"Here."
A ticket is put in front of me and I look up at Aaron confused. It was Friday and I hadn't talked to Aaron since Wednesday, the day I gave him a ride. Yesterday I simply glared at him when I saw what type of ridiculous thing he had planned for the day.
"What's this?" I ask.
"A ticket to the fall festival tonight."
"Fall festival?"
"Yeah, the annual one?"
"You go to that?" I question.
"The bigger question is, you don't?"
"I always end up working the day it takes place or I forget," I admit.
"Well do you work today?"
"No but-"
"No but's, we're going," he says which causes me to give him a look.
"And if I don't?"
Aaron merely smiles. "There's no if."
I raise my eyebrow at him but he shrugs it off and walks away. Nat takes a seat next to me once she's got her food and gives me a weird look.
"What was that about?" she asks.
"I don't know," I respond truthfully. Nat notices the ticket and grabs it.
"Is this what he gave you?"
"Yeah, but I'm not going."
"Why not? I've gone and it's actually pretty fun! And it looks like he got you the exclusive pass ticket so you can get on all the rides."
"You're going today?" I ask.
She shakes her head with a small frown on her face. "My family from out of town are coming and my mom has already planned what we're gonna do until they leave."
"Lucky," I mutter.
She lets out a laugh. "Not really, I'd rather go to the festival. Maybe ask Maru."
"Ask me what?" Maru questions as she sits down in front of us.
"Are you going to the fall festival?" I ask her.
"I can't my dad grounded me."
"What? Why?"
"Because I've been carelessly using up all my money on clothes and makeup according to him so he's making me stay home as soon as I get out of school so that he knows I won't waste any more money. Why are you going?"
"Nope," I say.
"Yes she is. Aaron asked her to come with him," Nat objects.
"Wow," replies Maru, "I wonder what he has planned today. I guess he won't be doing whatever it is here at school but rather at the festival."
"Are you sure you can't come?" I ask Maru.
"Sorry. You know I totally would but I actually did cross the line with the money I spent so I don't want to test my dad."
"How much money did you spend?" questions Nat.
Maru smirks. "You guys don't want to know. But anyways why don't you just ask Sage? Where is he anyways?"
"Can't," I say, "him and Ethan have gone camping."
"Camping? At this time of the year?" says Nat.
I shrug. "They're trying to be adventurous or something, I don't know."
"Hm," is all Nat responds.
By the time I get home I can feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. I take it out as I open the door. An unknown number is calling me and I contemplate between answering or not but in the end I decide to do so.
"Hello?" I say.
"Be ready by seven."
"Aaron?"
"What?"
"How did you get-"
"I got your number that day you gave me a ride remember?"
"Oh yeah," I respond.
"Anyways be ready by seven."
"Oh, I'll just take my car."
"No that's a waste of gas. Bianca got her dads van again so we're all going together."
"Your friends are going too."
"Well yeah. Aren't yours?"
"No," I say and pause a little, "they're busy."
"Oh well sucks for them. Be ready by seven," he repeats before hanging up.
"Hello?" I call out not realizing he hung up. When I look at my phone and see that the caller ID isn't there anymore I glare at my phone.
"Did he really just hang up on me?" I mumble.
"Who?" mom questions.
I look up at her, startled.
"Some guy."
"Oh the annoying one?"
"Yeah," I say before adding, "I'm going to the fall festival today."
"Okay," mom says, "have fun." She gives me small smile before turning around and heading toward the living room where the TV is on.
With a sigh I walk into to my room and change into something more comfortable for the festival. When I'm ready it is still early so I lay on my bed and open my computer to Netflix. A few hours pass before finally my phone begins buzzing again.
I grab it and answer Aaron's call.
"What's your address again?"
It's not Aaron, its Omar.
"I texted it," I answer.
"No you didn't," says Omar, he pauses for a second and suddenly I begin to hear a lot of shuffling coming from the other side of the line until Omar speaks again. "Oh never mind," he says and hangs up.
I let out a scoff. "What is it between them and hanging up without even saying goodbye or whatever," I mutter.
