by Raathi Chota
“Lana and Levi’s disposable dildos, she sucks ’em, and I chuck ’em. How may we pleasure you today?”
My eyes widened as I pushed him, then spun around to hear the person’s response. I paled at the thought of it being Benny, Miranda, or even Uncle Griff.
“Well, yes, I haven’t received mine yet. Can I get a refund? Cash won’t do. I think I’ll need her to com—”
“Oh my god!” I shrieked as Carter spoke in a horrible British accent. They laughed as I shook my head and got back to work. “Get ready, we’re coming,” Carter said as Levi put the phone on speaker.
“Are we still on the sexual jokes or are you actually coming?” Keene asked.
“I wish…Aidan and Liam want to go to that stupid Wonderland shit,” Carter muttered.
“It’s not shit!” Aidan yelled in the background.
“See you sexy fuckers in five,” he said, then ended the call. Keene helped me clean up while Levi took selfies on my phone. We were done just in time as we heard cars honk. I slipped on my coat and a maroon scarf, then followed Keene and Levi out the door.
“Shit!” Keene yelled. I glanced up and noticed Keene fell, reason being that he was met by snow. A smile crept on my face as I glanced around the snow that surrounded our garden.
“Dude, snow angels!” Liam exclaimed as he ran up to Keene and plopped down beside him. Keene glared at Liam, who leisurely made snow angels while he struggled to get up.
“Dude, you suck.” Aidan piped in as he ran toward Liam and Keene. We watched as he let out a frustrated groan then stared at the two brunettes.
“You both swallow!”
I laughed as I walked toward Aidan’s car where Benny and Miranda were. She started to sniff the air as Benny wrapped an arm around my waist.
“You making cinnamon rolls?” Miranda wiggled her brows.
“Yeah, my dad is keeping an eye on them so we can have some when we come back.” I smiled.
“Hey, Lana,” Tiffany greeted as she waved from Miranda’s car. I waved back as I spotted Melissa and Nick by the vehicle. I glanced at Aidan and Liam, who walked toward us.
“I see your date went well,” I said to Aidan, who smiled at Tiffany. His cheeks reddened when he thanked me again, then walked to her.
“Yeah, it’s easier,” Ethan said as I tilted my head. He saw my confused look and laughed. Benny turned to me as I rested my head on his shoulder.
“We’re going in three cars, so it’s quicker,” Ethan mumbled as everyone got into a car. All the girls piled into one car while Benny, Liam, Nick, and Marcus got into Aidan’s car. Levi decided to take his car as Keene, Blake, Ethan, and Carter drove with him.
“You guys are all dating jocks now, wow,” Tiffany commented from the backseat. Her date with Aidan must’ve gone well since she decided to come.
“I know, right?” Miranda smiled. “Everyone goes for the basketball players, but I enjoy my soccer player.”
“Speaking of our wonderful boyfriends…” Melissa trailed off as she looked at me. “Where were you two last night?”
“We didn’t feel like a party, so we just chilled at his place and watched Netflix.”
“Netflix and chill already?” Tiffany gasped as Miranda squealed. My eyes widened as I furiously shook my head at the three girls who squealed and asked the most inappropriate questions.
“No, it wasn’t like that! We just watched a few movies and cud—”
“Yeah right,” they said in unison. I buried my head in my hands from embarrassment as they laughed.
We arrived at the park to see the huge Winter Wonderland. Booths sold almost everything, there were carnival food, rides, an ice skating rink, and shows took place. We walked around and took in the atmosphere. I walked hand in hand with Benny as we followed our group.
“Oh my gosh, Lana, look—those hats I was telling you about!” Miranda squealed as we walked through the booths.
“I like the black one,” Melissa referred to the Russian hats.
“The white one will look beautiful with your hair,” Miranda said to Tiffany.
“You think so?” She chuckled as the guys groaned.
“Are you guys literally gonna stop at every booth, trying on things yet not buy anything?” Aidan asked.
“Err…yeah. You brought us here for a reason,” Melissa pursed her lips.
“Dude, just don’t say anything. You’ll get used it. In the end, you’re the one carrying all the bags,” Marcus assured him.
“Well, I’m hungry as hell. See you guys later,” Liam said as he walked off with Ethan and Aidan.
“Hey, we should all get one!” Miranda squealed as she turned to the three of us.
“All right, see ya,” Levi said as he walked off with Keene and Blake.
“Which one do I take?” I asked. I picked up the dark brown one and took out my hair tie as I tried it on. I turned to Benny, who smiled at me.
“You look beautiful,” he said, then approached me.
“Hey! You wear, you buy!” the woman behind the booth said as Benny planted a kiss on my lips.
“We’ll take these.” Miranda pointed to the hats we wore. Miranda bought them for us as she put on her red one; Melissa wore a black. Tiffany had a white one, while I stuck to my brown one. “Carter, make yourself useful and take a photo of us,” Miranda said as she gave him her phone. I laughed as he gave her a look but raised the phone anyway as we posed for the picture. We continued to walk as Carter gave Miranda’s phone back and went to go catch up with the rest of the guys.
“Please, baby!” Miranda whined beside us.
“You wanna throw up?” Marcus asked.
“No, but by the time we get to the rides, the food will already be digested!”
“Fine…the usual?” Marcus asked as he glanced at Benny.
“Uh huh.” Miranda nodded.
“Come on, dude, the lady wants food,” Marcus said as he tugged on Benny’s arm. I laughed as Nick, Benny, and Marcus walked in search of food. Out the corner of my eye I saw a booth that sort of lured me into it. I approached the booth and took in all the different types of vinyl on the table. My eyes scanned through the genres of music as I felt a presence beside me.
“You got that one,” Levi said. I followed his gaze to see that I held ABBA’s vinyl.
“How do you know?” I set it down and looked through the others. I picked up The Wanted as my lips formed into a smile.
“And that one,” Blake said as he appeared on my other side.
“Do you guys hang out in my room while I’m not there or what?” I asked, then put the vinyl down.
“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 t
he 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. He 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 o
f 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.
