Snapshot » l.t.

Chapter 29

Chapter 29


Renee's POV


Today was Saturday, the day of Lacy's party. Lacy had sent me the details via text message, which I forwarded to Louis. We drove separate.

I was buzzing with excitement. My dress and makeup supplies were tucked in a duffel bag somewhere in my car. I was wearing a super soft t-shirt with a tiger head on it, with cuffed, casually-ripped jeans and crocs. I was ready to party.

I leaned against the brick wall outside the amusement park as I waited for Louis. I wasn't about to enter without him.

I had earbuds in my ears, listening to One Direction music. What, I'm a girl, what's wrong with me listening to my best friend's band? So far I kind of liked the songs. My favorite singer was most definitely Zayn. The real version of him was weird, but the singer version was just so hot.

I was starting to think that Louis had shown me up when a familiar black car pulled up to the parking lot. I grinned and leaned forward.

Louis got out of his car, his blonde wig placed haphazardly atop his head and nerd glasses covering his eyes. They were massive. I smirked in amusement.

Other than his disguise, he was also wearing clothes, duh. That would be terrifying and disgusting if he wasn't. He was wearing a pretty cool Superman t-shirt, along with raggedy jeans with holes that didn't look like they were supposed to be there. He looked good.

I bit my cheek. Just friends, I reminded myself.

Louis' incognito was named Bradley Myers. Louis wanted to go as Luke Myers, but I preferred Bradley. He didn't argue for long.

Louis waved when he saw me, and I waved back. He loped over to me and stood next to me. "Whatcha listening to?" he asked.

I smiled. I just loved how Louis assumed I could hear him. Other people would just stare at me and wait for me to take my earbuds out.

In concern for my hearing, I never had the volume very high, so I could listen to someone even whispering. It just took me a while to respond because I liked to focus on the music.

"Some One Direction," I said.

"Really?" he smirked. "How do you like it?"

"Admittedly, you're not half-bad. My favorite song by far is 'Loved You First'. Just love it."

Louis smiled. "Who's your favorite?"

I frowned at him. "Didn't I just tell you? 'Loved You First'."

"No, not which, who. Who is your favorite singer in the band?"

"Ooh," I drawled out the word, nodding in understanding. "Totally Zayn."

Louis visibly stiffened up. "Oh... really?" he seemed to force out.

My brow creased. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked. "You seem pretty tense." I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Really, I didn't notice," he mumbled tightly, sarcastically.

I half-smiled. "But anyway," I continued. "I think Zayn sounds sexy. He's just creepy in real life."

"Got that right," Louis muttered. "Then who is your general favorite in the band?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You like Zayn's voice the best, but who do you like as a person the best?"

I nodded again. "Mmm," I hummed. "Either you or Niall."

"Niall?" he echoed. "Why him?"

I giggled. "Cause he's cute, Irish, funny, and talented," I said with a wide smile. "A package deal!"

Louis wouldn't look me in the eye. I frowned again. What's his deal?

"But all in all," I concluded. "You're my favorite."

Now he looked at me. "Seriously?" he asked doubtfully. "You're not pulling my leg?"

I laughed. "I do that a lot, don't I?" I mused. "But no, I'm telling the truth. I mean, you're not my best friend for nothing!"

Louis grinned again. That's better.

I turned off the music and tucked my phone and earbuds into my pocket.

"Now let's go," I said. "It's boring standing out here talking like a bunch of fools. Let's go have fun!"

We ran inside eagerly.

The place was practically empty, but the few people that were there were running around and generally having a good time.

There was a Ferris wheel, roller coasters, smaller rides, even kiddy rides! Totally going on those without supervision. I spotted the haunted house and dared myself to go in. No turning back now.

"Thanks for inviting me," Louis spoke up, and I turned my attention over to him. He was staring around with wide eyes and grin. "I wouldn't want to miss this for anything."

"Well," I said with a shrug. "This just seemed like your type."

He squeezed my shoulder, and when the warmth of his hand left, I felt tingles coursing down my arm. Probably just because I was chilly.

"Leggo!" we shouted together and ran forward.

"What first?" I asked Louis as we entered deeper and deeper into the park.

"Um...." He looked around. "That one." He pointed.

It was a ride called Force 10. One of my favorites.

"Totally," I agreed. "Come on!"

We were the only ones on this ride. Well, other then a cute couple that were obviously dating. I wondered which one was Lacy's friend, and how they met.

"Ladies first," Louis smirked as he gestured for me to go into the carriage.

I rolled my eyes. "I have to go in first anyway because I weigh less than you," I pointed out. "If you went in first, you would squish me to death."

"You really know how to boost someone's self-confidence, don't you?" Louis asked sarcastically as the conductor strapped us in.

