A Guide on How to Love Jules Everett

Chapter Twenty-Two

The Carnival Gifts

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"FASTER! GO FASTER! You're going to— ah."

The words "GAME OVER" were written in bold, plastered against the digital screen I slammed my hands against the console in defeat. The gamemaster in charge of the booth cackled a little too jovially, flicking the shining coin in his hand with a shrug of nonchalance. There wasn't even an ounce of pity in his eyes.

"Tough luck, folks," he said, leaning against the console, arm propped up casually. Gesturing behind him at the row of arcade games set up, he continued, "Why don't you try your luck with another? You've been at this game for half an hour and you've not won even once."

Harr huffed indignantly, blowing at a stray strand of hair that had fallen over his eye. Peeved, he reluctantly stood up, shuffling away from the console. The next challenger quickly stepped up, taking his place and soon the familiar music rang through the air once more.

"I almost had it this time," Harr sighed. His eyes glittered with unshed tears, almost as though he was ready to shed a tear at any given time like a well-practiced actor.

Laughing, I gently pat his back a few times, running my hands up and down in an attempt to soothe him. However, my actions were more mocking than sympathetic. "Sure you did, pal. Sure you did."

It was a walk of shame out of the mini arcade. Another large sum of money was blown in an attempt to win some prizes. The rows of stuffed toys and beautiful eccentric trinkets had been too tempting for our mortal selves. Unable to resist, we had tried out luck at bringing one home. However, just like the many other booths we had tried beforehand, none of the games we played had reaped successful results. Time after time, it had been money flushed down the drain as defeat laughed in our faces.

"How do you think the others are faring?" I asked, pulling the strings of my bag a little tighter against my body, not wanting to lose it in the crowd.

"Probably well. After all, Xavier is extremely competitive. If Eugene makes an attempt at winning Jules a booth prize, Xavier will no doubt try his hardest too," Harr deduced. "For all we know, we might end up meeting them with a bunch of assorted stuffed animals in Jules's arms."

Just as those words left Harr's lips, we came to a stop right by a booth where three familiar figures stood. Two of them had their arms up in the air, gloriously cheering and whooping in delight, basking in the sweet aura of success while the other sulked at the corner like a child that was denied candy. The toy rifle in Eugene's hands was raised above his head as he jumped a little, Jules following suit in excitement as the gamemaster brought forward a stuffed teddy bear that was almost her height.

"Congratulations!" The woman beamed, passing the spoils of war over to Eugene, who took it graciously.

"You did it! That was incredible," Jules awed, her cheeks tinted red from both the booth lights as well as the rush of blood into the apples of her cheeks.

"It's only because you were there to cheer me on," Eugene confessed shyly, a sheepish grin hanging on his lips. He then held the bear towards Jules, nearly thrusting the stuffed animal right into her face. "Here, this is for you."

The second Jules took hold of the teddy bear in her arms, she was engulfed by the chocolate-brown fur. Holding it up by under its arms, the toy easily spanned from her head to her knees. The bear's feet could touch the ground at any second if Jules hugged it any lower. Its beady eyes caught the light of the booths, almost glittering in a taunting way.

"Oh!" Jules exclaimed in surprise. "T-Thank you."

Xavier, who had been sulking silently by himself in a corner, could no longer hold it in any longer. He narrowed his eyes scrutinizingly, sneering with a murderous glint in his eyes. Then, he turned, his eyes landing on me before they lit up sinisterly for a second. The right corner of his lips tilted up slightly, his grin looking anything but friendly as he kicked off the wall he had been resting against. He walked quickly out of the shadowed corner he had been watching the two's interactions from, crossing his way towards the next booth over, making sure to bump into Eugene's shoulder a little too hard to be accidental on the way.