Freedom (Pitch Perfect One-Shots)

Carnival

Cabin fever is real. The air had been too sticky and muggy to go outside and actually enjoy themselves. Not even a trip to the lake was possible due to the extreme temperatures. It was the peak of the season, so Jessica and Ashley expected to spend most of their days inside Jessica's childhood home. It's just that they weren't anticipating the heat wave to last as long as it did. Fans blasted around the clock, same TV show on repeat, sprawled on Jessica's old bed wearing nothing but sports bras and cutoff shorts. Ashley, being from New Jersey, wasn't used to the summer heat of Wisconsin. In the Midwest, when temperatures get high, so does the humidity, and when the humidity got high, Ashley became cranky. Jessica could see the heat affecting the mood of her girlfriend, so she did her best to keep her happy and hydrated. Meanwhile, Ashley tried her best to keep her mood from snapping, no matter how antsy the temperatures made her.

Both Jessica and Ashley were able to rejoice, however, when the weather center called for temperatures as high as only eighty-two degrees. It couldn't have been better timing, because that weekend fell on the date of the annual Lakeside Festival. Ever since the girls agreed to spend the summer in Middleton, Jessica had been on pins and needles waiting to take Ashley to experience her favorite childhood memory. Folks dressed head to toe in red, white, and blue, people went on rides, couples played games for prizes. It was a whole weekend for people to enjoy themselves and the season of sun. The festival was the summer festivities everyone who had been cooped up in their homes since May needed. Especially the couple, who grew tired of the same dead routine everyday.

In the early afternoon, the two kissed Jessica's parents goodbye and headed out for a much-needed day of summer fun. They took nothing but phones shoved in back pockets, their fingers laced into one another, and wallets, of course. Jessica drove the ten minutes to Lakeview Park, leaving the car in whatever open patch of grass they could find, as everyone else had done. Ashley peered out the window in wonder as carnival lights did their best to shine, despite the sun beating down on them. Ashley felt the touch of Jessica's hand on hers as she pressed a kiss on her knuckles.

"Happy to be out of the house?" Jessica asked.

"If I'm with you, then I'm happy." Ashley replied with a quick brush on Jessica's cheek.

Content with what was in store for the day, the two girls stepped out of the car and onto the festival grounds. Distant screams on fast rides surrounded them, kids raced past with their friends from game to game, the aroma of barbeque from a nearby stand hit upon entry. It was a typical, hot, sticky, American carnival.

Jessica gripped Ashley's hand, eager to show her everything she used to do when she was a little girl. She pointed to all of the places to get the best food, her favorite rides, the beach where they held cardboard boat races, everything she could think of. Ashley didn't pay much attention to what Jessica was saying, but rather she marveled at her girlfriend, seeing the happiness in her eyes. She imagined what an incredibly stale summer it would be if she wasn't with Jessica. Even despite Ashley's eternal heat stroke from not being used to the air, Jessica still stayed by her side. It's why she was in love with her. They felt unconditionally for each other.

Ashley's thoughts were broken when she felt her foot slip up underneath her, causing her balance to be thrown off. Jessica's grip tightened as the brunette went down onto the grass.

"Oh babe, are you okay?" Jessica asked, not letting go.

Ashley used Jessica to hoist herself up. At the bottom of her white Converse she saw a bright, yellow paste smeared across the bottom. "Yeah, I'm alright."

Behind where Ashley had fallen, the girls saw a smashed hot dog laying on the ground. An amused gasp sounded from Jessica while Ashley's face scrunched in disgust.