked up a ball. Aidan threw balls by the moving buckets; however, he missed.
“Ugh!” he groaned as the guy placed another bucket of balls between the two. We watched in amusement as the two angrily threw them. “I shall not rest until the balls have reached their destination!” Aidan exclaimed as he gave the guy another dollar.
“It’s rigged, you idiots,” Carter stated as he offered me some of his cotton candy, but I kindly declined.
“Step aside, losers. Let the pro handle this,” Levi said as he flicked his hand over his shoulder as if he had long hair. Aidan and Liam backed up as Levi grabbed a ball. We watched as he focused on the buckets, then at the right moment, he threw it with all his strength. We followed the ball and watched it hit the table. Miranda let out a snort as Liam and Aidan laughed, then continued.
“When’s the pro getting here?” Miranda asked. Levi flipped her off. We finished our food yet still watched the two toss balls toward the tent while the guy counted his money. We decided to leave them as we walked on. I entwined my fingers with Benny’s as Melissa and Nick stopped at a booth.
“Want to know your fortune? Join Madam Saga’s Fortuning Telling special techniques to seek your destiny!” a woman said from her booth. I raised a brow at her outfit as she mystically moved her arms.
“Sounds fun,” Benny muttered sarcastically.
“Can we go?” Melissa chirped as the woman stared at us.
“It’s complete and utter shit,” Keene said as the woman glared at him.
“Let’s just go for fun,” Miranda groaned as she dragged us to her.
“Excellent!” Madam Saga exclaimed as Miranda gave her a few dollars. Aidan and Liam returned with grins spread across their faces.
“What did you two do?” Nick blurted out.
“Oh nothing, just kicked the guy in his balls and threatened to throw them in the bucket if he didn’t give our money back for the stupid game,” Aidan replied as Liam showed his money. I laughed as Miranda tugged on my arm. We eventually followed the woman into her booth as she raised the curtain. It was much more elaborate on the inside. A carpet was thrown on the floor to make the tent look dark and mysterious as we sat down in a circle. I sat next to Miranda and Benny while everyone else followed.
“All right, join hands,” Madam Saga commanded as she sat in the middle of the circle. We did as told, then watched as she brought her crystal ball out. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as she waved her hands around it. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Blake stare at her. We locked eyes as I motioned to the woman. He rolled his eyes and gestured to headbutt her, and I snickered. “Who would like to know their fortune?”
“Ooh, me!” Miranda piped up.
“Okay, child,” Saga said, then shut her eyes as she waved her hands around the crystal ball. “I see good things coming your way, yet you’ll go over hurdles, but in the end, you’ll be happy with love,” Madam Saga said, which made Miranda smile as she kissed Marcus on the cheek, but Saga’s eyes seemed to linger around the circle.
“Who’s next?”
“I’ll go.” Carter shrugged. She did the same thing as earlier. A smile molded onto her face as she spoke.
“You’ll be welcomed by the opposite sex and your good is yet to get even better in the future.”
“I already knew that.” Carter snorted as we laughed.
“Why don’t you try, Lana?” Tiffany suggested.
“Err…okay,” I mumbled as I watched Madam Saga do her thing. After a few seconds, her eyes squinted as she let out a raspy sigh.
“Things are not clear,” she began. “Everything seems okay one minute, and then the next…”
Madam Saga’s breathing quickened as her eyes flickered. Murmurs and whispers spread through the tent as someone reached over to her.
“Don’t break the circle!” she exclaimed as her hands gripped the crystal ball. Ethan quickly sat down as we watched in horror. Benny’s grip on my hand tightened. “No, no, no…” she trailed off. “Great dangers are coming to you, child, yet it’s unclear when and h-how, but some people in this room are i-involved.”
Madam Saga’s eyes shot open as she backed away from the crystal ball. It was quiet as everyone stared at Madam Saga and me. My eyes flicked to everyone as they held blank looks.
