The New Rival

16

Chris

    Gemma called me saying she was going out for the night with Teo and Angie to a new bar on the edge of the city. I wanted to go, but honestly I was enjoying "babysitting" Ally.

    She's nice, Ally. Funny too. She's a good fit with us. Having her around feels like adding another one of me to the family. And being the misfit in a group of cousins has sucked for a while.

    Scar told me I could take Ally out of the house for the night so long as I kept her safe and stayed away from downtown.

She didn't really ask where we were going. I think the idea of going out and away from the drama of the house just excited her. She didn't even let me give her a time before going up her room to change.

She came back out thirty minutes later with black jeans and a red tank-top. Her hair was back in a high bun with a silver clasp and she had light makeup on her cheeks and eyes.

She's pretty. I knew she was, but it's more visible when she's happy, or at least pretending to be.

I feel bad about what we're doing to her. I like having her around and it definitely keeps her safer than when she was working for Max. But she doesn't deserve to be held against her will in an unfamiliar house with practically strangers.

    We drove a few minutes and to a small row of shops and restaurants on the up-side of the city. I hadn't been there in a while, and neither had she based on the way her eyes lit up when she stepped out of the car.

"I haven't been here since I was a kid," she laughed, looking around.

"Yeh, me neither. I guess we get so caught up in the shitshow we live in, this stuff doesn't seem real."

"Yeh, I guess so." She looked back at me. "I remember coming to the fair they used to have here at the end of the street in elementary school."

"I forgot that place existed. Teo and I used to sneak out and meet the girls at the booth in front of the rides."

"My friends and I did the same. I wonder if it's still there somehow."

"Wanna find out?"

She nodded and started walking, no, jogging towards the end of the street. There were sounds of carnival rides and kids screaming by the time we were halfway there.

She was in front of me by a few feet when she stopped at the end of the five blocks we had jogged down. I caught up to her and stopped beside her when I saw what she was staring at.

I actually couldn't believe it. There were small lit-up rides and ballon games beside food venders with hot dogs and cotten candy. It looked almost the same as it had ten years ago.

"How is it still here?"

"Tradition."

She looked at me and smiled. I like when she genuinely smiles. It makes me feel like she doesn't hate staying with us.

"Should we?" She giggled like a little kid.

"I think we have to."

We both laughed as I started following her towards the booth where I bought us each a wristband.

We started at the go carts, obviously. I hate to admit it, but she totally kicked my ass. Her dumb blue cart hit my green cart out of no where at least twenty times. My stomach hurt afterwards from the combination of laughing and getting repeatedly t-boned into the wall.