after the death of her mother, leighton's father sends her to a boarding school halfway across the world to be taught a lesson. she knows no one and no one knows her.
but the cherry on top is who her roommate is.
#2 in ptsdawareness
#2 in anxiety
#...
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"a thousand voices howling in my head"
-blackout days by phantogram
⎯⎯⎯
The fair is in full swing, with booths lining the quad, bright lights strung between trees, and the smell of popcorn and cotton candy filling the air. I'm thrilled to be here, surrounded by the excitement and energy of the crowd.
"Leighton! Kai! Over here!" Bailey calls out.
"This is a nightmare," he mutters, glancing around at the bustling fair.
"Come on, it's not that bad," I say, trying to coax a smile out of him. "Look at all the fun stuff we can do! There's a dunk tank, a pie-eating contest, and even a Ferris wheel."
Kai grimaces. "I hate crowds."
I sigh. "I know, but we're here to have fun. Maybe you'll find something you like."
Bailey and Eli are already dragging us toward the game booths. Bailey squeals with delight when she sees the ring toss, and Eli challenges her to a game.
I join in, missing every turn I get.
Oops.
Kai stands off to the side, arms crossed, looking like he's counting the minutes until he can leave. I wander over to him, hoping to draw him into the festivities.
"Want to give it a shot?" I ask, holding out a ring.
He shakes his head. "No thanks."
I shake my head and try to lighten the mood. "Afraid you might actually have fun?"
He rolls his eyes. "I just don't see the point."
"Well, how about we make a deal?" I suggest, trying a different approach. "If you play one game with me, I'll buy you a stuffie. Any kind you want."
I mean considering Kai seems really really tough, I don't think he'll want a stuffie. But it's worth a shot!
Kai narrows his eyes, considering my offer. "Fine. One game."
"Woohoo!" I exclaim, dragging him over to the ring toss booth. "You got this!"
He reluctantly takes a ring and aims for the bottles. His first toss is a miss, but he seems to get a bit more into it as he tries again. On his third attempt, he manages to land a ring, and I squeal loudly, drawing amused looks from our friends.
"See? That wasn't so bad," I hit his shoulder.
Not hard because if I tried I'd probably murder him.
Kai just shrugs.
I look around, spotting the Ferris wheel in the distance. "Can we ride the ferris wheel?"
He hesitates, clearly not thrilled with the idea of being stuck in a small, confined space with a bunch of people. But he gives a singular nod, following me as we make our way to the ride.
