Whoever She Is (John O'Callaghan/ARTTM)

Chapter 5

Lauren's POV:

So it was already 7:30 and John was a no-show. Great. Why did I get my hopes up? He only kissed me that night because he was piss drunk and bored and didn't know what he was doing. He wasn't interested in me. It was just a lie. It was all a lie.

Cara and I had stayed by the Ferris wheel, peering over peoples' heads to try and find him, but couldn't. After about a half hour of waiting, we gave up and decided to go on the Ferris wheel without him.

"Wow, Lauren, I'm really sorry this happened. I really thought he would show up. It seemed like he was excited to come when you guys talked on the phone," Cara said sadly.

"He had a bad hangover, Cara. It sounded like he wasn't feeling good. And of course he didn't show up, he doesn't want to see me. He's not interested," I said while crossing my arms. The wheel began to turn and we escalated towards the sky.

"Hey now, don't jump to conclusions. I disagree with you. And if he wasn't feeling good, he would have at least called you and told you. Why would he stand you up? Maybe he's just running a little late, but I really think he has a thing for you, to be honest."

I looked at Cara skeptically. "Really? 'Cause if he did, why isn't he here?!" I sounded a bit angry. "Sorry, I don't mean to take this out on you," I apologized for acting bitchy. We had reached the peak of the wheel's turn. The ride paused a few times while people got off, but I kept gazing out into the distance where I could see the whole carnival and beyond: trees, peoples' houses, the sky turning to dusk. I sighed as I thought of what John could have been doing right then. Not thinking of me, that's for sure.

The ride ended, and we got off the Ferris wheel as more people climbed on.

"Well, this night turned out to be a bust, huh?" I frowned at Cara.

"Whoa, there, who says we still can't have a blast tonight without little Johnny?" Cara questioned playfully. I giggled and she grabbed my hand, pulling us towards the nearest ride we could find.

John's POV:

I jumped out of my truck and half-jogged/ran towards the huge mass of people at the carnival. As I paid for some tickets, I scanned as many faces as I possibly could, hoping I'd find Lauren and avoid Eric. God, if she ever saw me with Eric, she'd probably assume that I blew her off to hang with my friends instead. That was the complete opposite. I couldn't let that happen.

I continued wandering around, searching for Lauren, but I was having no luck. I quickly pulled out my phone and texted Jared, asking if he'd seen her and where. He replied shortly after: "Sorry, man. I haven't."

I raised my head up to the sky and let out a long, deep, frustrated breath. But then, my phone buzzed again, and it was Jared. The message said: "WAIT! Just spotted her at the huge yo-yo swing! Run, Forrest, run!!!" I smiled and shoved my phone in my pocket, looking up and seeing the ride he was talking about. I ran towards it, only bumping into about 20 people along the way, but when I got there, I saw her right away.

It was her; the beautiful blonde hair flowing through the wind, her long, slim legs dangling off the chair. She was sitting in the seat next to Cara and was laughing. Her wide, flawless smile made me grin. She just looked so young, so free. As their swings turned in the direction to face me, her eyes met mine and her smile instantly faded. At first, she looked shocked and almost angry. Now, all she had was a sad, blank look on her face. It looked like she slightly shook her head and turned away from me. Before I knew it, their swings flew by me once again. My face fell, too. What did I expect? I knew she'd be upset. I needed to explain myself to her as soon as possible. For the rest of the ride, she avoided looking at me, but Cara held her hands up and gave me a look that said, 'Dude, where the hell were you?' I frowned and mouthed 'I'm sorry.' She just rolled her eyes.

Once the ride ended, I ran over to them. "Lauren, please, I'm really sorry. Can you let me-" I tried to start, but Lauren just shook her head and continued walking. "C'mon, please, this isn't what I planned," I begged her to listen to me as they walked away.

"Lauren, maybe you should at least let him explain himself," suggested Cara, thinking I couldn't hear them. I trailed behind them as they reached the exit to the carnival, the noise dying down as we walked farther away from all the people and rides. Finally, Lauren turned around and faced me. "Okay, go for it," she deadpanned, looking at me with a blank expression.

I sighed deeply, then began, "I was really looking forward to tonight, trust me. I'd gotten all dressed and ready way too early, then decided to watch some tv, which I shouldn't have, because I dozed off. Before I knew it, Jared had texted me asking where I was, because him and a few other guys were going tonight, too, which woke me up when it was already 7:30. But believe me, I didn't come here for them. It was for you. I raced here as fast as I could. Just please know that I'm sorry, I didn't intend to show up like this," I said sadly but with a hint of a sideways smirk, gesturing to how we weren't even inside the carnival, enjoying it.

 Lauren looked down at the ground for a second, crossing her arms. When she looked up at me again, a small smile slowly crept around her face. "I get it. Its not your fault, really," she shrugged. I mentally let out a huge sigh of relief. "So you forgive me?" I questioned with a smirk. Lauren giggled and nodded, and I pulled her into a warm, tight bear hug. We both laughed and I kissed her on the cheek. When she glanced back up at me, I couldn't resist. We slowly moved in towards each other until her lips met mine.

"Ugh, ewww! This is a carnival, guys, not a kiss-fest!" cried Cara with a disgusted expression on her face. Lauren stuck her tongue out at her, and Cara rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips.

"So, are we going to go have some carnival fun or what?!" I asked them.

"Yes, puh-leeez! Its about time!" Cara exclaimed.

Lauren and I both laughed and held hands as we walked closer to the loud and crazy sounds of the night.