𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 | 𝐛. 𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐳

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 - 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧

      "NO CHAW, just rides, games, and a night full of good memories, got it? This is probably the one night we're gonna get to spend with each other for a while now that all of our careers are taking off, so I want us to genuinely enjoy it, not hurl our guts up because we made a stupid decision." I say.
      After the game, Lennon and I went back home and changed before meeting up with everyone at the fair. Lennon changed back into her skirt and sandals and I changed into a clean pair of jeans, a grey tee, and a flannel. The gang was pretty much all back together, except for Bertram who was still nowhere to be found. The group nods and I walk to the ticket booth, purchasing a ream's worth of tickets. I divide them up, handing some to everyone. Wendy nods to her nine children and smiles at Squints.
      "I'm gonna take them to the kiddy rides, but you have fun. I'll see you in a little bit." She says, kissing his cheek.
      His cheek is red with lipstick and he doesn't wipe it away. I look at the group and raise an eyebrow.
      "So, What are we doing first, guys?" I ask, smiling at them.
      Squints smiles wide and looks around the fairgrounds.
      "Actually, there's a game I want you to try, Benny. It was a new game to the fair last year. Tons of people tried it, even I did, and I didn't see a single person win." He says. "I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, you might." He says.
      I link hands with Lennon and we follow Squints around the fairgrounds. He leads us through groups of people waiting in line for rides or waiting to play a game. Children run around with their friends, laughing and screaming with excitement. He leads us to the center of the fairgrounds where a row of tents housing games sits. He walks me to the last tent in the row to a game, smiling.
      "Welcome to beer bust, Benny." He says, pointing to the game. "This is the game."
      The back wall is lined with a thick metal plating. Shelves sit in front of the back wall, beer bottles sitting upside down in a drilled hole. Buckets of baseballs line the two other walls and prizes taunt me, hanging from above the game itself.
      "To win the game, you've gotta break two bottles in a row. Simple as that." He says. "This game was kinda made for you. Just give her a try."
      I smile and look at Lennon. She adjusts her Dodgers cap and nods, smiling at the game.
      "This looks like fun." She says. "You could totally win."
      I release her hand and approach the man running the game stand.
      "Looks like I've got a challenger, Luke. You owe me ten bucks and a pack of cigarettes." The man says to the man in the stand next to his.
      He stands, approaching me. He smiles and crosses his arms. He's tall with caramel skin and curly chocolate colored hair. His eyes are hidden by sunglasses, even though it's nearly dark outside.
      "How much to play?" I ask, an eyebrow raised at him.
      He clicks his tongue and purses his lips together, furrowing his brows.
      "Two Dollars for Five balls, Five dollars for Ten balls, or Ten Dollars for twenty-five." He says, a thick Boston accent accentuating every word.
      I smirk and nod, grabbing my wallet from my back pocket. I open the lather bill-fold and grab some money.
      "Although I don't think I'll really need twenty-five balls, here's a ten." I say, handing him the ten.
      He smiles and exhales through his nose, taking the ten. He folds it over and places it in his mini/apron where the rest of his cash is and nods.
"So you're a cocky one, huh?" He asks. "Good luck with this, then."
He walks to the wall, and grabs a black bucket of twenty-five baseballs. He returns and hands the bucket to me. The plastic handle digs into my palm and I frown slightly.
"Floor's all yours, man." He says and backs away, taking a seat.
I set the bucket down beside my foot. Some of the baseballs are covered in black gorilla tape, the ball torn open by a shard of glass. The floor of the game area is scattered with glass shards. Extra large tubs of empty beer bottles sit beside him for when he needs to replace a bottle at the end of a game. I approach Lennon, removing my flannel and cap.
"Can you hold these for me?" I ask, pulling the flannel off my arms.
She nods, taking it from me, smiling up at me with bright eyes.
"Show that jerk what you've got." She says, kissing my cheek.
I return to the standing marker, examining the bottles. Some of the bottles are your standard deep brown glass bottles, others, however, are clear, like a Corona beer, and some are green, like Heineken.
      "Does it matter what kind of bottle I break?" I ask the runner of the game.
      He shakes his head and takes a drag on his cigarette, counting his cash.
      "Nah, just break break two in a row to win." He says, leaning back in his seat.
      I nod, looking back at the bottles. I reach down into the bucket and grab my first baseball. I look back at Lennon, spotting a crowd surrounding the game. Do people not challenge this game or something?

(FUN FACT ABOUT ME: This game ^^^ is my favorite game at the fair. I'm not that great at it, but my Dad is really good at it and always wins something from them.)