Candy Paint--a Willy's Wonderland FanFic

Chapter 4

The morning came much quicker than I had anticipated. After a few more hours of tossing, turning, and anxious thoughts, I managed to force myself asleep by 3am. I had gotten a mere four hours of sleep, only to be woken up by Dad rudely opening my door to yell at me.

"Get your butt up, it's time to get ready for Luke's party," He shouted, slamming my door on his way back out. I groaned loudly, rolling off of my side. Since last night was spent on a jail bed, my personal bed was a nice change of pace. The morning sun was blocked out by gray clouds, meaning it was probably going to rain today. Hayesville never got rain, being in Nevada and all. With as dry as it was here, rain was often welcome by the townspeople.

After mustering what little motivation I had to get out of bed, I put on a pair of my jean shorts and a shirt from a car show I attended a couple years ago. I powdered my face lightly then made my way to the kitchen to help with breakfast. Luke was already up and ready to go. He sat at the table kicking his legs.

"Look who's up," I smiled groggily.

"Are we gonna go now?" Luke replied.

"We'll leave soon don't worry," I laughed, looking towards Dad "How was work?"

"Eh," He replied, flipping a pancake on the stovetop. "Want food before I go to bed?"

"That'd be nice," I shrugged. He placed a pancake on one of our chipped plates, then shut off the stove.

"Here. Now you both have fun, I'll be here when you get back," Dad started, pulling my aside. Once we were out of Luke's hearing range, he bent down to my ear, "Don't let anything happen to Luke, do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir," I replied, moving away from his unsettlingly warm breath.

"Good," He nodded swiftly, then returned to his room. I took the plate from the counter and ate the burnt pancake.

"C'mon Vic hurry up," Luke urged, hopping down from his chair.

"Just a minute," I managed to say with a mouthful of food. After returning the plate to the sink, where it would probably sit there for another two weeks, I gathered my phone, the car keys, and Luke's present. "Let's go, Luke," I grunted, opening the front door. Luke raced outside and towards the Mustang and tugged on the driver's door handle impatiently.

"Unlock it," He chanted. Trying not to drop the XBox, I managed to unlock the driver's door so Luke could crawl in the back. I kept his present in the seat next to me, knowing very well if it was back with him he would open it.

"Ready to go?" I asked, buckling my seatbelt.

"Yeah," Luke smiled. I adjusted my rearview mirror, before backing out of the driveway. It had been a long time since I had driven to Willy's Wonderland, but I had mapped out the way mentally from all the times I had been driven as a kid. After about five minutes of driving, I turned my head to talk to Luke,

"Alright, close your eyes," I said, turning back to face the road.

"We're already almost there?" He asked.

"Close 'em up and you'll find out," I replied, trying to force a smile. I watched him cover his eyes with his hands, right before we hit I-80. It didn't take long before Willy's Wonderland finally came into view. Slowing down quickly, I swerved into the parking lot. I could see Tex's car, amongst a few others. He was standing by the front door. "Keep 'em shut," I repeated, pulling into a parking spot. Getting out of the car, I was sure to grab my anxiety pills that I had conveniently stored in the center console. I had a sneaking suspicion I'd be needing them. I hauled Luke's present onto my shoulder, then helped him crawl over the seat to get out. "Alright, are you ready?" I asked, positioning him in front of the building.