Page 9 of Fireworks

Chapter Four

*****

Nate

Roaming around the fairgrounds, I wasn’t sure why I had even come tonight. They rigged the games. The pie-eating contest was disgusting to watch and most of the rides were awkward to take part in unless you had someone with you. Having already run into a dozen people that knew me, the novelty of being back home had worn off. Walking past another stand with oversized stuffed animals, I wondered if anyone ever won those things.

“Man, it’s definitely different now, isn’t it?”

Asher walked up behind me, a funnel cake in hand, devouring it like he hadn’t just eaten two corn dogs and a slice of Mrs. Martin's apple pie already. The smell alone made me nauseous.

“If that ain’t the truth. Feel like an old man here with all these ten-year-olds running around.”

Shoving the last bite into his mouth, powdered sugar fell down his chin.

“Nah, you just have to wait until later in the night when all the young ones go home to bed.”

Asher tossed his garbage in a nearby pail as we continued to move through the crowds.

“So, is Bridget coming tonight?”

Asher had been secretly crushing on her for the last two summers. I was pretty sure she knew that her flirting was killing him slowly. He hung on her every word like it was gospel.

“No idea man. Do you want me to text her?”

I honestly half wanted to play matchmaker for him just so he would leave me alone. He never understood why I never tried to get with her when she spent so much time talking to me during our shifts. It wasn’t like that between us, it never really was. We worked better being friends and knew that it wasn’t a line to cross. Plus, the minute she saw me looking at Katie, she knew that was a triangle she did not want to be a part of. Despite my insistence that it wasn’t what she thought, she refused to believe me.

“No need. I see her over there.”

He nodded toward one of the ticket booths.

“I’m going to go say hi. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Good luck, man.”

I patted his shoulder as he walked off, hoping Bridget would finally pay him some attention.

I hadn’t made it very far before I saw Katie standing alone in line for one of the food stands. She had changed out of the modest outfit she wore at the barbeque. Now, her shirt was wrapped tightly around her body, a deep v down the front showing off just how much she had grown up. The jean shorts she had on barely made it to the middle of her thigh. Ragged edges of string hung down, and the bottom edges of her pockets were visible against her golden skin.

Why did she feel the need to dress like that? She was asking for the wrong type of attention. My fists clenched in my pockets as I watched guys doing a double take as they walked past her. Each one looking at her like a piece of meat. Worst of all, she obviously hadn’t learned from her mistakes.

*****

Katie

I wasn’t oblivious to him strutting through the crowd straight for me. His eyes penetrated mine like he could read my every thought. My voice broke the silence between us first, filled with contempt.

“Can I help you?”

“Your shirt is a bit low, isn’t it?”

I looked down as if I hadn’t picked out my clothing. The unease building inside me.

“It’s perfectly fine.”

“Seriously, Katie, you need to cover up.”

Grabbing my cotton candy from the attendant, I stuck a sizeable chunk in my mouth as it quickly dissolved on my tongue.