I smiled. "Don't worry," I said. "You're too famous for your own good. I lower your self-confidence to balance everything out. I'm too shy to do it around anyone else."

Louis stared at me like I was bogus. "You, shy?" he exclaimed. "No way."

I wavered for a moment and glanced away. "You have no idea," I murmured.

I could tell Louis was confused by the way he put a hand on my arm, but the ride was starting.

"Keep your arms, legs, and head inside the carriage at all times," the conductor said. "This machine is a little rickety, so I apologize in advance if you fly up into the air or smash into a pulp on the concrete."

"What?" I squeaked, and Louis wrapped a tight arm around my shoulders. "He's lying," he murmured in my ear. "He's supposed to say that. I won't let anything happen to you." I believed him, and leaned into him.

Possibly for the first time ever since I became color-blind, I felt completely safe.

The ride began. It started out mellow at first, but then it picked up speed. We hurled into the air and plunged back down again. We were so close to the ground I could literally reach over one finger and touch the concrete. I could tell why the ride was called Force 10. I wasn't scared one bit.

To my surprise, it was a pretty long ride. I felt like my brain was being pressed against my skull, my heart was reaching towards my spine, and my uvula was being smashed against the back of my throat. I absolutely loved it.

The ride finally ended, and the conductor let us out.

The couple that went with us hobbled over to a trash can, and the girlfriend threw up. That's when I knew the boy was Lacy's friend.

In order to be Lacy's friend, you have to be nearly fearless and/or drunk on your own adrenaline. It was a miracle I made it to be her best friend.

"Wow," Louis breathed. "That was a first. I was most definitely not expecting that."

I tried not to laugh at his appearance. His wig was windblown, and his glasses were crooked on his face. I adjusted them accordingly, while saying, "You look like you were hit by a hurricane."

"Surprise there," he muttered. "I felt like I was in a hurricane."

"I know, amazing, right?" I gushed eagerly.

"Yeah!" he shouted, and fist-pumped the air. I laughed.

We went on a similar ride next, called the Fun Factory. The seats were surprisingly comfortable for something made out of plastic, and the force was pretty harsh there, too. It became one of my favorites, next to Force 10.

Next we went on the Genesis, which took you up and down at amazing speeds. My stomach would drop to my feet and my heart would lurch up to my lungs.

We stopped in an actual line for the Ultimate Swing. On every other ride there wasn't a line. But right now, that's what we needed. We felt pretty beat-up after each ride, but it was always totally worth it.

I thought I saw Lacy at one point, but before I could be sure, the figure disappeared. I frowned in disappointment.

Louis noticed. "What's up?" he asked. "Aren't you enjoying yourself?"

"Of course," I said quickly. "I just really want to see Lacy. I haven't seen her in two months, and it's killing me. She's like the Louis to my Harry."

Louis chuckled at my analogy.

"You'll love her," I added as we moved up in the line. "She's almost just like you. Wild, crazy, but pretty fun, too."

"Aw, thanks, Rainy," Louis teased me and ruffled my hair.

I froze. "Wh-what did you just call me?" I stammered.

Louis frowned. "Rainy," he repeated. "Is that a problem?"

No, I thought. Not at all. I love it.

"There's no problem," I said softly. "I think it's... cute."

Louis grinned. "Thanks, I thought it up myself," he said proudly. "Aren't I creative?"

"Genius," I muttered, but I wasn't really paying attention.

If it were possible, my heart seemed to yearn for Lacy even more.

We were up next in the ride. Louis helped me up into a seat, and he sat next to me.

"Are you afraid of anything?" I asked. "Well, to be more specific, any of these rides?"

Louis shook his head. "No, I've been on all these rides before, or something like them," he said. "Even the upside-down ones."

I shuddered. "I could never do those," I breathed. "I would get sick, or frozen with terror, or something. I can't even go through the haunted house without nearly being given a heart attack."

Louis gave me a sly smile. "We'll just have to work on that, then," he said.

I didn't like the way he said that. I narrowed my eyes at him.

The conductor started the ride, and the large swing began to... well, swing back and forth, reaching outstanding heights.

I loved the feeling of the wind in my hair as we plummeted back down, only to soar to another height on the other side. I laughed in delight and at the screams of the fellow riders.

I caught Louis looking at me weirdly once or twice, but I didn't care. It was wonderful.

But it was over all too soon, and we had to get off to let other people come on.

"That was awesome!" I cried. I hopped and skipped around. I spun in a circle, letting the wind whistle through my fingers.

Louis watched me in amusement. "You obviously enjoyed that," he said.

"Duh!" I laughed, not stopping. I was giddy.

"Why don't we do it again?"

