Stalls ✔️

F I V E

0 5:

"Shit, are you alright?"

I looked up from the floor, and stared at her with tear stained eyes. She stood tall in the doorway, a worried look sketched deeply into her face. The light that was flooding into the Maze traced a luminous glaze around her skin, like an Ancient Greek goddess.

I remember she had curly, chestnut brown hair that tussled down her back like a chocolate waterfall and she was wearing a floral dress to her knees and a thin cardigan enveloped around herself. Simply sitting next to me, she was now quiet and shared a collected aura that allowed me to open up.

"You see... I-I was getting slushies for my friends, b-because my... My friend, y-you see..." I blurted out, wailing again into my trembling knees.

Suddenly, I was pulled from the floor and into this warm, soft chest. The airplanes of thought in my mind seemed to have stormed into autopilot, for I thought nothing at all. It was just her, me, and nothing but her slightly intoxicating smell of vanilla and herbal tea in between.

"Thank you." I spoke again, my voice still quivering from what I learnt was a panic attack, something that I'd managed to conquer months ago. I was doomed to see that they were back.

"Shh, you don't need to thank me. I'm just glad I found you before it got worse. Just breathe for me, alright? 8 in, 4 out." She advised, and I did so, while she rubbed my back gracefully to the sound of my breathing.

When I was calm, she lifted me from the floor and wiped the runaway make-up under my eyelids with her sleeves; I felt weak, like a single piece of paper battling a blazing blizzard.

"Come on, let's get those slushy's for your friends, then you can tell me everything. I don't trust it in here at closing time, they might close up without us."

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The girl, which I later learnt was named Rain, ordered our slushy's. I thought her name was peculiar, since she's the exact opposite of rain: she was cheerful, optimistic, full to the brim with wit. She even dressed like the summertime. We sat down on a metal picnic bench, which gleamed harshly in the light, to wait for our drinks.

I could hear the Carnival King and Queen being announced from the main stage that stood proudly, overlooking the whole area. But I couldn't have cared less.

Occasionally, I'd glance at the citizens that were leaving: tired adults with small children, groups of terrorising teenagers, and even old people that were there for the tea dance. I thought about those people. I wondered if I knew any of them, but their faces were unrecognisable in the blurry swarm of people?

"Alana?" Rain asked, grasping me from my thoughts.

"Sorry," I replied.

"Are you gonna tell me what happened?" She questioned.

I explained everything I could possibly think of (purposely leaving out the sore topic of the anonymous texter,) and the whole situation seemed to explode disorderly from my lips like debris from a time bomb explosion.

She still listened. She never even interrupted. Instead, she shot the occasional nod, or generous smile that complimented her plain, honey brown eyes. I could trust her, right?

When I was finished, she chuckled, "Looks like you're having a rough time. I think our drinks are ready."

We stood up, pushing in our chairs and overlooked the counter. There were two average plastic trays, each sustaining the flavorsome and sweet icy drinks.

She asked, "Do you need any help carrying them back?" She insisted on assisting me back to our stall, despite all efforts of declining her offer.

We walked back to the table casually and soundlessly, and everyone's attention was on Rain and I.

"Where did you get those from, Canada?" Riley joked, and clutched the only blue drink from the tray. A small yelp escaped his lips, as the temperature in his hands slipped away harshly.

Rain and I placed the trays on one of the empty stall tables, and we distributed them between the group.

Rain took a sip of her drink. "No, actually, but slush from Canada is a lot better."

"Sorry I was so long, something came up," Riley shot me a readable look, and I smiled, "Sorry guys, this is Rain. We just met." I introduced her, and she waved confidently.

She turned to me, "By the way, awesome shirt."

"Thanks." I smiled weakly.

We all chatted senselessly, until Rain's big brother came to pick her up in his classic Mustang. She said she'd 'see me around', but I wasn't sure of the meaning of that phrase.

"She seemed nice." Hunter complimented.

"I think Captain Cold just zapped my brain with his ray gun." Riley added in a whiny voice. He tapped the side of his skull in a panicked matter, where his hair was thinnest, and he knew for sure that he wasn't to ruin it.

I snickered, "Or worse, it could've been Killer Frost."

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The rest of the day was filled by ridiculous adult Carnival rides that strangely remained open after the Carnival had closed for the night; stuffed teddies that changed the whole aspect of 'plus-size', and a selection of extremely unhealthy foods, such as pretzels coated in salt and doughnuts smothered in Nutella (which were Hunter's favourite).

The sun had said farewell to the Earth, but the moon had not yet made an appearance. The sky faded from navy blue to pastel yellow, and I'd never seen it so magnificent and animate. Silhouettes of trees flew past us like growing black veins, and the neat rows of city streetlights ahead of us were astonishing to the eye.

We were driving to Tesco in my dad's truck through the main road: Wren, Riley, Hunter, my dad and I. We decided to throw a 'going away' party for Riley at his house at the end of the week, to formally say farewell.

We pulled swiftly into the carpark and assembled two trolleys that we guaranteed to be full by the time we reemerged.

"I don't want anything big," Riley insisted, "I just want a small party with my closest friends. And no strippers. My mum would murder me, and that would mean no one would be able to look after my grandma."

In which, we were completely ignorant to (the first part, definitely not the second). My dad rebelliously locked him in the back seat and we scrambled indoors. We each chose something personal and special, however since Wren didn't know Riley too well, she chipped in on my presents.

Additionally, we threw as much food and decorations into the trolleys as we thought necessary, as we were determined to make this going away party.

A party that my bestfriend truly deserved.