by Jane West
To pick up the slack, I took on an extra route on the weekends. It wasn’t much money, but every penny counted. Despite my efforts, I wasn’t sure that the extra coins would make much difference. Sara still hadn’t forked over the landlord's info. I was at a disadvantage. I suspected we’d be getting an eviction notice in the next week. The story of my life. I huffed, ready to kick rocks.
Then I inhaled a sharp breath and blew it out. No fretting tonight, I promised myself. Tonight, I was setting aside all troubles and only concerning myself with being a teenager. No worries, no regrets. Just fun.
The plan tonight was pool at Mother Blues. Not exactly my game, but if it got me out, hanging with friends, I’d make an exception. I really didn’t care where we went. Hell, I was in such a good mood that if Gina decided to bless us with her beauty, it wouldn’t bother me. Tonight, I was like a duck to water. Nothing was going to ruffle my feathers, not even a spiteful blonde.
I decided to wear my favorite pair of jeans and a light tank top, nothing fancy. I looked at my messy hair, and my shoulders slumped. I hated it.
When I was a kid, kids teased me a lot because of my looks. It wasn't fun getting called carrot top and told I had cat eyes. They even teased me for my freckles. Why couldn't I have been normal, instead, I was stuck with this rusty colored hair and green eyes?
I once thought my parents had adopted me. Neither Sara nor Dad had red hair and fair skin. Genetics was funny like that. I grabbed up my brush and started working out the tangles, one painful tangle after another.
Staring back at myself in the small mirror, examining the final product, I felt pleased with myself. My hair looked great! I found a blow-dryer in Sara’s closet. Amazing how all the curls had vanished, leaving my long hair straight. I checked my back and whistled. I didn’t realize how long my hair had grown. It reached past my waist. Most of the time, I wore it in a ponytail. I never had time to mess with the thick mop.
Next, I borrowed some of Sara’s makeup. I didn’t want to cake it on, just a little blush and lipstick.
Just as I tugged on my cowboy boots, the doorbell sounded like a siren. I leaped to my feet and ran downstairs, swinging the door wide open.
Sam had his hand on the doorbell aiming for round three. “Hey! You’re early.” I smiled, half out of breath.
“Am I?” His brow arched. Then his eyes dropped, roving over me from head to my booths. “You look hot!”
I blushed. Compliments were like striking oil. It rarely happened, especially from a boy. “Thanks!” I half smiled.
After a minute of sharing smiles, my gaze slipped past Sam to his truck, an old green Ford. “Where is everyone?” I cut my eyes back at him. “Are they meeting us at Mother Blues?”
Sam shuffled his feet, hands stuffed in his jean pockets. “Everyone canceled.” He shrugged. “It looks like it’s just you and me.” He tossed a lopsided smile.
I found myself liking his dimples. Sam was adorable, dressed in Western clothes and a white straw hat, Western style, with a bright smile that showcased his nut-brown eyes. I wasn’t a big fan of guys and hats, but it was a good look on him.
“Just the two of us, huh?” I chewed my bottom lip, rocking on my heels.
“Yep, it looks that way.” He smiled timidly. I could tell he was nervous.
I doubted Sam really wanted to spend an evening with me alone. He showed up only out of kindness. “Hey, we can do this another time when everyone can come.” I shrugged. “I’m sure there’s somewhere else you’d rather be.”
“Heck no! I wanna take you out. There’s a carnival in town. It’s not exactly the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but there’ll be rides and cool things to do. It’d be fun!” There was an eagerness in his eyes.
I chewed my bottom lip, rocking back and forth on the idea. It sounded fun, and I wanted to go. Sam was easy to hang with too. He was a good buddy. “Okay, let me get my money.” I started to turn, but Sam tugged on my sleeve halting me.
“Don’t worry about it. This night’s on me.” He offered, smiling.
My eyes widened. “You’re going to pay my way?” I didn’t know how I felt about that. I’d never had a boy offer to pay for bubble gum. In fact, I’d never been alone with a boy, anywhere. Butterflies fluttered my stomach.
“It’s cool! I got this.” he flashed his dimples.