Five minutes pass until I receive a text from Aaron saying they're outside. I grab my phone and small purse before walking out of my room.
"I'm leaving now," I tell my mom.
"Have fun," she says her eyes still glued to the TV.
With a small sigh I walk to the door and open it. The van is parked in the driveway and I watch as Aaron and Omar wave their arms at me as if telling me to hurry up. I roll my eyes before walking toward the van and opening the door. I take a seat next to Omar as Aaron moves to the back.
"How's it hanging Lux," says Omar as Bianca begins to drive.
"Fine," I say.
"Just fine?"
I give him a look and nod. "Just fine."
A few moments pass before Omar speaks again.
"Aren't you going to ask me how I'm doing?"
I sigh. "How are you doing Omar?"
He smirks. "Well my day started like any other," he says and continues going on in a detailed story about how his day started throughout the entire car ride. When we finally reach the parking lot for the festival Aaron speaks up.
"So then I went to the bathroom after my English class because I really needed to pee and-"
"Omar," says Aaron.
"What?"
"Shut the fuck up already."
"Yeah shut up already, nobody care about you pissing your pants," says SoHo.
"I made it in the toilet this time asshole," Omar exclaims to which they all roll their eyes.
We all get off the car after Bianca finds a parking spot. We walk together to the entrance and turn in our tickets to which we get a bracelet put on.
"Let's go to the rollercoaster first," says Bianca as she grabs SoHo's hand and pulls him toward the rollercoaster line.
Aaron and I give each other a look before we begin walking right after them. I stop when I notice Omar is following behind us.
"Aren't you coming?" I ask.
He shakes his head.
"Why not?"
"I hate rollercoasters," he admits.
"Wait, really?"
"Don't make fun of me," he grumbles.
"I'm not," I respond as I hear someone calling my name. I turn around and see Aaron waving for me to come as he waits in line behind Bianca and SoHo.
I look back at Omar whom is looking anywhere but at me before turning around at Aaron.
"Next ride," I call out before walking toward Omar.
"So which ride do you like?" I ask.
He gives me a weird look.
"What?" I say.
"You're not acting like your usual bitchy self, why?"
"Maybe because I'm not usually bitchy," I remark.
"Hm," Omar comments.
I roll my eyes and begin looking around at the rides around us.
"What about that one?" I say pointing at it.
Omar turns his head and begins laughing.
"What?" I say.
"Nothing," he says, "they name is just funny, that's all."
"How? It's called Tilt-A-Whirl, it's not really funny or clever."
"Whatever, let's go to that one."
I nod and we walk toward the line which thankfully isn't that long. When it is our turn we sit together in one of the cars and pull down the lever so that we are secure. Within seconds the platform begins to rotate and the car we're sitting in spins. After a few minutes inside the Tilt-A-Whirl the ride comes to an end and Omar and I get off.
"What did you think?" I say once we begin walking.
"It was fun," he says. "What's next?"
"Bumper cars?" I question.
"You're on," he says and we go to the Bumper Cars ride.
After we finish there Omar gets a call from Aaron asking us to meet him by the Ferris wheel.
"Finally," he says once he sees us. He glares at Omar before grabbing my wrist and pulling me to him.
"What are you doing?" I ask as I pull away from his hold.
"Last time I checked it was me who asked you to come not Omar," he says.
I give him a confused look and then turn to Omar who rolls his eyes before walking away from us and to Bianca and SoHo.
"He didn't want to get in the rollercoaster so we decided to get in some other rides."
"He could've just waited until the rollercoaster ride was over."
"Alone?"
"Yeah, alone."
"Oh well Aaron," I say somewhat annoyed.
He lets out a sigh.
"Just," he says, "just sit next to me on the next rides okay?"
"Okay whatever," I say and walk to Omar, Bianca and SoHo.
"So what's the next ride?" asks SoHo.
We go on the Swing Boat next and continue down the line of the rides beside it. An hour passes and finish getting off at the Turbo Drop.
"You know," I say to Aaron as he walks out of the ride, "I'm almost sure I heard you scream."