“That’s bullshit,” Levi said as he and Keene laughed. I watched as they got up and walked toward the exit with everyone behind. I walked past Madam Saga but felt her grip on my arm. I whipped my head around to see her stare at me with a frightened look.
“Trust your gut,” she said as her gripped stiffened. “And be careful, Lana.”
I then felt Blake’s hand on my arm as he tried to pry the woman’s hand off me.
“Crazy,” he muttered once he got me loose. I gave him a wary look as we walked out, and he looked away. We walked out of the booth, and I felt Tiffany wrap her arm around my shoulder.
“Don’t worry, it’s not real,” she assured me as I nervously pushed up my glasses.
“Yeah, sometimes they just say stuff like that, so you’ll pay more.” Marcus shrugged.
“Yeah,” I whispered as we walked on.
“So what do you guys wanna do now?” Melissa asked as Nick slung his arm over her shoulder.
“Ice skating anyone?” Aidan pointed up ahead to the ice rink. Everyone agreed just to get rid of the tense atmosphere. We walked to the arena, where we paid for half an hour and got our skates.
“Dude, race you to the opposite side,” Liam said as he got on the ice.
“You’re on,” Aidan said as they bolted past the people. I carefully stepped onto the ice and gripped the pole for support. I’d never ice skated before, yet I always wanted to. It’s easy to say things, but to do it was something else. I glanced up and saw everyone else enjoying him or herself while I leaned against the pole. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Levi approach me.
“Come on, princess, another thing to tick off the list.” He winked.
“What list?” Blake asked as he stood next to me.
“When we were little, we made this bucket list, and every year when he comes, we try to do the stuff on it,” I said.
“Dude, some of the stuff on there is fucking crazy.” Levi chuckled as I glanced at Blake. I noticed that he also held onto the pole, yet he played it off while my arms trembled.
“We only got half an hour. Come on,” Keene said as he and Levi skated off. I glanced around to see Benny in the center with everyone else. I felt Blake stare at me, so I turned to him.
“Ladies first.” He motioned with his head as his grip on the poles tightened.
“Age before beauty,” I stated with an innocent smile. Blake let out a frustrated sigh then pushed himself off the pole. I tried not to laugh as his legs wobbled as he balanced himself. H
e slowly spun around and placed his hands in his pockets as he stood up straight.
“See? It’s eas—” he began but lost his balance as he fell backward. Luckily, he regained his balance then came back to the pole. “I’m not doing this shit ever again.” I laughed. “You’re up, nerd.” He gave a supportive smile. I turned to the ice and noticed Miranda and Benny staring from across the rink. I anxiously licked my lips as I glanced down at the ice.
“Come on, Lana!” Miranda cheered. I pushed myself forward as I kept my head up high and moved. For once, I didn’t fall over.
“There you go!” Blake cheered. I felt like I was going to fall sometimes, but I looked straight at Benny. I laughed at myself as I approached the center. Benny opened his arms as I dashed forward. Suddenly, my left foot decided to swerve as I lost my balance. Thankfully, Benny caught me in time as his arms wrapped around me. We still moved as he brought me closer to him.
“Hey, don’t worry…I got you.” He smiled as we stopped. I held his hands then straightened my posture. Once I was confident, I looked at him, only to see that he smiled. I gave a stiff nod as he pulled me forward.
“Lana, watch out!” someone yelled behind me. Benny’s eyes widened as he tugged me forward, but it was too late as I was pushed down. My chin hit the sharp ice as I felt another body land on top of me.
“You idiots!” Miranda yelled. The person got off of me.
“Oh, shit! I’m so sorry, Lana!” Liam rushed out as I attempted to get up.
“Last time we’re playing human slingshot.” Aidan sighed.
“Dude, what the fuck?” Benny growled as he helped me up. Liam apologized as I regained my balance. Benny handed me my glasses, and I thanked him. I glanced up at my friends and noticed their apprehensive looks.
“That’s gonna leave a mark,” Tiffany said as she stared at me. I squinted my eyes and glanced down. I was perfectly fine. Suddenly, a red spot landed on the ice, and I touched my face.