How could I say no? “Okay, let’s go!” I locked the door behind me.
As far as my eyes could stretch, cars of every make and model lined the streets. Where did all these people come from? Tangi was nothing more than a hole in the ground, and I knew these folks didn't crawl out from that tiny hole. But here we were, walking a mile before reaching the entrance gate.
There was no surprise to find the festival packed. Tons of folks shoulder to shoulder bumping against one another and a line at the ticket booth seemed endless.
Once we entered through the gate, passed the ticket booth, the park was buzzing, music blasting, screams roaring and laughter wafting in the air. Countless colors of neon lights dotted the dark sky. Energy honeyed the air as my heart raced with fervor.
“I’m hungry!” Sam shouted over the noise. “Let’s hit the food court first. We need fuel to tackle the rides.” His eyes glistened in the lights.
“Sounds good to me!” I yelled back in his ear. A strong whiff of hot dogs and funnel cake lingered in the air, making my stomach rumble.
Sam reached down and grabbed my hand as we pushed our way through the crowd.
We stopped at the corn dog stand. Sam ordered four corn dogs and two large lemonades. He had three corny dogs to my one. Actually, I ate half of mine. I handed the rest of mine to Sam, and he polished it off for me.
Right after we ate, Sam and I made our way to the rides. No stone went unturned. Every ride that flipped us high in the air, turned us upside down, dropped us to our near death. We rode, screaming, laughing all the way. We were fearless.
Sam even won me a stuffed bear, tossing balls. His face glowed handing the prize to me. I smiled up at him and squeezed the animal, bubbling with joy. I would treasure this moment forever. My first! In fact, everything about this night was my first.
As the park started winding down, near closing time, we saved the best for last, the Ferris wheel. We gathered in line and soon our time came to board the ride. Sam politely allowed me to go first and then he followed behind me. The carny snapped the bar closed, keeping us fastened tightly. With each new passenger boarding, our cart etched its way to the open stars. Once we reached the top, my breath hitched.
“Look! It’s beautiful.” I whispered, peering below. From the bird’s eye view, it was breathtaking. Beneath us, the neon lights blanketed its soft glow over the park. I thought it was interesting watching people, ant size dallying back and forth. I lifted my eyes to the stars taking in their wonder as a light breeze tousled my hair. This had been an amazing night. A night I’d treasure forever. Suddenly I remembered I wasn’t alone. My eyes caught Sam’s. “Thank you for tonight. It’s been a blast!” I smiled.
Then swiftly the mood shifted. Sam smiled into my face as he slid his arm around my waist, drawing me closer against him. He inclined his head and planted a wet kiss dead center on my closed mouth. I froze. I didn’t know what to do. My first kiss and it reeked of corn dog and mint. Yuck!
When he pulled back, a prideful grin, brighter than the neon lights below, lit his face. Apparently, he was too proud of his conquest to notice that I wasn’t a participant. Good grief! A mannequin would’ve given him more action. I sat there staring at him, blinking.
To my horror, he dove in for sloppy seconds. Swiftly, I pressed my hands against his chest. “Whoa! What are you doing, Sam?” My eyes were wide with shock.
“I’m kissing you!” he let out a curt laugh. “Haven’t you ever been kissed before?” A faint Line between his brows puckered, he was baffled.
I wasn’t about to dignify that with an answer. I thought my not kissing Sam back should’ve sufficed him enough to realize
I wasn’t interested. “Umm, I wasn’t expecting you to ”
I stopped in midsentence. I realized Sam wasn’t listening to me when he drew me closer. His eyes brimmed with hunger. “Let’s get this cart a rockin’!” He flashed an impish grin.
As I peered below, panic coursed through me. We were too high for me to jump. I had no way off this trap.
I threw my palms flat against his chest. “Whoa, hold on cowboy! There’s been a misunderstanding.”
He snorted. “Chickadee, I know you like me.” He leaned in reaching for another kiss, more forceful this time.
In return, I shoved back harder, gritting my teeth. “Stop!” I demanded. My heart was slamming against my ribs.
Sam looked at me as if he'd lost his mind. Probably because my rejection was unfamiliar territory.
