Chapter 9: Rain
1059 Words
We turned down Middleton Road, which was a path people took whenever they were going to the fair or the flea market. I looked out the window, seeing that the clouds were puffy and gray. It was still drizzling but not that much.
I was used to the weather in my neighborhood but also wished for it to rain most of the time. I was not too keen on seeing the sunshine beam down on me all the time. It'd make me feel like I was the center of attention when I really didn't want to be.
I never wanted to be the center of attention.
We came continued down the street and a conjectured wave came on me when I saw colorful flashing lights in the distance. I looked at Maeve in the rearview window and her eyes met mine. She winked and continued back to driving.
I desired to know where we were going. I was becoming anticipating and curious.
Finally, that was answered when we pulled up to the boardwalk, and I was present to a crowd of people walking around with snacks and chatting profusely with each other.
I was at the state fair.
As we got out of the car, I looked around me where there was numerous people going into the entrance. I felt Ivy's hand grab mine, and we all went in together, stepping over the boardwalk side.
The state fair was typically what you would always see when you'd go in. Still being outside under the silent gray sky, there were food booths beside as we walked by. To our left, there were blue-ribbon entries and larger striped tents with performers walking inside.
We spent a couple of hours playing ticket games, some that involved trying to knock down some bottles and win a stuffed animal.
Monica was the first to try. She rolled up the sleeve of her cranberry sweater and threw the ball swiftly at the target. She managed to knock down the top three bottles. The bottom four laid there.
She tied her black, straight hair into a ponytail behind her head and tried again. She wound her arm back and aimed towards the center of the bottles. Her hands finally released the grip and this time she knocked down all the bottles in one hit.
The skinny man behind the booth gave us a smile and chuckled as he reached behind him to take down the large stuffed teddy bear. He handed it to Monica, and she gave it to me. I smiled at her and looked at the bear I was holding. The fur was soft and brown and the eyes were rounded with black color.
"My turn!" Ivy said, spinning me around to another game.
It was a high striker game, one of those games where you take that large hammer and strike it down on the tower. It always seems like a fun game for me, especially to Alicia. She goes crazy for these types of amusement games.
Ivy picked up the mallet and handed it to me. She wanted me to hit it.
"Uh, no, Ivy... I-I can't." I explained in a stuttered voice. "I... I'm not that strong."
She bent down to my height on one knee and looked at me.
"Hey, look at me." She said with a reassuring tone. "You can do this, ok? You are strong."
I paused for a moment and then nodded. I turned toward the tower. It had signs that leveled above each other that were named chronologically from lowest to highest. The top sign said 'Big Striker!'
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in through my nostrils. The smell of popcorn and spicy foods wafted across my nose in the air. It was soothing.
With my eyes shut, I gripped my hands tightly around the mallet and struck it as hard as I could down onto the puck. There was a pause of silence from behind me as I heard a large swoosh sound in front of me. My eyebrows furrowed slightly while I still gripped the mallet on the ground.
Then I was suddenly startled when I heard a loud DING! It went on continuously until it stopped around the tenth time.
I opened my eyes to see a large crowd of people, including my sisters, applauding me. They all had expressions of admiration on their faces, smiling and rousing me on.
"High striker!" The blonde woman in the black over walls announced. "Ladies and gentlemen, we've got a high striker!"
I was then lifted on Ivy's shoulders, and she started leading them into a chant. They were saying my name. All of them. It felt nice. It felt really nice to be admired like this. The sky was turning dark, letting me know that it was afternoon now.
I smiled inside, thinking to myself that I was strong.
Unfortunately, I predicted that the feeling in me wouldn't last long when I saw Simon looking at me. He wasn't chanting my name or smiling. He just stood there, a look of apathy on his face. His lips straight, showing no emotion with a blank stare directed at me.
After a while passed and my sisters were playing some more games, I stood near one of the ride entrances and called Alicia.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Alicia!" I said, plugging one finger in my ear so it'd be easier to hear her. "Guess what? I'm at the fair! I'm having a lot of fun and-"
"Max, finally!" She exclaimed immediately after cutting me off. "I've been trying to call you!"
"Uh, sorry. My phone was off... is everything alright?"
She sighed and then spoke.
"I think something's up with Joe..."
"What?" I said with a confused tone.
"I said -"
But I was quickly distracted when I heard a voice calling my name. It was Maeve, waving me over for a photo with the others.
"Hey, Alicia. Can I call you back?" I said.
"Fine... Bye, Max." She said as she hung up.
I went over to my sisters and Simon to take the picture. We did a funny pose and looked into the selfie camera as we said, "CHEESE!"
We looked so goofy in the photo. But the only person who didn't was Simon.
That evening, the sky poured down cold heavy rain.
- Writer
