by Jane West
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, Western style straw hat, with a bright smile that showcased his nut-brown eyes. I wasn't a big fan of guys wearing 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 arm halting me.
“Don't worry about it. This night is 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. Yet here we were, walking a mile before reaching the entrance gate.
There was no surprise to find the festival packed. Tons of folks standing 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 as a strong whiff of corny 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. I didn't think anything of it. Sam just didn't want us to end up separated. The crowd was thick as syrup.
We stopped at the lemonade stand. Sam ordered four corny dogs and two large lemonades. He had three to my one. Actually, I ate half of mine and handed him the rest. He polished it off in one bite.
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 a stuffed bear for me, 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 carney 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, confused over what I should 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 thought not kissing Sam back would've given him a clear message that I wasn't interested. I was wrong. “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 a hungry glint. “Let's get this cart a rockin'!” He flashed an impish grin.
A sudden surge of panic coursed through me. We were too high for me to jump. Sam had me where he wanted me—trapped.
I threw my palms flat against his chest. “Whoa, hold on cowboy!”
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 to him.
“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 you and I are dating now, I plan on breaking up with her anyway.”
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, you goofball!” 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 rose over me like blistering boils.
He slipped his phone from his pocket and started texting. “I'll break up with Gina right now.”
Holy cow! 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.
&n
bsp; “Hey, give me my phone back,” he insisted. “I'm breaking up with Gina because I like you!”
“No, you don't!” 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! You're flirting with me all this time was a tease!” he pointedly accused as sparks of anger flashed in his brown eyes.
“What?” I couldn't believe my ears.
“If you don't like me then why did you come on a date with me?”
“Wait!” I gulped air. “This isn't a date.”
“I paid your way!” Sam snapped.
“You offered!”
“That's what I'm sayin'! When a guy pays your way, it's a date.”
“Sam, I haven't been flirting with you. Tonight was a fluke.”
Sam's face twisted. “Sally told me what you said. You might as well come clean.”
“What did Sally tell you?”
“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 thinkin'.” Sam's glint darkened. “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.
Stalker
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've not 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 if such a thing existed in this Podunk town.
As luck would have it, Francis was the only person I knew with a car. Not someone I wanted to be alone with in a locked car. He gave me the creeps. 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 going into full-blown hysteria, I decided to backtrack. 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 dip. The booth had a “Close” sign hanging in the window. Desperation struck. Hurriedly, I stepped up to the window and banged on the pane of glass. 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, a gray-haired woman appeared. The woman slid the window open only a few inches as she announced in a sharp tone. “We're closed, sugar!” She quickly closed the window.
“Wait!” I shrieked through the glass. “I left my phone here!” I planted my palms against the window, my face smothered with desperation.
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 and 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 glass 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 on 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 at least one person. My eyes combed every direction praying for any signs of life. “Geez! The police have disappeared too,” I mumbled as my trepidation deepened.
I looked up. To my alarm, the park was shutting down, and the crowd was thinning. Half the lights had flickered off, as the park was shutting down. Swiftly, I tossed a glance over my shoulder. My heart did a one-eighty. The suit was on my tail. Holy crap! Was he stalking me?
I picked up my pace, my mind racing. I was alone with no means of protection, easy prey for the taking. My eyes combed the boarded stands. I glimpsed over my shoulder again and this time the man was gaining on me.
Terror became conspicuous as I sprinted, heading toward the stockyard. Surely, I'd find someone still tending to a cow, a pig, a horse, even a dog. Anything, anybody but this weirdo on my heels!
When I reached the stockyard, I heard cattle mooing and shuffling in their corral, but no sign of a human being. My whole life flashed before me as I had come to an abrupt halt. I had walked right into a dead end. The only recourse I saw was heading back
in the same direction of my stalker. The stranger had me right where he wanted me. I glanced in his direction and the corner of his mouth tipped into a half smile. Dread slid down my spine like slow poison. I was in trouble!
I cut my gaze passed him to see if there was any sign of life besides the two of us. To my rising concern, there wasn't a soul in sight. My panic kicked up about ten notches.
Somehow, he'd corralled me into this blockade.
I decided to face this creep head on. I spun on my heels, hands fisted ready to face my opponent.
Instead, I yapped, startled, jumping back! The last person I thought to see—Bane!
“Gracious! Are you that happy to see me?” He flashed a cocky smile.
I wrinkled my nose. “Don't flatter yourself.” I peeped over Bane's shoulder trying to spot the suit. To my relief, he'd vanished. I could breathe now. My lungs expanded as I raked in air.
“What's wrong, Princess?” A faint line appeared between his brows. “You look like you've seen a ghost?” Bane followed the line of my gaze.
Quickly I shifted my eyes back to Bane. “Nope! I'm all right.”
He turned back as our eyes caught. “You appear frightened.” His eyes washed over me, making me feel twitchy. “Did something happen?” His voice swirled with suspicion.
My brows furrowed. “What are you doing here? The park is closing?”
He raised a dark brow. “I could ask you the same.”
“I lost my phone at one of the stands.” I pointed over my shoulder at the booth.
“Did you find it?” There was laughter behind his glint.
“Yep.” I bit my lip, shuffling my feet, clasping my hands behind my back.
“Were you with someone, a date?” Curiosity seemed to perk his interest.
“Are you on a date,” I deflected.
He bent his head sideways, staring at me in disbelief. “You don't look well. Did the guy hurt you?”
My eyes narrowed. “No! I'm fine!” I crossed my arms, feeling huffy.
“I somehow doubt that. With your personality like a porcupine, I assumed you scared the poor chap away.” His eyes danced with amusement.