“Come on, babe, let’s get you to the doctor,” Benny said as he wrapped an arm around my waist.
***
I shut my eyes as I felt the thread being pulled through my chin. Turned out the impact Liam had on me when we tumbled managed to cut my jaw open.
“All done,” the doctor said as he applied the bandage over the cut. There was an Emergency Clinic gazebo not too far from the ice rink, so we went there. Everyone else went back to the cars while Levi, Miranda, and Benny stayed with me. “After five to seven days you can get the stitches removed, but there will obviously be a little scar.” The doctor rummaged through his bag.
“Nothing a little makeup can’t fix,” Miranda stated as she smiled at me.
“Yeah, just don’t chew like a camel or horse, then it will obviously affect the healing process.” The doctor gave me a lollipop. I think I lost my enthusiasm for the candy when he said that.
“Thanks, Doc,” Levi said as I got off the bed. We walked out of the gazebo and was swept by the cold wind. My fingertips grazed over my stitches and sighed. How would I explain this to my parents?
***
We arrived at home, and Levi invited everyone inside and said that there was dessert. I sighed because they ate all the cinnamon rolls and I’d have to make more.
“Damn, these are amazing,” Blake moaned as we ate the hot cinnamon rolls that I reheated in the oven.
“Dude, you should taste the caramel ones,” Levi said as I joined everyone in the living room. I sat next to Benny, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. We shared a cinnamon roll since they were big and I helped everyone else. From the corner of my eye, I saw Aidan. I turned to him and Liam and noticed that Levi whispered to them. Suddenly they turned to me then laughed.
“Lana, don’t chew like a camel or else,” Aidan said as he and Liam ate like a horse. Their jaws went around and round that made me squirm. I shrugged them off when Dad and Mom walked in. Dad saw the last cinnamon roll on the table and quickly snatched it before anyone else could.
“Hey, Mr. Willson.” Marcus greeted.
“Hey, it’s Lana and Levi’s friends in my living room…as always.” He muttered the last part as I laughed.
“At least it’s better than the jail cell,” Aidan said, and Ethan nudged him. Dad took a bite out of the roll then turned to me with a blank look.
“What happened to you?” he asked, glancing around the room for the culprit.
“Madam Saga predicted danger,” Liam answered as everyone laughed.
“Should we be worried?” Mom asked as she literally lifted my face and examined my cut.
“Not at all, Bobby. She’s in safe hands,” Levi said.
“Who’s Bobby?” Ethan asked. Levi pointed to my father as the guys laughed.
“I like that…Bobby.” Carter beamed as he chewed his food.
“Bobby,” Liam sang. I let out a sigh as I got up to refill the empty plate. The doorbell rang as I entered the kitchen. I put a few cinnamon rolls onto the plate then walked back to the living room. Blake leaned against the door as I raised a brow. His jaw clenched as his eyes squinted. I followed his gaze to see Axel on our sofa.
“What is he doing here?” I whispered as Levi and Keene joined him on the couch.
“I don’t kn—”
“Lana, let Axel try your cinnamon rolls,” Jade said as she gestured to the plate. I walked to the coffee table and placed the dish on the table. I backed away and stood next to Blake. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Richard enter the room. A baffled look filled my face as Richard smiled at Axel.
“Hey, Mr. Radcliff,” Axel greeted as Richard leaned against one of the sofas. I raised a brow and tried to fit the pieces together of the adults’ weird behavior toward Axel. Suddenly they looked at me with blank expressions. I squinted my eyes as I watched Axel and Levi turn to Keene. He shook his head, and Axel and Levi shook their heads at the adults.
“Something’s going on,” I whispered to Blake as we watched the adults’ weird behavior.
“Yep.” Blake sighed as my mom offered Axel another cinnamon roll. “Tonight should be interesting.”
