The Ferris Wheel

Confessions

Previously

She only just has time to process this thought when they both feel the ride come to a halt. Leaving them both right at the top of the ride.

Great this is going to be fun...

They both turn around to look at the people sitting in the seats behind them.

“HANNAH!”

“MICHAEL!”

Hannah is sitting there with a book on her lap and her boyfriend Michael’s arm around her shoulders looking very sheepish. “Sorry Lacey, I just had to do this. You’ll thank me later. Now talk to one another!”

Michael just shrugs and says “Sorry man.”

Both of them turn back to the front and sit there in silence for a moment.

“Look Lacey-” He starts.

“No. Not now not ever.” She says stubbornly refusing to her meet his eyes, knowing that if she does she’ll never be able to look away.  Instead she stares out into the stormy ocean and contemplates throwing herself into it. Nah he’s not worth dying over. His voice brings her back to the present.

“Just please hear me out Laylay, please.”

Tears spring to her eyes as he uses his childhood nickname for her.

“You hurt me, you embarrassed me, what else do you want?” She says bitterly. 

He doesn’t say anything for a moment and the silence between them is full with emotion. Softly she hears him shuffle towards her and she feels the palm of his hand stroke the side of her face gently causing butterflies in her stomach to go mad.

“I never meant to hurt you Laylay, never.” He whispers softly, she can hear the pain in his voice and it makes her breath catch in her throat and makes her tremble slightly. Eventually she manages to spit out hoarsely.

“That’s not what it looked like Eliot, it looked like a purposeful stunt to humiliate me.”

He moves away from her and from the corner of her eye she sees him run a hand through his messy black hair.

“They set me up Lacey, they dared me to kiss the next girl that came round the corner I didn’t know it was you until...”

He trails off and she turns to look at him, his head in his hands he looks pathetic. She almost feels sorry for him.

Almost.

“Until...” She prompts.

He looks up at her and she makes the huge mistake of looking into his bright green eyes. But she gasps at the hollow empty look to those emerald orbs and the dark bags under his eyes. And right then she knows how much this had affected him.

“Until my lips came down on yours.”

Their eyes lock for a moment and she swears her heart swells. Then he looks down at his feet again. Could this boy get any sweeter? No Lacey, he hurt you remember. She gulps.

“Why?” She croaks.

He looks up at her again with those same hollow eyes. “Why what?”

She gulps again trying to hold the little dignity she has left.

“W- Why did you know it was me when we kissed?”

He frowns at her processing this question for a moment.

But a girl can think about a lot in a moment. Fury builds up inside of her. This guy kisses her with no warning whatsoever and now he thinks he can just charm his way into her heart with sweet words. Well he’s wrong, well not before she give him a piece of her mind at least. So before he can answer her, she bursts out angrily.

 “Do you know how long I have liked you for?”

He frowns again at her sudden outburst.

“What?” He whispers softly.

“I have like you since I was 11 years old Eliot! Freaking  11 years old!” She bursts out angrily.

“That day when you came across me in the park and three girls were being mean and hurting me and you scared them off! Three years they bullied me for and you scared them off with one simple threat and they never bullied me again!”

He stares at her in shock and she sees a hint of anger in those green eyes.

“They bullied you... for three years!”

But she ignores him and continues her rant. “I have been crushing on you for a grand total of 4 years and then one day you kiss me, just like that! And I think that all my  dreams have come true and then I see your friends behind you standing there like those girls all those years ago snickering at me, whispering about how pathetic I am! How could I even think that the popular Eliot would like a loser like me!”

She stares at him for a moment his eyes completely focused on her. Her eyes water with tears and she looks down at her feet for a moment willing herself to calm down. She chuckles softly.

“Sometimes Eli,” She says quietly using her childhood nickname for him. “The more times you are told you’re a loser, the closer you get to believing it...”