Once In A Blue Moon

Chapter 6: Cautious Carnival

2015, October

I kicked the dry leaves on the ground as I waited for Miriam to lock the car doors. A breeze flew by, making me shiver a little from the cold sensation. Good thing I wore thick boots instead of sneakers. Cold weathers are my enemy.

"Let's go!" Miriam chirped then walked towards the entrance.

"Wait up!" I yelled as I jogged to her side.

In the distance, I saw Lucas, James, Jeremy, Amy and Gerard. When we reached them, Miriam went to hug Jeremy which made me want to vomit. I gritted my teeth when I see Jeremy smiling and whispering in Miriam's ear, making her laugh.

"You look constipated," someone whispered. I was shocked and turned my head to see Lucas beside me. I sighed in relief then looked back at the couple.

"I hate that bastard," I whispered back harshly. Lucas didn't reply so I looked at him again. He seemed to be thinking.

I hugged myself when a cold wind passed by. "You cold?" another voice asked. I turned my head to see James removing his scarf. Before I could say anything, James wrapped his scarf around my neck.

I was confused but thanked him. "I feel bad," I admitted as I adjusted the scarf under my chin and pulled my hair out of the scarf.

"Don't worry, I have a tolerance to cold. Besides, you look better in that scarf than me," James said before patting my head.

I wanted to slap his hand away but Lucas beat me to it. I glared at Lucas but he pretended not to notice.

"We're wasting time here. Let's go," Lucas firmly said then grabbed my wrist, pulling me along with him. The rest followed along behind us.

After getting the tickets, we tried different attractions. Jeremy puked after getting on the spinning cups ride. 'Serves him right,' I thought.

Amy and Gerard went to get an extra shirt since Jeremy puked on his shirt a little. I waited with Miriam while she tended to Jeremy because I wanted to make sure she's safe. Despite her persuasion to leave her and enjoy other rides, I didn't budge.

Speaking of not budging, I turned around and saw James and Lucas sitting on the bench, not talking. That's weird. They're usually chatty especially James. I decided to talk to them when I saw Miriam still seated at the other bench with Jeremy.

"You guys good?" I asked.

"Of course," James chirped while Lucas just nodded.

I sat between them since it was empty. I didn't know what to say so I was really glad when Amy and Gerard came back. After handing the shirt to Jeremy, Amy and Gerard said they will ride a few attractions without us.

Thinking quickly, I told James to follow them and pry answers out of them to get some clues on Jeremy's plan. James immediately went along with them and snuck a thumbs-up behind them. I giggled at his antics and mirrored his thumbs up.

Once they were out of sight, I sighed then looked at Lucas. He was always in his thinking mode. I couldn't help but wonder what's in his head.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I joked.

Lucas looked at me but didn't reply. I waited because I knew he was searching for words to answer me. After what seemed like forever, he said, "We should follow them. They left."

I looked behind me to see Miriam and Jeremy walking away. 'Dammit, Miriam. You should tell me where you're going,' I thought to myself as I jogged towards them. Suddenly, I felt a vibration in my pocket. When I pulled out my phone, I read a message from Miriam.

Miri@m: Don't follow me!

"Dammit, Miriam," I muttered. Lucas glimpsed at my phone, reading the message. "This won't do. We have to follow them secretly." I dragged Lucas at the arm as I jogged towards Miriam.

We watched them play at the games booth. As we walked nearer, we passed by a parfait truck. My eyes were mesmerized by the pictures on the menu. I gulped and snapped out of my trance. This is no time for luxuries.

"Which do you want?" Lucas asked, opening his wallet. I hesitated to reply so Lucas pointed a finger and said, "They're eating at the table there. We can watch them while we eat."

I looked at the direction he was pointing. He's right. A little dessert won't hurt.

Once the cup of parfait was in my hands, we sat on the bench nearby where Miriam is in our line of sight. I took a bite of my strawberry parfait. I squealed then moaned. "I wish they had this in school," I pouted then took another bite making me squeal again.

There was a moment of silence which broke me out of my happy bubble. Lucas was staring at me with a soft smile. Again, I felt that annoyingly nice feeling in my chest and stomach. It's not fair that he makes my insides melt when he doesn't feel anything. I huffed in annoyance.

I cleared my throat. "Thanks for buying this. You didn't have to," I sheepishly said.

"To see you like this. It was worth it," he said, smirking. The moment his words registered, my emotions went skyrocket that I didn't how to feel.

My hands felt clammy and my heart wouldn't stop pounding at my chest. I looked away then said, "Do you use that cheesy line with other girls?"

I returned my gaze to him to see his reaction. "Yes," Lucas grinned maliciously. At this, I made a face and continued to eat. Silence followed after, making me dwell in my thoughts. I felt a hit of nostalgia as memories of a younger me with my dad resurfaced.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Lucas asked, surprising me a little as I was brought back to reality. I chuckled, knowing he copied my question earlier.

I wondered if I should tell him. However, the fact he's mostly mute gave me the courage to tell him. "My dad used to bring me here every year. He passed away when I was 12."

"Oh... Sorry to hear that," Lucas said uncomfortably.

I chuckled then continued, "It's okay. What matters most are the memories I spent with him."

I smiled at him and he returned it.

When I saw our targets moving, I stood up. "They're leaving," I declared.

I walked forward but I bumped into someone I didn't notice which made me fall back. I expected to meet the ground but instead, I felt my back land on something warm. It took me a while to realize an arm was wrapped across my stomach. I craned my neck to see a pissed Lucas.

I was flustered but I did my best to be composed. "I am okay, Lucas," I said, getting out of his hold. I knew he was mad at the dude who pushed me without apology. There was no reply so I took his hand and pulled him with me. "We're losing them," I stated and didn't bother to see his reaction.