Chapter Nine
Lana
I stared at the last cinnamon rolls because I had to make more in the next few days. I placed them in a container as the laughter from the living room disturbed my thoughts. Everyone was still here, and the adults even treated Axel like a freaking king. The curiosity killed me, and I mentally reminded myself to ask them about it later. I placed the container in the fridge then shut it. Our double door fridge had many things on it, pictures of when I was young, my parents on their wedding day, Levi and I when we were little, a grocery list, and a calendar. The thing that caught my eye was the small mirror held up with a magnet. I took off my glasses as I stared at myself in the mirror. Even though it was a bit blurry, I still saw the stitches on my chin. I slowly traced the stitches with my thumb. The sound of crockery being placed in the sink brought me back to reality as I spun around. A tall figure stood by the sink and stared at me. I slowly put on my glasses to see Blake.
“These are really good.” He pointed to the cinnamon rolls.
“Thanks,” I mumbled. I watched as Blake’s gaze suddenly dropped. I followed his gaze to see that he stopped by my neck. My eyes widened in embarrassment as I thought of the hickey. I tied my hair up earlier but only took my scarf off when I entered the kitchen. I grabbed my scarf and slowly put it on. I packed the other cinnamon rolls and took out another container. I felt his eyes burn the back of my skull as I stacked the rolls into the container. Multiple footsteps entered the kitchen as I packed away the second to last container. I spun around and leaned on the fridge to see Axel, Keene, and Levi. I watched as Keene swiftly put on his jacket while Levi rummaged through the drawers. “What are you looking for?”
“The lighter fluid that I bought. Have you seen it?” Levi asked. I walked to the island and reached over by the fruit bowl. Dad barely ate fruit, so it was the perfect place to hide it. I snatched the bottle out and tossed it t
o Levi. We watched as he whipped out his Zippo and refilled it with the lighter fluid. Out the corner of my eye, Miranda and Benny entered the room.
“Pumpkin’s dating a jock now?” Axel piped up as Benny stood next to me. I gave a curt nod as Axel smirked. “Didn’t see that coming.” He sighed then glanced at his brother. “But hey…you know what they say. Expect the unexpected.” Axel winked at Blake as I raised a brow. I wearily rested my head on Benny’s shoulder as I watched Levi. Once he was done, he put the bottle back between the fruits.
“Thanks, Prin—Lana,” he mumbled.
“Where are you guys going?” Miranda asked as they walked out the back door.
“Out. Come on, Carter!” Keene yelled as he grabbed Levi’s keys. We watched as the blond boy skipped into the kitchen and put on his beanie. With one last wink, he walked out the door then shut it. I let out a sigh as I took a seat on the island. Miranda grabbed another cinnamon roll, and I groaned as Benny sat opposite me.
“You okay?” he asked, then placed his hands over mine. I nodded yet gave him a sleepy smile as he took my hands in his then raised them. Our elbows rested on the table as he left a gentle kiss on my knuckles. “Liam apologizes again for what happened earlier.”
“It’s okay…accidents happen.” I chuckled. “Remember when you got stitches in ninth grade?”
“How could I forget? She was out of the class for one minute then came back to the whole class talking, leading to all of us to stay during lunch to clean the storeroom.”
“Yeah. Remember the dead bird we found in the cage?”
“Yeah, then Nick and Tyler took out all the fish tanks, which I didn’t see.”
“How did you not see a gigantic fish tank on the table?”
“Not my fault the table was right behind me! They took the lid off, and I cut my arm on the freaking sharp edge,” he muttered, then pulled up his sleeve. I stared at the large scar on his forearm where six stitches were once put in. “It’s not a nice thing to have.”
“But it’s a good memory and funny story to tell,” I said as he glanced at me. His brown eyes locked with mine as the corners wrinkled up to form a smile. I gave a smile back as he took his thumb and rubbed circles on my palm. The doorbell rang as we turned our heads toward the living room. We saw Dad walk to the front door and open it. Two men stood by the door that I didn’t know. Dad must’ve known them since they spoke. Benny and I exchanged a few looks, then walked toward my father. Dad let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.