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Focus.
I turn back around, face forward, listening to the sound of the engines idling as the worker checks every rider's safety harness, starting with mine. I take a moment to study the track I've ridden a few times since I moved here. Occasionally I can talk Meg into coming for the day. The girl has been my partner in crime since college, and as long as her dad isn't bitching about something she's game for anything.
I glance at the light when the college-aged worker returns to the front, signaling he's done with harness checks. It's still on red, and within a few seconds turns to yellow, and the green.
I stomp the gas, my tires spinning before taking off down the pavement. The yellow car beside me keeps side by side, but only for a moment, and then it's just me in the front after cutting her off in the inside of the curve. I keep my eye on the road, only glancing to my rear when the roar of the kart engine sounds at my tail.
Lime green.
Shit. I swerve over, blocking him from speeding up beside me. When he moves to my opposite side, I swerve again. His front bumps my back. My pedal is to the metal, my speed topped out. The straightaway is coming to a close with a U curve. At the start I hit the bottom of the curve and Bryant takes the top. I glance over at the sound of his kart coming up beside me.
My kart is slowing but my foot hasn't let off the gas. I pump the throttle, but it continues to decrease in speed so I keep to the side of the track. He blows me a kiss like I did earlier in passing, but as his hand leaves his lips, his index, ring, and pinky fingers fold and all that remains is his middle finger, flipping me off.
My kart stops in the middle of the track, Bryant taking the lead and the rest of the karts behind him passing me by. I hit the steering wheel several times, my anger coming out in a growl. I've never lost to Meg, even if I didn't win the race. Fucking car trouble. "Come on!" I yell, as the member of staff walks along the track toward me.
He tries to crank it a few times with no luck, so I unbuckle and get out of the kart as he begins to push it back to the start. I'm completely disregarding that whole racer rule that you're not supposed to get out of your car on the track. I'm aggravated. All that shit talking and I can't even finish the damn race. That's bullshit.
When I make it back to the start, the only covered portion of the track, Bryant is waiting on me with a full-throttle winner's grin spread on his face. I glance at him with an angry expression, flipping him the bird as I pass beside him, continuing out the exit gate. "Awe, don't be a sore loser, beautiful."
I ignore him completely, stewing in my own aggravation. He catches up to me and grabs me by the inside of my elbow, halting me. I turn around. "What?"
He's still wearing that absurd grin that is making my insides wither. He pulls me against him and his lips crush against mine with the momentum of a wave breaking. My anger melts away when he lifts me up his body, making me feel small. I wrap my legs around his waist and my hands rub through his beard as his lips assassinate mine, forgetting completely where we are. Our tongues caress, playing a game of tag.
He pulls away, my eyes remaining closed. "You're really making it hard to be angry when I never got a fair race."
I open my eyes, looking into his bright green ones. His smile returns. "I paid the operator to manipulate your engine. There was no way in hell I was missing out on dressing room sex tomorrow."
My mouth betrays me like the bitch that it is, returning a fucking smile he doesn't deserve. "You dirty bastard. I can't believe I didn't think of that."
"What? Did you think you were the only one that could play dirty? Come on now."
"You just better be glad that dick of yours is worth it, because I don't like to lose," I say, sliding down his body until I'm back on my feet. He sticks his hands in his pockets and adjusts himself. My arms wrap around his neck, and I lean in until my lips are beside his ear. "When you're done, my hand and tit prints better be all over that mirror. Don't disappoint me."
I walk off. Now, where is that carousel?
Bryant
We walk down Riegelmann's Boardwalk as the sun is setting, each holding our own gelato from Coney's Cones we got after getting off the B&B Carousel. We've been around this entire park at least once, not getting in a hurry and riding everything she wanted to ride. I don't think she missed anything, including the low thrill rides. We even wandered through the shops and played some of the games. We've been here for hours, and I can tell the day is coming to a close.
I never imagined my day turning out like this when I woke up this morning, but I must admit it's the most fun I've had in a while. Honestly, it beats the clubs, the alcohol, and the constant partying when I want a social life. The Go-karts, well, that's something I'll remember for a long time when I leave. It made me feel younger, carefree, and she showed a side of herself that I like. She's like that hot girl friend you can actually have fun hanging out with like she's one of the guys but then go home and hook up with without it messing up anything.
I glance at her as she pulls the spoon out of her mouth, top down, letting it mold against her tongue as she transfers the gelato onto the top. We stop at the railing and lean over it on our forearms, looking out at the beach in silence as we eat. "Thanks for tagging along," she says. "Saxton is a little bitch when it comes to amusement parks. It's his only downfall as a human. He sucks the fun out of it."
"He sucks the fun out of a lot of things," I return, "but I'm glad he's finally coming around, even if he did punch me in the fucking face."
She looks at me, that sexy smile already in show. "He really is having issues with us, isn't he? I didn't realize a person could get so hostile with a baseball cap until that car ride. It's kind of funny considering he's hooked up with a lot of my friends through the years. I didn't get all bent out of shape about it."
"I egg him on a lot just to give him shit. That's how I've always been. He'd probably get over it quicker if I didn't fuck with him about it. I get it, though. Since I've known him, Saxton has always been that sensitive guy when it comes to people being taken advantage of. Kambry just brings it out that much more than when we were back in college." I smile, filtering through the memories. "And the parts that reassures he has a set of balls I thought was missing all these years. He used to be a fucking pushover. It was painful to watch. But family is important. And he's right. In a few days I'll be headed back to California. He's just watching out for you, so I'll take his hits like a man and move on. It’s not worth fighting back. God knows he should have been more like this back then."
"Yeah, I guess, but I've never really been like him in that way. I'm not sensitive at all. Most that know me would argue the opposite. I can be a bit of a bitch, even when I don't mean to be."
I toss what's left of my gelato in the trash close by, returning to my bent over position on the rail. The water is calm, half of the dim orange sun sitting at the back as if it's sinking. Soon it will be gone altogether. The sky is darkening with the mix of colors. She's stirring what's left of her gelato—less than half the cup—forming a liquid. I grab it and toss it, before turning her around to lean against the rail in front of me. "I've noticed. You're different than a lot of girls, in a good way. I joke a lot, and most girls get offended by the stupidest shit. Not you though."
She looks at me, remaining silent for a few seconds. "You staying tonight?"
I swallow, wanting so bad to kiss her and strip her tee shirt off to see the bikini underneath. The string around her neck has been teasing me all day. "Probably not. If I'm going to be with you tomorrow I need to go check on my boy. He's dealing with a lot of shit."
Her hands travel up my shirt, her palms gliding against my skin. "You know if you need to back out of tomorrow it's fine. Earlier was just me having fun. I get that you're here visiting someone. I can fly solo. It's no big deal."