Aaron turns his head slightly and glances at me. "No you didn't."
"Oh yeah I did," I say.
"Are you talking about Aaron's scream?" says Bianca and I nod.
"It was fucking loud," adds SoHo.
"Shut the fuck up," Aaron tells us and we all laugh.
"I'm tired," says Omar, "can we find somewhere to sit? I think I want some funnel cake."
"Okay," says Bianca and walk toward the food area. We find a table and we sit down as Omar grabs his funnel cake. When he's back we all grab a bit of his cake and we talk. For a while there I almost forget that they're not my friends but actually Aaron's.
"Let's all take a picture there," says Bianca as she points at the photo booth.
"Nah," says Omar.
"Oh come on," she says and grabs SoHo's arm before looking at me and Aaron. We stand up and with a groan Omar does too. We squish in the photobook which I am thankful is bigger than the usual ones.
"Okay first one is always a regular picture and then the rest can be with faces. Got it?"
We all nod and watch as Bianca put in the money. Within seconds the screen begins a countdown and we all pose for the pictures. Once we finish Bianca takes out the two strips and hands the other to Omar. They laugh at it and once Aaron and I get a glance at it we laugh too because our faces are ridiculous.
"Ferris wheel now?" asks SoHo. Bianca nods and they walk together with Omar following behind. I begin walking but am suddenly pulled back by Aaron.
"What?"
"Let's take a picture, just us too."
And there it is again. That unsure feeling. The feeling in the pit of my stomach that could easily send me tumbling down and I don't know why.
I force a laugh. "You're pushing it, don't you think?" I tease.
"Maybe," he says, "but it is the first time that we've spent together that we haven't actually spent fighting and it makes me realize you're not that bad. So before we go back to normal with the bickering and all why not take some pictures and remember that one time we actually got along."
I force myself not to smile and merely shrug before walking back in the photo booth.
Aaron puts in the money and sits back with me. He scurries and puts his arm around me, smiling big for the first photo that I didn't even realize was taken until after the camera shutters.
"Funny face," he says and removes his arm around me and instead grabs onto my hand and makes a weird look on his face,
"Hurry," he adds when I don't do the same. I quickly look away and make a face as the camera takes the second photo.
"Smile and look at the camera," he says this time.
When I notice he isn't doing the same but instead staring at me I open my mouth but he shushes me.
"You didn't look at the camera," I say after the third picture is taken.
"You didn't look at it in the first photo either so now it's even. Normal photo now."
We both look at the camera and smile before the photo is taken. Once we're done we go out of the photo booth and he grabs the strips and hands me one.
"Don't lose it," he says before walking off. I roll my eyes as I look down at the photos of us. A shaky breath leaves my mouth as I begin walking after him.
We cut in line with Bianca, SoHo and Omar at the Ferris wheel and Aaron and I sit together once it's our turn. The ride begins and slowly the wheel rotates.
"Did you have fun?" asks Aaron.
"Sure," I say.
"Cool," he responds.
I look away and stare at the ground before us.
"Today wasn't that bad with us huh," he comments after a while.
"I guess not."
"Just admit it. You like hanging out with us."
"Oh yeah, your friends aren't that bad, but you? I'm not so sure."
Aaron lets out a laugh.
"This is kinda weird huh. You and me acting all civil with each other."
"It's not gonna last forever. You're bound to piss me off soon."
"I know," he says, "but I'd rather wait until tomorrow to do that. For today why don't you take a look to your left."
"To my left?"
Aaron half grins and he points to my left. Confused I face that way and that's when I see it. The light-up sign, normally having announcements for the festival, instead saying something different than the usual announcement: Lux Callaghan thinks I'm a phony.
I let out a hearty laugh.
"Oh my god, how do you even get that to happen?" I ask.
Aaron shrugs and says, "I know people."
"I bet."
Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, something unextpected happened last week which is why i was unable to update until now. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
Check out my profile for when the next chapter is up! (Its more accurate on my profile than when i say a date on the a/n of a chapter)