Page 52 of Don’t Be A Stranger

“Nothing, I just like seeing you enjoy yourself.”

She rolls her eyes and licks powdered sugar from her fingers. The sight has me shifting under her.

“This”—she gestures toward the funnel cake—“is all part of my summer training.”

“Oh, yeah? How is that going by the way?” I ask, my voice smug because I know the excuse that she used to stay here in Ellingbrook.

Summer flicks my chest but she doesn’t even try to hold up her argument anymore. Not when I know she’s aware that I know her like the back of my hand.

“It’s not that I don’t want to see them,” she admits and I don’t want her to feel like I’m accusing her of anything, ’cause I’m not. I just wish she knew that she didn’t have to lie about the reason she didn’t want to go back home.

“I know not going back home is kind of a dick move but…I just feel so useless. What can I do? Just sit there and watch Dad be sick? It kills me.”

Summer has never once in her life been useless to anyone. All she has to do is exist and life is better.

“Summer.” I rest my hand on her thigh. She meets my gaze. “I’m sure that just being there would be more than enough. And I know you don’t believe that—so I’ll just believe it for both of us. Okay?”

She smiles gently and surprises me by pressing her lips to mine with a light peck. Then she pulls away like nothing happened and goes back to picking at our food.

I’m now tempted to get her into my car and drive her back home just so she can see her parents. I know she’s dying to go but won’t allow herself that.

But just from the way Summer goes back to looking around the festival and admiring the outfit choices of other festival goers, I know that she’s finished with this conversation. At least for tonight.

Then she gasps. “River! They have a photobooth.”

I look around and indeed see that there are a few photobooths in the distance. I smile at her. “Oh yeah, we’re definitely doing that.”

Summer is quick to get to her feet and link our arms together. I toss what’s left of our funnel cake into a nearby trash can. We weave through the crowd together, making a beeline for the black photobooth off to the side.

I pull back the curtain and gesture for Summer to get in before I do. It’s all nostalgic.

We’re not new to the photobooth game. I think collectively Summer, Lily, and I probably have over twenty photo strips just from the photobooth at our state fair alone.

I even keep one of the three of us in my wallet. The one we took the summer before our senior year of high school.

“Alright.” I slide in next to Summer on the small bench. “What are we thinking? Serious? Dramatic? Ridiculous?”

Summer taps her chin in thought even though I already know the answer. “All of the above.” She smiles.

Summer taps her card before I can say anything and I narrow my eyes, but I know that we’re not only going to take one round of photos and I’m determined to pay for the next.

Summer wraps one of her arms around my neck and rests the other on my cheek. She pushes our faces together and I let her.

Three, two, one…Flash!

During the next countdown, Summer keeps us in the same position but this time she turns her head and kisses my cheek. I can’t help but smile and let the camera capture the moment.

Summer then moves and climbs back onto my lap and kisses me again. We don’t even bother to move in a different position for the fourth photo.

“I didn’t know it would be those kinds of pictures,” I mumble against her lips.

“Yeah.” She smiles. “Our little secret.”

She pecks my lips again and reaches to swipe her card again, but I quickly swat her hand away. She doesn’t even try to argue it, knowing she’s been caught red-handed.

We take a few more rounds of photos and when I look at the time, I realize that we still have a little bit before Get A Grip! is on stage.

“One more strip?” I suggest and Summer quickly nods.