Page 31 of Before the Encore

Bonnie inspected the camera. “What is it with Lipstick Fever and your favour for old technology?”

“You know you can’t take a better picture with your phone. No matter what the adverts tell you.”

Bonnie’s eyebrow quirked. “Does Frank know you took this?”

“Sure.”

Nope. But Frank’s meticulously organised side of their hotel room made it very easy to find.

“Come on, princess. You’re a tourist now and fun awaits. Don’t forget your cap.” Madison exited the car and stepped out into the humid LA air. It’d been a scorching day, and the sun’s last efforts dipped in the sky, glinting off the ocean waves.

She headed towards the entry where crowds of people flowed in and out. Overlapping music collided from every direction, colourful lights blinking from every stall and ride.

Bonnie reluctantly joined her, placing her black cap over her head. “You’ve really got to stop calling me that.”

“We need a nickname for you, or we’re never going to convince anyone of our budding romance.” She nudged her. “What about Bonbon?”

“You have to be joking.”

“Sugarplum Sparkle, Twinkle Toes…or my old favourite, Princess Bubblegum?”

“I hate you.”

The crowd thickened as they stepped onto the wooden boardwalk. Tourists posed at the railings for photos, while children ran screaming, cuddling toys and trailing balloons behind them. At the edge of the pier, a grey-haired couple sat fishing.

Bonnie slowed, keeping her head down low. Madison tugged her elbow. “Stay close. And stop being weird.”

“I’m not. You are.”

“You’re a tourist now. Take a picture.”

She cut Madison an annoyed glare but brought the camera to her face.

The flash blinded Madison, and she rubbed her eyes. “Not of me. Of the pier.”

Bonnie lifted a shoulder, taking another. “My camera, my rules.”

She blinked; the light burned into her retinas. When they refocused, her eyes widened. “Oh my god. Churros!” She dragged Bonnie towards the food cart, fresh dough and sugar making her salivate. She ordered a cone of churros, dusted with cinnamon and drizzled with chocolate.

The first bite earned a groan of delight. Crispy on the outside, light and soft in the middle, delicious everywhere. Holding one out to Bonnie, she was met with a firm shake of the head.

“I still have rehearsals tomorrow.”

“Live a little.” She wagged the cone under her nose. “What if you get hit by a bus on your way home? Your last regret would be not tasting the world’s best churros.”

“I think my last regret would be saying yes to this…excursion of yours.”

Madison side stepped a couple holding hands. “If you die having fun, that’s not so bad, is it? You might as well enjoy yourself while you’re here.”

“I’d rather make it home alive if I have any say in it.” But she plucked a churro from the cone and bit off the end, immediately letting out a low moan. “Okay, yeah. Wow. You’re right. They’re so good.”

Madison stopped walking and cupped her ear, leaning towards her. “Wait. What was that? I’m…right? Holy shit. Bonbon’s had an aneurysm.”

A cackle escaped Bonnie’s mouth before she punched Madison’s arm. “Don’t get used to it. It’s a once in a blue moon occurrence. And don’t call me Bonbon.” She strutted ahead, pausing to browse a selection of seashell necklaces from a nearby stall.

Madison chewed on another warm churro, letting herself blend into the hustle and bustle of the pier. A busker sang slightly off-key by a railing, shrieks of laughter and screams carrying from the rollercoaster. She found herself watching Bonnie as she chatted with a shopkeeper, catching herself grinning. She shoved another churro in her mouth.

They browsed more stalls, mostly selling tourist junk, like magnets and route 66 signs—the kind of crap Ruby would love. Madison bought a couple of cheap magnets for her sister and a lighter with a sunbathing woman in a bikini, mostly to gain an eye roll from Bonnie.