Mom had to drop us off a few blocks back, so we walk the rest of the way to the middle school parking lot, where the carnival is set up. As soon as it comes into view, I can see why Deanna loves it so much. The entire space has been transformed with rides, games, and concession stands. The smells of popcorn and fried dough waft toward us as we get closer, along with the sounds of quirky carnival music and squealing kids. I spot a Ferris wheel arching into the sky, a maritime-themed carousel spinning in circles, and those swings that go so high you feel like you’re flying. I loop my arm through Kayla’s as we enter the grounds.
“I’m excited!” I say, feeling like a kid again.
Kayla beams. “You should be.”
We get to a small blue building near the entrance marked Restroom in white letters.
“Ladieeeesssss,” Kayla calls out loudly, unlinking her arm from mine to run inside. “I knew you’d be in here! Don’t you have mirrors at home?”
I hear the other girls laugh in response. I lean against the wall and look at the main area. I’m surprised to see so many people, even though Kayla did say that everyone comes to this. A few groups of teenagers walk away from the entrance, heading toward the bathrooms. This must be the meeting spot once kids ditch their parents.
A message from Deanna pops up just as I’m about to ask where she is.Ferris wheel.
“I’m going to find Deanna!” I yell into the bathroom, not waiting for a response before I dart off.
The grounds feel enormous. It seems like every inch is covered with rows of game booths and rides. The “fried everything” vendors are already sweating from the hot oil, and the smells taunt me. When I get to the line for the Ferris wheel, Deanna waves me over. She’s wearing a floral crew neck and black jeans, and looks a lot more relaxed out of her uniform.
“Hurry up!” She laughs.
“Don’t we need tickets or something?” I ask, pulling out the fifty dollars my mom gave me.
“It’s already paid for by our school,” she says, and something in her tone tells me she’s surprised I didn’t know that. “We can ride whatever we want.”
“Cool,” I say, putting the money back in my pocket as if this isn’t all completely foreign to me. We didn’t have carnivals in our old neighborhood; there was barely enough space for us as it was. We still found our own ways to have fun—they just didn’t come with prizes.
The line moves quickly, and as we get closer, the Ferris wheel doesn’t look as rickety as I’d imagined. When it’s our turn, we slide onto the plastic bench within the cage.
“Keep your hands inside the car, please,” the attendant says before checking our safety bar and walking away.
The ride jerks us up.
“Are you scared?” Deanna asks, watching me clutch the bar with both hands.
I chuckle. “Not scared, just cautious.”
“Well, at least we’re together, right?” She pats one of my hands lightly.
“Are we… together?” I ask. Something about seeing ourselves rising higher and higher above everything makes me feel brave. Or maybe it’s just her.
“That’s what I said,” she says, laughing.
I smile at Deanna, and then look out over the carnival. Straining my eyes, I try to see if I can spot anything in Lorial, even though I know it’s notthatclose. My middle school principal always claimed that we had the highest steeple for like a hundred miles, but it’s all a sea of green from up here.
“You still with me?” Deanna says, waving her hand in front of my face as our car settles near the top.
I snap out of it. “Yeah, of course. This view though…”
“Yeah, there’ssomuch to see,” she says, gesturing at the trees.
“There is! My old town is that way, I think.” I point straight ahead.
“Oh, look at you letting go of the bar,” she teases.
I put my hand right back on it. “So, now that we’re together,” I say, “anything you want to tell me or anyone to tell me about?” I turn to face her.
Deanna laughs. “Nothing worth bringing up. There’s that one ex, but that’s a story for another time. We don’t talk at all; he’s an asshole.”
I just nod in case she wants to continue.