I stopped to stare at him. "The same ride twice in a row?" I clarified. "That's boring! Let's do something different."

"Duh," he mocked me, and pointed to something behind me. "Turn around and look up, genius."

I did, and my eyes widened. Set up for me was a massive swing. Not like the Ultimate Swing, but this one was the one where two people sat on a bench together and flew through the sky.

"Let's do it!" I nearly shouted.

I grabbed Louis' wrist and dragged him along with me. He regained his footing and ran ahead of me. I struggled slightly to keep up.

We sat on a light blue bench. We pulled the bar into place, strapping ourselves in. We waited for the ride to start.

I began to swing my feet back and forth like I had back at the dress shop. I kicked off my crocs.

"Hold on to your wig," I warned Louis.

He rolled his eyes. "Since when have I not?" he pointed out.

We didn't say anything much after that.

The conductor started the ride after about thirty seconds. I gripped the metal bar tight as we rose into the air.

"Oh," I realized. "I forgot to tell you something."

Louis glanced at me. "What?"

"Thank you," I said, smiling. "Back at Force 10. Thanks for protecting me."

Louis' ears turned dark grey, something I found very amusing. "I didn't really protect you," he said hastily. "I was just saying that to make you feel better."

"Well, it worked," I said, not wavering.

We began to move forward through the air. The slight breeze gave my hair lift. I grinned excitedly.

I could see the whole park, and the people in it, too. There were a few couples here and there, some solo teens, all walking around or going on rides or eating some fair candy.

I licked my lips. Mmm, candy. I just realized how hungry I was.

On the other side, there were rides, and even the entrance to the pub. The amusement park wasn't attached to the pub, Lacy's father had just arranged it that way. If you hadn't guessed already, Lacy's parents were rich.

The ride only lasted a few moments, but it seemed like forever. A glorious forever, that is. At one point or another, Louis put his hand on mine.

I shot him a look, but he wasn't paying any attention to me. He was too busy seeing the sights.

I relaxed. He knew we were just friends. He probably just put it there by accident. No biggie.

I didn't remove it.

Unfortunately the ride had to end sometime, and we began to lower back down to the ground.

"That was amazing," I sighed, settling back.

"Yeah," Louis agreed. "But truth be told, I'm kind of glad it's over."

I glanced at him, frowning, but he didn't notice. His feet were wiggling with anticipation to touch the ground again.

When we were allowed to leave our seats, I had to search for my crocs. They weren't too far off. I put them on, and we left the ride.

"I loved that," I said dreamily. "But I think that's enough for now. I'm starving."

"I'm glad you said that," Louis said, sounding relieved. "Me too." As if on cue, his stomach let out a huge growl.

I giggled as he got a sheepish look on his face. "Come on, Niall," I teased him, taking his hand. "Let's go get some lunch."

I ended up with just a stuffed pretzel. I wanted to save some room for dessert. Louis nearly broke me wanting every single thing on the menu. I limited him to just three slices of pizza. It was his fault he didn't bring any money. What did he think, everything was going to be free?

"Do you like cotton candy?" I asked Louis as we ate.

"Sure," he replied with his mouth full.

I wrinkled my nose. "Swallow," I ordered and he did. "I don't, really. I prefer ice cream."

"So why did you ask me that?"

"I really don't know," I said, with a thoughtful frown. "I guess I just wanted to know. And of course you like ice cream. What sane person doesn't?"

"Lactose intolerant?"

"Well, other than them," I conceded, and Louis chuckled.

"And chocolate!" I shouted. "Everybody loves chocolate! They have to!"

Louis laughed at me as I grinned as widely as Demi Lovato. "You're really something, Renee," he said.

I blushed without meaning to, and I bowed my head so he couldn't see. "I'll take that as a compliment," I smirked when the warmth in my cheeks subsided. Stupid face and red cheeks.

We walked around after eating our "main" meal. I licked an ice cream cone. Louis bought a packet of Nerds (with MY money) and was eating them one by one. Like he needed any more sugar.

"I want to play that," I said randomly, pointing with my pinkie over to one of those rigged game stands. A secret talent of mine is that sometimes I win those things. You just have to find out the secret to it.

"Well, it's your money we're spending," Louis said with a shrug, and I punched his shoulder with my free hand. We went over.

I paid, and I was handed three darts. I had to puncture three balloons if I wanted a prize. Louis offered to take my cone, but I stuffed it in my mouth instead. I didn't trust him.

The timer started, and I threw the first dart. It popped a small, red balloon. My heart soared.

I tried again. It pinned to the bulletin board that held the balloons up, but then fell to the ground. It didn't pop any balloons. So now even if I popped the last balloon, I still lost.

I threw the last dart half-heartedly, and it actually did pop a green balloon.

