Renegade-N.H-

I'm A Mess

Three; I'm a Mess.

The lights of the large ferris wheel shone over the small town as we pull up to the fair. The sound of children running and playing, laughter coming from teens enjoying their Friday night. I stand from the car seat, breathing in the cool air my lungs feeling free in the clean night.

I see Louis across the parking lot and sigh as he pulls his friend from the truck, a burly looking kid with a thick beard and a bad hair cut. Completely unsure of the boys age, I roll my eyes at his smirk as he comes across the lot towards us.

"Alex looking beautiful as always," he says leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. "Uh Harley right?" he stumbles his words and I'm ready to punch him so hard the smirk leaves his face permanently.

"I'm Liam," the other boy holds out his hand for me and I shake it carefully. Alex loops her arm into Lou's and they start to walk towards the opening of the fair.

A large banner hangs brightly from two large trees, little twinkly lights line it making it stand out even more than usual. I take a deep breath, my feet stop underneath of me and I'm frozen. Everything drowns out, I can't think about anything but how fast my heart is beating. My stomach turns in a billion knots, vomit threatening to rise in my throat. I try to breathe again but nothing happens.

Two hands take my own, warm--they wrap around my cold ones and squeeze.

"Breathe," He says, I look up to meet Lou's soft blue eyes and swallow the feelings. I see Alex and Liam standing behind us, a stupid smile on Alex's face that screams told you so. "Do it for your mom,' he insists.

"You're lucky I didn't vomit on you," I joke and he makes a disgusted face before dropping his grip and returning to Alex.

Liam steps in and I take his arm to be polite. "Me and Lou met when his team came to our town for soccer. He punched me in the face after a bad play and we've been friends since."

I smile at him sweetly, "He can be quite the asshole."

"He's a troublemaker thats for sure, but he's also a really great friend."

"If he told you about my dead parents I don't need your sympathy, I get enough of it from the rest of the town." I say sharply, forgetting to bite my tongue.

"I was going to say he warned me not to say anything tonight to you, he wanted me to make sure you had worry free fun. With your permission I would like to do so."

He pays the ticket booth and holds a wristband out to me, I take a long breath and hold my arm out to him slowly. He wraps the bright yellow band around my wrist and then takes my hand in his. Its warm but that doesn't make me any less nervous about going in there. I can feel myself shaking in his grip and Alex turns to smile at me shaking a water bottle at me.

"It's vodka, it's the only thing they had left in the cupboard."

I sigh and take a swig of the foul smelling booze, downing it in my throat I almost cough it back up onto the ground. The fire burns clear in my throat, I smirk at Alex as she takes the bottle back. We walk the grounds of the fair, laughing and smiling at one another. We ride the ferris wheel in good fun, I find that Liam smells of country and smoke but it's a pleasant smell. The cold hair begins to nip at my shoulders so I tuck into his warmth as we walk along in the grass together.