“Oh-Oh, I get it! You don’t wanna hook-up until I kick Gina to the curb.”
I almost had heart failure. “Say what?”
“Yeah, Gina and I are dating.” He spoke matter-of-factly.
“Why wasn’t I informed?” I should go ahead and dig my grave. Gina now had a reason to come after me.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t see the point. Since we’re dating now, I plan on breaking up with her.” Did I need to hit this dude in the head with a rock? Why was he not listening to me?
“Wait! You’re breaking up with Gina because of me?” My stomach was in sync with the Ferris wheel. Any minute, I was going to hurl. “You can’t be serious?” I gave him a sidelong glance of utter disbelief.
“I have to tell her, silly!” Sam messed my hair, rubbing my head. “We can’t show up at school, arm in arm without telling Gina first. What kind of guy you think I am?” he flashed a goofy smile.
“Sam, you can’t break up with Gina!”
“Don’t worry, Chickadee! This will all blow over in a week or two.”
“Maybe for you!” I bellowed. “Gina will make my life a living hell! She already hates me!”
“So what’s the problem?” He squeezed me too tightly. I pushed his arms away. “She can’t hate you no more than she already does.”
I sat there speechless over this dude’s flippant attitude.
“I tell you what,” he smiled. “I’ll do it now.”
“Do what now!” Panic poured over me like an icy waterfall.
He slipped his phone from his pocket and started texting. “I’ll break up with Gina right now.”
Holy shit! I snatched his phone away. “No, no, no! No breaking up with Gina in a text.” I gripped the phone with my fingers. “In fact, don’t break up with her at all!” I couldn’t believe this dude! I was just starting to like it here, and he had to ruin it.
“Hey give me my phone back!” he insisted. “I’m breaking up with Gina because I like you!”
“No, you don’t!” Holy crap! If I didn’t convince him otherwise, I was dead meat. “I’m a stranger that you hardly know.” I forced a smile. “You’re going to go to school Monday and pretend this conversation never happened.” I slapped the phone into the palm of his hand.
“Oh, I get it! Your flirting with me all this time was a tease!” Sparks of anger flashed in Sam’s eyes.
“What?” I couldn’t believe this dude.
“If you don’t like me then why did you come on a date with me?”
“Wait!” I gulped air. “That’s where you’re wrong! This isn’t a date.”
Sam snarled. “I paid your way!”
“You offered!”
“That’s what I’m sayin’! When a guy pays your way, it’s a date.” Sam’s lips tightened.
I reeled with astonishment. “Sam, I haven’t been flirting with you. Tonight was a flute. All of us had plans to go out tonight.”
Sam’s face twisted. “Sally told me what you said. You might as well come clean.”
“What did Sally tell you?” This I had to hear.
“She said you told her that you liked-liked me.”
“Liked as in boyfriend?” I blinked back shock.
“Yep!” Surely, Sam heard wrong.
“I never said any such thing to Sally!”
“Me thinkies you’re lyin’.”
Oh, now he was trying to be cute. “Well, try not to think too hard, you might bust a cap!”
“I tell you what I’m thinking.” Sam's glint shifted. “You changed your mind about me and decided to hook up with old blue.”
“I’ve about had it with your insults.” I started ticking off finger by finger. “First, you think I’ve been flirting with you, which I haven’t been. Second, you called me a liar, which I’m not, and last but not least, you think I have the hots for the new guy, which is none of your pea pickin’ business!”
When my eyes lifted from Sam’s sour face, I realized we’d come to a halt. The swish of the hydraulics was music to my ears. When the carney released the locks, I had my chance to get away from this lunatic’s embrace.
I rocketed out of the cart, keeping my feet moving. I heard Sam calling out my name, but I ignored him. Tears were streaming down my face, and the last thing I wanted was for him see me sobbing. How could I have not seen Sam for his true self? Then I remembered Bane. Damn! I wished I'd listened now.
Evil Follows
By the time I stopped and looked up, a sudden dread bubbled inside me. I was utterly lost. The crowd had thinned, and the park had grown dim. The rides, the lights, the aimless chatter that once wafted in the air had quieted.
