A Tournament For My Heart

Chapter Twenty One- Festivities

"Just park here on the side. I'm sure other cars will start to do the same." Shayla rationalized.

"Okay let me just turn my wheels so my car is still here when we come back." I say.

I don't know how true it is. But I heard when you don't turn you wheels correctly when parking up a hill if a car hits or taps your car. Then it can possibly roll down the hill just because the wheels are rotated.

Anyways we have made our way to campus because today the school is having the annual Lawford Fest. Each year our college has this fest so all the students, faculty, and even members of the community are welcomed to have a stress free time for the night.

"Look they have the Ferris wheel." Jaz points as we walk closer to campus. We had to park farther today due to the overcrowded parking areas.

"I'm looking for the horse carriage rides." I say squinting my eyes hoping to get a better view.

Jaz looks at me in fake disappointment "This fear you have of heights. We are going to concur it today." She said matter of factly.

"Fine. But I'm closing my eyes at the top like last time." I say firmly.

She shakes her head. "Okay, one step at a time." She agrees.

Shayla gasps and Jaz and I heads whip towards her "They have s'mores!" She smiles brightly.

"Girl the way you just scared me." Jaz said with a hand still over her heart.

I grab both of their arms tugging them to the campfire were the s'mores station is "Let's go we cannot miss our chance."

We began using the item they gave us to place our marshmallows on so that we could heat them over the fire pit.

"Why did they have to do this during the weekday again?" Shayla asks rhetorically as we rotate our marshmallows over the fire pit.

"But it's always on a weekday." Jaz stated.

I shrug my shoulders "I mean it could be worse. It's just class we have tomorrow. It could've been clinical." I say encouragingly.

After being content with our marshmallows we placed the on the gram cracker then added the chocolate.

"True true." Shayla responded before we took a bite of our self made s'mores.

"Taste like heaven." Shayla said closings her eyes briefly for the effect.

I try to hide my smile "Agreed."

"The lines pretty long for the Ferris wheel right now." Jaz says looking over at the crowd while eating her s'mores.

I nod in agreement "let's do the horse carriages first then." I offer.

We finish the rest of our s'mores and make our way through the crowd toward the horse carriages.

We all pile into the carriage together and the driver gives us a heated blanket to share.

"Oh so they fancy around here." Shayla responds as we snuggle up in the heated blanket. Jaz shakes her head with a small snort.

We both look at Jaz in laughter as the carriage takes off. The carriage pulls us around the campus and we take in the views happy that we have a sense of warmth.

"Is that moose? Moose." Shayla yells from the carriage across the parking lot. A second later we see Jace get out the car putting up a hand to greet us then I see Kayden get out shortly after but the carriage was already out of his eyesight.

I quickly turn my head forward.

"Girl you can't avoid him forever." Jaz said clearly noticing my movements.

I snuggle up deeper into the blanket "I'm not." I say in defense.

Shayla looks over at me "You are Kali. When is the last time y'all hung out?"

I shrug my shoulders "I don't know maybe a week or two."

"It's not on purpose. I just don't want to make him upset." I say.

"Kali he's not upset he is just accepting and respecting your wishes. He even stopped by the other day to check on you. Does that sound like a man that's upset?" Shayla said.

"Hey I was in clinical that day." I argued.

"Not the point." Shayla says pointedly. Maybe she's right. Well she is right.

Truth is I feel like shit after that day. And I'm the one upset with myself for being so fearful of the unknown future I could have with him. And embarrassed that I just kissed him like that.

But I definitely don't regret it.

The carriage finally rounds the curb back to where the festivities are. We exit the carriage sadly handing over the warm blanket to the driver.

Jaz jumps in excitement "The Ferris wheel line is shorter let's go." She says grabbing us and hurrying over to the line.

Of course as we approach the line we see the guys close to last. Jace waves us over to get in front of them.

"No way I'm cutting." Shayla says. She absolutely hates line cutters so any chance she gets she chooses to not be like them.

The girls behind them say "No y'all are okay go ahead." Giving us confirmation that they truly didn't mind.

We thank them in return. Don't we love a girls girl. Because I do.

Shayla stands beside Jace holding his hand as he smiles down at her. Jaz stands in the line and moose places his elbows on her head as if she's a table.

I laugh at the silliness before turning around to Kayden offering a "Hi."

He raised an eyebrow "Hi." He responds back.

"Go on with me." I heard Moose say to jaz hinting at riding on the carriage wheel with her.

I turn my head towards them "Heyyyy she's my partner." I say.

"Not today partner." Moose says in a country accent tilting his head toward Kayden.

"I'm scared of Ferris wheels." I blurt. As moose and Jaz got on the next one open one.

A second later the next one comes down for us. I look at it unmoving. "Come on I got you." Kayden says.

I eventually get in and he follows me. The ride operator locks us in after we sit beside each other. I look forward closing my eyes as it lifts us into the air.

"Breath Kali." Kayden says with a small chuckle.

I open my eyes looking at him accusingly "it's not funny." I say.

I gasp loudly looking behind him at us being at the top. My hands begin to shake slightly something he noticed immediately.

"It's okay." He says softly worriedly grabbing my hands in his. My hands still trembled within his. He slid over close to me wrapping an arm around me and the other holding one of my still trembling hands.

"I got you okay." He says softly. I began to relax into his shoulder closing my eyes again. I could feel us making our way back down but out of fear I still didn't dare open my eyes.

We held the same position for the rest of the ride in comfortable silence with me tucked into him.

"Hey, it's over." He whispered to me. The ride operator smiled at us opening the door for us to exit. I exited with Kayden in suit.

The girls, Moose, and Jace was at the exit waiting for us.

"How was it?" Jace asked.

I looked up at Kayden while he looked down at me.

"Comforting."