7.THE WRETCHED DEAL

A fair was being held in our town. Kylie was to attend it with Nick. Simon, and Rita, who after their date just could not seem to get enough of each other, decided to go together again.

   "Brian could take you, unless you'd rather stay at home." Simon had said this to me while munching on leftover muffins.

   "I was going to go either way, because of work." We were putting on a show with our animals from the daycare. "But yeah, Brian and I can go together." Simon gave me a thumbs up and a smile with his mouth full. 

I had informed Brian that my shift would be from four to six and then I could join him, and he had said that he would come around six to find me. I was actually looking forward to the fair. Not only was I looking forward to the food, the rides, and the other activities, but I was anticipating the entire evening with Brian the most. On that day, I left the house early for daycare. I had put on a white tee with my denim shorts. With a little bit of jewelry and makeup, the outfit looked presentable, and I could also run around in it easily. 

    The day flew by as I got really busy at the daycare. We bathed all the animals and got them dressed. Each worker had to pack a bag of food for animals, litter bags, and other necessary items. My coworker and I took several Polaroid pictures of the animals to put on our soft board at the daycare. I was mainly responsible for the golden retriever, Bruno, wearing a tie. He and several other dogs were to perform several tricks together in synch. 

Our animals were adorable, and I felt like a proud mother when I saw hordes of people applauding from behind the stage. One of the Pomeranians, Suzy, got a little late while doing the tricks, and my coworkers and I had to hold our sides when we saw her scuttling along to catch up with the others. My shift was about to end soon, and I was gawking at the crowd, looking for Brian. When my shift ended, I called him, but I was sent to voicemail. So I texted him, telling him that I was going to get some drinks for myself, then I would go ride the Merry Go Round, and he could meet me there.

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BRIAN'S POV

    These past few days have gone by easily. I had been looking forward to the fair. Steph had been right; with time, I was slowly going back to my normal life. Ever since the breakup, Steph felt different now. Talking to her felt different. Every time I spoke to her, she always said the things I wanted to hear. I found comfort in her presence. Every time I looked at her, she seemed to be glowing. But I couldn’t forget that she was still my best friend’s little sister. And it was wrong in every way. Knew it would be a mess if I let this attraction grow. Simon would practically have my head for it. And Steph was way too nice for me. I didn’t want to hurt her in any way.

      I had arrived at the fair at around five thirty, and the first stall I had visited was Steph's pet show. I stood there with my arms folded in front of me, gaping at her from the corner of the tent. She kept looking into the crowd but did not spot me, as I was hidden in the corner. There were about fifteen minutes left in her shift to end, so I decided to get us both some drinks. They were selling some funny-colored drinks with really swirly straws, so I got in line to grab some for us.

              I had almost reached the end of the line, it was about to be my turn when I saw, standing in a group across from me Lyla. She had worn a red strapless top and a red lip to match it.The laughter rang out like nails on a chalkboard, grating against my nerves. My fists clenched as I watched her, Lyla, standing there with her head tilted back, eyes crinkled in delight. The sound of her joy—it used to be my favorite melody. Now, it was a sound I couldn’t bear.

But what sent a white-hot surge of rage through my veins wasn’t just the sound of her laughter; it was him. The guy standing way too close, his hand planted possessively beneath her waistline, his grin as smug as if he’d won some grand prize. The way she leaned into him when she laughed, hiding her face in the crook of his neck, was like a dagger driven straight into my pride.

It wasn’t some jealousy or sadness I felt. No, sadness had long been burned away by the simmering anger that took its place. This wasn’t some pitiful longing for what we had. This was pure, unfiltered fury. How could she be so happy, so carefree, after everything? After us? I, Brian Lockwood could get any girl in a snap of a finger. Heck, I already had the whole campus swooning over me. And someone like Lyla played me? A nobody like her who got the recognition she has right now because of ME! Because of dating the star player and the captain of the basketball team. And she dumped me like I was a meaningless fuck in her life. Had I really been so meaningless that she could move on this easily, this quickly? The thought festered in my mind like poison, and I hated her for it.

She didn’t deserve to look this radiant, this alive. No. If she wanted to pretend I didn’t matter, I’d show her just how little she mattered to me now.

I wasn’t Brian Lockwood, the guy who once worshipped the ground she walked on. Not anymore. If she thought I was that easy to forget, she was about to learn a lesson in regret. I’d show her she wasn’t irreplaceable either. In fact, I’d prove just how insignificant she’d become. 

With that thought, I turned sharply. Every step away from her was a step closer to revenge. She’d regret making me feel like this. She’d regret ever thinking I was replaceable.

I didn’t know exactly where I was going, but I knew what I needed to do. The game had changed, and I wasn’t going to play the lovesick fool anymore. This time, I’d be the one holding all the cards.

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STEPH'S POV

                      The queue for the merry-go-round was endless. I was standing by the side with shaved ice cream in one hand, contemplating whether I should join it or not, when I saw Brian running towards me at full speed. At first, my deluded self thought that he was running to me, as he was sorry that he had been late. When he came close enough to me, I grabbed his arm and pulled him to myself.

       "Brian, are you alright? What's wrong?" I asked with a problematic scowl on my face.

      "Let's go sit over there," I said, pointing to a stall where they were serving colored drinks with swirly straws. There was an arrangement of chairs there.

       "No! Not there!" He said it abruptly, grabbing my arm and joining the queue for the merry-go-round. While waiting for our turn-in line, I tried wiping Brian's face with a tissue I had in my bag. He was drenched with sweat because of his run. While I was wiping his face, I noticed he was studying me. Deeply. And his gaze? It sent something fluttery down my stomach. Before I could say anything, our turn came, and we had to scurry along to the ride. I could tell that at this moment, Brian did not care much about the ride as he had something else on his mind. Something was really worrying him.

We chose two horses that were right beside each other and sat on them. As someone in their teens, it felt silly to ride a merry-go-round meant for children. But it also felt goofy. We heard the turn of the key, and the ride started to rotate. I was enraptured by the colorful glowing lights, and I turned to look at Brian, only to find him staring at me. He moved in closer and whispered, “May I kiss you?” Huh? I remember thinking. Did I hear that right? He wanted to kiss me. Maybe he meant Diss. He was really upset and needed to tell someone.

 I did not understand what was going on, but I nodded, ready to hear him speak, when he swooped in and pressed his mouth to mine. I heard fireworks go off in the background, lighting Brian's face. I was so shocked by the contact that my eyes were still wide open when his mouth came off of mine. Some people who had witnessed the kiss started clapping, and I felt the heat in my cheeks. Brian looked at me solemnly as he pursed his lips together. When the ride ended, I staggered to my feet, and Brian held me by my shoulder to straighten me.

He pulled me to the side. "We need to talk." He said to me, I snorted to myself in amazement. I should have been the one saying that. I nodded in agreement.