𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐂.𝐋

𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦

1st ツ

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running a stand at the annual high school carnival wasn't as fun as i expected it to be. at least not with a boring stand, that only a few people came to.

i enjoyed the carnival, though.

families walked past with, and they looked so happy. i saw a mom carrying her son, and hug him so tightly he screamed playfully.

i didn't realize how beautiful families that weren't broken could be. or at least look. right now, at night, together enjoying a carnival for a school fundraiser, it seemed like every families prime. i know my dad would maybe be coming later.

the football team came in pieces. i noticed charles was pretty late. he walked in and ronnie was clinging onto his arm as he continuously pulled his hat over his black eye.

i noticed again he looked tired, until i felt weird for staring.

the carnival went on. somehow the later it was the busier got. more people came to my stand and there was even a line forming.

i wasn't great at human interactions, but tonight this all came easily to me. i felt as if i wasn't myself but some very cool girl who is untouched, unbothered and doing well.

obviously that wasn't the case but i like to think it is sometimes.

an old woman came to my stand with her grandson, and she was next in line, slowly pointing to the huge panda on top of me. a smile grew onto my face as she began to speak.

she was wearing a pink cardigan under her huge, oversized puffer jacket. her hands shook while she raised it, and i remember that always being a fear of mine, to lose control of myself as i grow older.

now as i watched her point up, the fear seemed stupid to me. she was graceful, sweet looking and most of all happy. now after everything that had happened, that's a want.

her husband was behind her, his hands on her shoulders and that made it all cuter.

he had a war veteran hat on, some scars and he walked up for her, pointing up faster and gripping onto her hand as he spoke to me.

"how could we get ahold of 'at?" i turned towards the panda and back to the small family.

"just one ring has to make it onto there." that was a huge lie but i wanted to give this boy his panda. i said they didn't have to pay as long as they showed their ticket, and the boy made 3 rings, thankfully.

his grandparents cheered for him and he giggled. this was beautiful but it made me sad. i hadn't seen my grandparents that much. my dads parents were dead and my moms were such bad people.

it was comforting grandparents like them still existed.

"give me a second." i stood up on my toes, missing the zip tie in which i needed to cut. they waited patiently for a minute and i felt embarrassed, though they kept their smiles, even the little boy was patient.

somehow the scissors were taken from my grip, i was nudged again and this boy in front of me had cut the bear off the zip tie, handing it over with a charming smile.

"here you guys are." he fixed his hat again, and the couple cheered, thanking us both.

"thank you." suddenly my mood was down, charles watched as i took the scissors back and he gulped.

"sorry, i was just next in line." he apologized sounding so annoying, i didn't know that was possible, but it is.

"'ts alright. what can i do for you?"

i turned and leaned my hand on the table, glancing over from the crowd walking by to charles.

"i still feel like a shithead. for breaking your camera."

"you're a shithead for lots of other reasons, don't worry." i was sort of being sarcastic now, but charles didn't care. he went on, keeping his tone of genuineness and leaving me to listen.

i was now helping some other kid, though still listening. "don't worry. you bought me a new one." when i said this, i looked up at him, and he paused for a minute and stared.

i did too, and i noticed a lot.

his black eye was a lot worse than i expected it to be up close. his long brown curly hair poked out of his hat, his eyes were darkened under his hat but i could still see the small spark in them. not because he was looking at me in any sort of way, but because his eyes were naturally nice like that.

i'd never noticed that about charles chip lennon until now, and i probably would never give it a second thought. but in the second we stopped talking, i did.

"-yeah so-" he went on and i blinked back into our conversation. his cheeks were a little red and so was his nose now, the wind was strong.

"the picture of me you had. with the street?"

i handed the boy his prize and watched charles carefully, he shifted from one foot to another and kept eye contact that was hard for me to keep.

"i just maybe was down to answer any questions you might've had. maybe help you."

"help me with..?" my heart went a little faster as he went on, shrugging a little.

"your brother." i was quiet for a minute and i didn't know what to say. this was not the charles lennon i thought i knew.

"why?" i questioned skeptically. to make fun of me? play a prank? scare me? waste my time? the possibilities were endless.

"because your brother was my friend." my jaw surprisingly did not drop but that was the one sentence that he's ever said that surprised me the most.

"i wasn't the one who carried his jersey out for no reason, harley."

i kept quiet. my eyes searched his to see if he was bullshitting me, but they had the same droopy look that was there when he walked in after his second black eye.

his mouth was nervously opening and closing, he let me process it all.

rivals can be friends too. that was clear to me before right now, but still he just enlightened me.

after a few seconds i cleared my throat. i handed the next in line their rings, and i gulped. i spoke finslly, avoiding eye contact with charles to ignore the look he gave me.

"okay."

i heard an echo from charles, and he stayed there for a minute until i felt him walk off, and leave the stand.

he fixed his hat, his jacket and now he wiped his pink nose after placing his headphones on.

"-miss?" the little girl called for me, sounding a lot like she had been for a while and i glanced over, jerking back to what was going on now and she shyly pointed to the pink octopus.

"can i get that one?"

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