Dumping Sam might not have been a wise decision for me. My hasty decision cost me a ride home. In a slow twirl, I raked over my surroundings. “My temper sure can get me into tight spots?” I raked my fingers through my hair, blowing out a whiff of alarm. My options were nada. I had no money for a cab. That was a big fat if. Taxi service in these sticks, I doubted existed.
As luck would have it, Francis was the only person I knew with a car. Not someone I wanted to be alone with or in a packed crowd. He made my skin crawl. Yet what other choice did I have? Walk twenty miles in the dark? The walking part was no problem. The woods-bugs-snakes-and-gators part was the drawback.
When I reached my back pocket for my phone, all I found was an empty back pocket. Frantically, I patted down my other pockets. “No freaking way!” My problem just became DEFCON.
Taking a deep breath, trying to keep from a full-blown hysteria, I decided to backtrack my steps. I craned my neck looking for anything familiar. My breath eased as I spotted the lemonade stand where Sam and I first stopped. I might’ve left it there when we were eating. I sprinted off in its direction.
When I reached the concession booth, my hope took an immediate nosedive. The booth had a Closed-sign hanging in the window. Panic struck. Hurriedly, I stepped up to the window and banged on the pane. There was no stir of anyone inside, but the lights were still burning. This time, I pounded the glass pane with force as if I was trying to wake the dead. Bam! Bam! Bam! The window rattled.
After what felt like an eternity had passed, a gray-haired woman appeared. The woman slid the window open only a few inches apart as she announced in a sharp tone. “We’re closed, sugar!” She quickly closed the window.
“Wait!” I shrieked with desperation through the glass. “I left my phone here!” I planted my palms against the window looking desperate.
The older woman stopped and stepped up to the window, sliding it wider this time. “Did you say you lost your phone?”
“Yes!” I nearly jumped with joy. “Do you have it?” I rattled out in a rush. My eyes were wide with hope.
“Wait here let me check.” She twirled on her heels and disappeared to the back. I waited, stuffing my hands in my pockets, rocking on my heels.
Unexpectedly, a cold breeze brushed the back of my neck. I glanced over my shoulder, spotting a tall man wearing shades standing alone by the tables. He was just standing there staring at me with his arms folded. Eerie chills spread over me.
Strangely, three words came to mind he wasn’t human! What a weird
assumption. The man appeared out of place. Wearing a black suit to a carnival seemed odd enough, but the shades screamed creepy. The only people who wore shades at night were either gangsters or the blind. This dude appeared to be neither. I decided to go back under the booth’s awning. Most likely I was over reacting. I was still shaken up over Sam and forfeiting my ride. Even still, the sense of alarm lingered heavily on my shoulders.
I slipped a quick glimpse at the suit. Did I know this person? A sick familiarity jabbed my skull. Where have I seen this man?
After several heartbeats, the gray-haired woman returned with something in her hand. She opened the glass pane all the way and leaned out holding up a phone. “Is this yours, sugar?” She held it in her fingers, smiling.
“Yes! Thank you, thank you!” I jumped with glee.
“Here you go, sweetie.” She smiled. “My husband found it and figured before the night ended, someone would claim it.” She dropped it in my palm and quickly closed the window, disappearing to the back.
“Oh, thank God!” I breathed. I went to swipe my phone, but my euphoria plummeted. I’d forgotten to charge the dang thing. “Damn, damn, double, damn!” I looked back at the lemonade stand. The lights were off this time. I rushed to the window, pounding on the pane. Nothing. I knocked harder, holding my breath. Still, no sign of the woman. My options were running out. I had to get to a pay phone or borrow someone’s cell. Did they even make pay phones anymore?
I peered down the line of concession stands, and dread bristled my neck. The stands were empty. Then my eyes landed on that weird man in the suit. Like a marble statue, he stood, immovable, though his attention seemed fixed on me. Fear iced my blood. I needed to find someone with a working phone.
I took off in the opposite direction of the dark suit, trotting down the line of stands, hoping to spot someone. My head snapped in every which direction seeking any sign of life. “Geez! The police have disappeared too!” I mumbled as my trepidation deepened.