“You’re trouble,” I whispered defensively. Which meant the smart thing to do was to stay far away from him…right?
I swallowed hard when his gaze narrowed. “You don’t even know me.”
“I’ve heard all about you.”
“Those are stories. Stories get lost in translation,” he said, sounding wiser than he should have.
“How old are you?” I blurted out. Not only was his voice deeper, I’d glimpsed the hair growing under his pits earlier and on his arms and legs. Ever, Vaughn, and Jason, however, were still smooth.
“I’m twelve. How old are you?”
“Twelve. My birthday was two weeks ago.”
His gaze flickered, and he sounded almost grim when he said, “I’ll be thirteen in three weeks.”
I did the math and sucked in a breath. Jamie was nearly an entire year older than me. He was also older than Ever, but only by a couple of months, whereas eleven months separated Jamie and me. If I’d been intimidated before, it was nothing compared to the butterflies fluttering wildly in my tummy.
“So… you’re an eighth-grader?” It was the only thing I could think of to say. All my other thoughts were too embarrassing. I almost wished Jamie would turn away again so he couldn’t see the way my cheeks flushed.
“I will be when school starts.”
“Are you excited?” I asked as I toyed with the hem of my dress. I’d forgotten I was even wearing the monstrous thing. It no longer mattered. Nothing could ever make me feel more feminine than Jamie.
“About eighth grade?”
“Yes,” I answered breathlessly.
His eyes dipped, and I had the feeling he was staring at my lips. “I’m excited about a lot of things right now. School isn’t one of them.”
The ride chose that moment to start again, pulling me back into Jamie until our lips were dangerously close. I was breathing much harder now. So hard, I didn’t think I’d ever catch my breath.
“Are you okay?” he asked, brows furrowing.
“I-I-I can’t breathe. I need to get off.”
The Ferris wheel came to a stop shortly after, and Jamie was yanking the bar up before I could even get a good grip. I shoved past the crowd moving too slowly, trying to get away from Jamie. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem as if he was ready to let me out of his sight. I was bent over, gasping for my next breath when I felt him stand next to me.
“Are you afraid of heights or something?”
It wasn’t being high up that scared me. It had been the sudden feeling that I was falling. Even now, I still felt like I was tumbling down a never ending rabbit hole. Standing up straight, I met Jamie’s concerned gaze, and the feeling intensified.
He reached for me, and I stepped away.
“We should go find the guys.” I didn’t give him a chance to respond before heading in the direction I’d spotted the bumper cars.
Bumper cars had been the perfect stress reliever—and distraction. Ever and Jason had paired up and Jamie with Vaughn while I’d been like the golden snitch as they all chased me and my blessed lonesome around the track. The guys had pushed and shoved and shouted and cursed each other all the while I laughed until I cried as I dodged them.
By the time we were done, I could barely walk as the world tilted and spun. It was Jamie and Vaughn who eventually caught me, and Jamie had looked the most triumphant. I ignored the fluttering in my tummy as I made my way to the exit with them hot on my tail. Jamie had once again paid my admission when I’d once again forgotten to purchase tickets. It was beginning to feel like we were on a date, but I knew it couldn’t be further from the truth. I also refused to be one of those clueless, hopeless girls that Jamie seemed to like so much. In less than a week, he’d already seemed to rack up quite a few admirers. I’d even caught a few of them watching me with daggers in their eyes. Being the envy of other girls was a foreign experience, one I didn’t know how to deal with.
We played a few of the games to try to win prizes, and it was sidesplitting to watch the guys try and fail at the rope ladder. I lost count of how much cash they spent and how many times they toppled over before finally accepting that they weren’t exactly graceful enough to keep their balance on the angled ladder. Each one of them had tried the same strategy: racing to the top before the rope could tip them over.
I was bent over, holding my sides at the sight of Vaughn landing face-first into the bouncy rubber cushion for the third or fourth time. Ever and Jason were already waiting in line for another try while Jamie was noticeably silent as he stood much too close to me.
“Why don’t you give it a try? Show us how it’s done,” Jamie goaded with a grin. He then waved a few of his tickets, hoping to entice me, but something else had caught my eye. A few feet away, three girls stood next to a cotton candy stand, eyeing Jamie as if he was their favorite flavor. They all wore skin-tight shorts, tiny tops, and makeup. Too much makeup. I had the feeling they were a little older than me and maybe even Jamie, but I wondered if it was because of the face paint or the way they devoured him with their eyes.
Had Jamie noticed, or was he completely oblivious to the attention?
I started to tell him, hoping to tease him and make him blush as he’d unknowingly done to me so many times already, but then a streak of something hot speared my chest, and all I saw was green. I didn’t know what it meant, but it was enough for me to keep my mouth shut about his admirers.
“No, thanks,” I mumbled as I toyed with the hem of my dress. My mom would have a stroke if I fell and flashed the entire town my bum. Maybe that was why she’d forced me to wear a dress to a carnival. It had been her way of making sure I didn’t have too much fun. This dress felt heavier than a pair of iron shackles clamped around my wrists. I no longer blended with my crew and, instead, stuck out like a frilly pink thumb.
“It’s just a dress,” Jamie said, sensing the reason for my hesitation. “You’re still you underneath.”
“But you don’t even like me. Why would you care?”
“Summer isn’t over yet,” he replied, unmoved by my suspicious gaze. “There’s still time for you to change my mind.”
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”
How could he assume I’d give a crap if he liked me or not?
His only response was to press the tickets into my palm. I stared at the ladder, watching Ever and then Jason topple over for the fifth time. It’s just a dress, I thought, repeating Jamie’s claim in my head. I’m still me underneath. Vaughn was next in line, preparing to hand over his tickets when I cut him off at the front of line. The operator looked from me to Vaughn with wide eyes, waiting for him to blow up, but Vaughn only stood back and crossed his arms with a grin.
“It’s about time you got in the game, princess.” In a terrible Jamaican accent, Vaughn said, “I hope you’re feeling lucky, mon.”
They’d all been trying to win the five-foot banana with the dreadlocks, colorful beanie, and a creepy smile. I shuddered at the thought of waking up in the middle of the night and seeing that thing grinning at me through the dark.
After handing off the tickets, I moved to the bottom of the ladder and filled my lungs with as much air as I could before slowly exhaling. I had the urge to look over my shoulder. To see if Jamie was watching me.