"Sorry," said the man running the stand. "You lost."

I refrained from rolling my eyes. No shit, Sherlock. Thanks for pointing that out.

I didn't like to lose.

"Okay, my turn," Louis said. He reached into one of my back pants pockets and pulled out my wallet.

I nearly spit out my ice cream cone. Da hell?

"What the heck, Louis?" I demanded as he paid. "You put your hand into my back pocket? What is wrong with you?"

I slapped his arm.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing the part where I hit him. "Hey, I was just reaching for your wallet. It's not like I squeezed your buttock or anything."

I stared at him. So did the man running the stand. I hit him again. The man handed him the darts. Awkarrrd.

Louis threw the darts, and each time he did the muscles in his arms flexed. I tried not to notice. I swear he did that on purpose.

To my surprise, he popped all three balloons easily. "Winner!" the man declared, still giving Louis a weirded out look as he gave him the prize. I thought it best we left that stand as quickly as possible.

"You are seriously fricked up," I sighed as we walked.

"Why?" Louis asked. He squeezed his giant teddy bear. He frowned. "It doesn't sing," he complained.

I ignored his comment. "Why are you so fricked up?" I snapped. "Seriously, Louis, we're in a semi-public place! You don't mention squeezing my bum like that! It's just weird!"

"True," Louis agreed, but he grinned. "But it sure gave that old guy a scare."

"Louis!" I gasped and slapped him again. "You are so immature! You're unbelievable!"

I stormed off angrily. Stupid prick.

Louis easily caught up to me. "Hey, I thought it was funny," he said. "I didn't think it would make you this pissed."

"Oh, really?" I said sarcastically. "You seem to easily forget that we're just friends!"

An emotion that almost looked like fear crossed Louis' face, but then it was gone. I must've imagined it.

"What? You would rather be enemies?" he demanded.

"No!" I raged. I sighed. I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head. "I like being friends with you. I really, really do. It's just incidents like these that really set me off."

"Apparently," Louis muttered, and I glared at him.

He shoved the teddy bear in my face. It was white and fluffy, and massive. "What the--!" I yelped, and tried to push it away.

"Mr. Bear wants you to forgive me," Louis said. "Right, Mr. Bear?"

"Of course, Mr. Tommo," Louis said in a weird voice.

I bit my cheek hard to keep from laughing. He couldn't win me over that easily.

"Pwease?" Louis pleaded in a baby voice, and his head popped up above the bear's shoulder. "I would give you Mr. Bear, but I think you would be a bad influence on him...."

I smiled and shook my head. I couldn't help it. "Fine," I sighed, amused. "I forgive you. I forgive Mr. Tommo, Mr. Bear," I added to the bear.

"Yippee!" Louis squealed in the bear's voice. He gave it to me. "Here," he said. "I already have way too many of these. I'm the boss at those kind of things."

I buried my face in the bear's fur. It was soft. The fluff tickled my nose, and I looked up.

"I'm changing the bear's name," I declared. Louis pouted, but didn't complain.

"His name is going to be Mr. BooBear," I decided. "Junior," I added quickly.

Louis laughed. "I like that name," he said seriously. "Now come on, the sun's going down. We don't have much time left in the park."

He was right. The setting sun was casting a dull glow on everything, though I'm sure it was beautiful in color. Lights were starting to pop up all over the park.

We went on the rides. I set the bear down on a bench each time we went, and he was always there waiting for us when we finished.

Of course the bear was a male. Did you seriously think I would name the bear Mr. BooBear if it was a female? Though I suppose it is hard to tell....

We went into the haunted house. To my embarrassment, I screamed at everything. Even when a guy in a ski mask holding a rubber chainsaw chased after us, I wailed like it was the end of the world.

Louis grabbed my hand tightly during some part of the attraction, and he didn't let go through the rest of it. It made me feel warm all over, and I didn't mind it at all. And I absolutely hated myself for it.


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Author's Note:


I enjoyed making this chapter. It was a lot of fun. I actually did go on all of those rides mentioned. I nearly broke my neck on the Fun Factory. It was awesome.

I bet you guys thought I was going to include the Ferris wheel. Don't deny it! It's so cheesy how that ride is always the most romantic.

Those two are so silly. A bear named Mr. Bear, really? Louis is so creative. Well, I suppose it is better than Beary/Berry....

If I could've named this chapter, it probably would have been "Mr. BooBear Squeezed My Buttock". Or probably not. Too weird? Possibly.

SHOUTOUT to @iLubOneDirection98! I love you, too. :)

Now, I PROMISE, the next chapter is gonna be good. I'm not lying this time. I've seriously got to hop to it!


Stay Beautiful,
-Sammi <3