𓈊 A Poppy By Any Other Name

Act VII

The moment they walked into the mall Saturday morning, Grian was already eyeing the carousel. It was near hilarious the way he tried so hard to be nonchalant as he hinted that he wanted to go on it.

"You know, guys," Grian said, leaning into Jimmy as they walked passed the fountain and in the direction of the ride, "I heard that carousels are good for your brain."

Joel snorted from on the other side of Jimmy. "What are they good for?" he asked mockingly.

"Stimulation of the senses," answered the boy as he pointed to his head. "Also helps increase production of serotonin, by the way." Grian winked at Joel, who rolled his eyes and chuckled in response.

Fwhip laughed, swinging an arm around Grian's shoulders as he said, "I think we owe it you to let you go on it."

Grian's eyes lit up like a child getting a new toy. "Really?"

Chuckling again, Fwhip nodded. "Yeah, really."

Grian gasped and stopped walking, punching the air in his excitement. The others smiled fondly at the sight, and after his dance of victory, Grian cleared his throat and nodded, then marched off toward the carousel, saying, "Well, come on, then."

"You heard the man," Fwhip said as he started pushing everyone along from behind. "Get moving."

Joel scoffed. "I'm not going that thing," he said, sounding more proud than not. He let out a whine when Lizzie nudged him. "Do I seriously have to?"

Lizzie nodded. "Yes, sir, you do." She took him by the hand and dragged him along, quickly catching up to Grian, who was already standing in line.

Despite Joel's whines and protests, he seemed to enjoy the ride. In fact, he even offered to go back on when Grian wanted to go a second time. Meanwhile, Lizzie, Jimmy, and Fwhip sat down at one of the tables off to the side of the food court.

"Why does he like that thing so much?" Fwhip asked as they watched Grian and Joel bob up and down on their horses.

Lizzie sighed. "He's... childhood deprived, I guess," she answered. "He never got to do things like riding a carousel when he was younger." She snorted, smiling down at the table now. "Fairs are his favorite place to go during the summer. He absolutely loves going on the Ferris wheel."

Jimmy giggled. "I remember the first time we took him on one," he said, a happy and gently reminiscent tone in his voice. He turned his attention to Fwhip as he spoke. "Me and Lizzie-"

"Lizzie and I," the oldest of the three corrected

Jimmy groaned. "Lizzie and I took Grian and Mumbo to the fair a couple years ago," he continued. "Grian had never been to one before, and we convinced him to go on the Ferris wheel with us. He was scared at first, but once we got to the top, he said he liked the view too much to be scared anymore."

Fwhip snickered. "Of course." He sighed contently and rested his chin on his palm. "Looks like they're going on again."

Lizzie hummed. "It's about noon," she said, standing up. "You guys want anything to eat?" She held a hand up in front of Jimmy before he could speak and said, "There are no McDonald's at this mall."

"What about Taco Bell?" Fwhip asked, and Lizzie grimaced.

"You want Taco Bell? That stuff makes you gassy."

"So?"

"I'm not driving a bunch of stinky, gassy, constipated boys home in my car later," Lizzie said, crossing her arms.