I didn't see you coming - A Harry Styles Fanfic

Chapter 4 - Roll up! Roll up!

By the time I had gotten ready it was already pitch-black outside. The clock was just approaching 7:00 when I started my final checks in the mirror. I chose to dress casual: blue jeans, black and white vans, and a lilac long sleeved t-shirt. Unbothered by my appearance, I allow my slightly curled hair to remain flowing down my shoulders.

I head downstairs grabbing my zipper jacket off the coat rack and slipping it on. Before I leave, I take a quick glance into the kitchen.

My mother is sat at the table, her back towards me, overindulging in a glass of red wine. Hysterically, she finishes the glass and goes to pour another from the bottle only to discover that it's empty. With a grunt she slams it back onto the table and her upper half collapses with it.

Unsteadily, she gets up and stumbles towards the cupboard under the kitchen sink. I'm assuming to secure another bottle of wine.

Anticipating her to turn around, I exit the house with the intention of her seeing me leave. The door shuts.

Despite living on the quieter more rural side of town, it's only a 15-minute walk into the centre hub. However, that's not where I am heading tonight. 

At the edge of town is a deserted grass field left to overgrow most of the year. When enough complaints flood in and the council decide to cut it, most people just use it to walk their dogs.

But tonight it's home to the carnival.

I cling to my jacket as the frosty air nips at my face making it red and sensitive to my touch. As I march through the tall grass, the carnival gradually gets closer.

In the distance I hear the blasting of overplayed dance anthems and party rock tunes. Garbage! As well as the muffled high pitch screams as a rollercoaster suddenly dropped to the ground.

The bright neon lights flash like the warning lights on a police car. They illuminate my face forcing shadows of colour onto the surrounding forestry.

As I get closer, I realise that there's no decimate entrance or exit to the carnival as people come and go from all around.

But as I walk around the back of the confectioneries stand, I am hit with the sickening sweet smell of candy floss. I try not to gag as I attempt to get far away from the stall and the queue tailing from it.

Slowing to a comfortable walk, I can hear snatches of conversations around me as I pass groups of friends laughing and having fun. I find a lone unclaimed bench and perch myself on the edge of its frail metal bars.

"Roll up! Roll up! Welcome to the carnival" is bellowed by an old, rather large man in a red tailcoat with a bowlers hat as he circles around the amusements.

Looking up from my seat, the big wheel towers over me intimidatingly. Scarlet and ochre bulbs flash in tune to the "music". As it rotates slowly, all the carriages unsteadily swing in a harmonious rhythm.

I watch as the fairly young ride conductor collects guests tickets and ushers them onto the ride when it comes to a stop. I wonder how much he's getting paid?

I turn focussing my attention to the coconut shy to the left of me. A young man steps up and pays the employee with a crumpled note from the back pocket of his jeans. He swooshes his brown shaggy hair out of his face, pulls his arm back and forcefully pelts the baseball almost toppling forward. He knocks the coconut off its stand to which he gets awarded with as his prize.

As he walks away unamused, a trio of overly friendly girls approach him squirming excitedly. He simply hands one of the blond girls the coconut and continues walking away. The girls retreat and lightly argue over the coconut. It's literally a coconut.

"JESUS CHRIST BRAD, I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I EVEN LIKED YOU!" Someone screams.

I return my attention to the top of the Ferris wheel to what looks like Samantha from my maths class and her, maybe not anymore, boyfriend Brad. The ride had stopped to let people off and on.

"REALLY... A PURPLE MONKEY TOY! DO I LOOK LIKE A 5 YEAR OLD TO YOU? BRAD!" Samantha yells clearly offended and shoves the monkey back into brads lap.

At this point everyone had stopped and had their eyes on them, including Evie and Ruby. Uncomfortable, Brad remained speechless. You could just about see the redness of his face beaming from all the way down here. If the ground wanted the swallow Brad up whole, now would be the time to do it.

"um... I'm.... sorry I just thought that you'd like it... I won it especially for you," Brad says almost audibly as he tries to bury his head.

" I DONT CARE! I DON'T WANT ANY OF THIS CHEAP CRAP, YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER SEEING AS YOU'RE MY BOYFRIEND AND ALL." Samantha bawled as she violently flipped her hair nearly hitting Brad and turned her body to face away from him.

*silence*

"which on that note, WE'RE OVER BRAD!" She said with a final huff crossing her arms.

"Hey hey hey, it doesn't have to be like this um I'll take you out for dinner or um I know I'll buy you that..." Brad utterly devastated begs Sam until she turns around eyes watering and slaps him across the face.

"Ouch! That hurt." Brad reacts bringing his palm to rest on his abused cheek checking it every so often for blood.

Samantha twists away from him tears flowing down her face potentially hitting those below.

Everyone starts fizzling back out moving on with their night. I decide that I don't want to stay to see the aftermath of that interaction either and started to evacuate the area.

I trudge in the mud along the outskirts of the carnival where I can just about hear my own thoughts. If I'm gonna be here I should at least find something to do I tell myself and start looking for exactly that.