FESTIVAL DAY rolls along quick. Having amazing news revealed to her and a new perspective opened by May, Emery feels ready to go to her last school festival. Being a senior wasn't turning out incredibly bad.
Despite wanting to wear her regular attire, May convinces her that she needs to dress up at least a little bit for memories. She says that Emery won't remember anything special in her boring everyday clothes.
Emery thinks that's ridiculous, but listens to her headstrong friend. She wears a cream button up blouse paired with a jean skirt. She swats May's hand away when she tries to open the buttons a little bit. Ultimately, May is satisfied with her new look, and Emery doesn't think it's too bad for this one time.
May takes it up a notch in a floral patterned sun dress. It flows down to her thigh, paired with brown sandals. Together, they look like those Pinterest girls. The beach party ones.
As they step out of Emery's house, Harven and Tate do the same. Emery internally groans, not wanting him to pull anything today. He's never gone before, so this strikes her as strange.
They get into May's car, making sure to blast the air in these ninety degree temperatures. May eyes Emery turning the radio towards the classical, and mutes it from the wheel.
"Hey, that was rude." Emery furrows her eyebrows, crossing her arms. She sits back in her seat.
"You'll completely ruin my mood for today. I'm surrounded by classical twenty-four seven." She glances at her friend from the driver's seat.
"Fine, but no rap. That's horrible ear rape." Emery shakes her head, looking for a new station. She settles on hip-hop, which brings a satisfied smile to May's mouth.
I guess I can do with Justin Bieber, she huffs.
______________
After the ride, embarrassingly she finds herself humming to the beat of What Do You Mean.
They walk up to the familiar huge sign, flashing yellow and blue lights around the rim. In bold gold letters it reads Davies' High School Annual Festival.
As they walk further down the faint pathways, there's booths with games and all the carnival food you could imagine. A PTA member stands behind each one. Eventually, she reaches the Ferris wheel, where usually Ethan and her would ride.
"Whack-a-mole?" May asks, to which Emery nods and follows her towards the game.
Emery has always won at Whack-a-mole. She has impeccable arm strength, where May lacked a bit. The thing about this particular booth, the mole's were almost impossible to knock down, but Emery got every one.
Violin practice pays off in more ways than one.
This was the one place Emery didn't care for the noise. It was filled with people shouting in joy and exhilaration, which was fun to witness. It finally registered for her that it was her very last time. Of course she could still come to this carnival, but it wouldn't have the same sense of togetherness as this event.
May walks up to Emery, who is seated on a rusty bench. The air was perfect, blowing the slightest bit of hair in another direction and it felt fresh. Not stuffy, like she expected.
She holds a snow cone in each pale hand, rainbow and blueberry. Emery always got rainbow. Handing it to Emery, May takes her seat beside her, the bench creaking slightly.
"This was a good day." May says, leaned back and slowly getting a blue tongue.
"Yeah, it was. I'm glad I came with you." Emery sits with neutral posture, not slumped but not perfect. She smiles over at her friend, who thankfully convinced her to attend, Ethan or not.
May slumps over onto Emery, still holding her snow cone. Emery lays her head atop hers, and they eat in silence. They both listen to the shouts of victory and winning bells coming from the games. By the end, they're blue and red lipped, with a sticky spot here and there.
"I need to use the restroom. I'll throw away your cone, don't run off." Emery stands, swaying for a second, and takes their soggy cones.
May smirks in a way that suggest she's considering running off just because Emery said not to. Emery accepts that she might just have to hunt her down.
"You'll have to use the portable ones, though." May's face contorts to disgust, scrunching up her mouth.
"I know, it's unfortunate." Emery shakes her head, thinking about the un-flushable toilets.
She walks off, finding a trash can before the toilets. The restroom is farther away from the carnival, the lights only shining on the area dimly. After using the bathroom, she heads back towards the ending festival.
She decides to go the other way, which is closer to May's spot. She hears rustling to the left of her, maybe clothes brushing together. Wet sounds come from behind on of the stands.
Ew, she thinks.
When she passes the stand, she stops to make sure she's not mistaken at what she sees.
Lana and.... Ethan?
Her boyfriend who said he wasn't coming and Harven's "perfect" girlfriend. She scoffs, feeling true betrayal for the first time. What a package, she thought, he lies and cheats.
Ethan turns around, widening his eyes at her.
"E-Emery." He say pathetically. He tries to step towards her but she moves her head in a warning way.
"You cheat on me today? Who am I kidding, probably before this, yeah?" Emery turns away from them, wanting to be anywhere else. It stings her more than she thought.
She settles in a vacant picture booth, where it blocks out most of the sound. Times like this she wished to have her violin. Her eyes remain dry, she doesn't remember the last time she cried.
Emery's more disappointed in how much of an idiot he was in lying about coming here and cheating here too, at an event he knows she loves. She stays in the booth, wanting to collect herself. If her emotions got too riled up at once, she spiraled down fast.
The curtains open revealing the last person she wants to see, especially now.
Harven.
"Harven, please. I'm really not in the moo-"
"I know they kissed." He cut her off, sitting beside her. She felt stuffy inside and out.
"How? Did you-!"
"No! I'm not that low, Emery. I actually wasn't sure that you even knew, but now I am. I saw them beforehand." He shook his head. He doesn't seem too heartbroken over the situation.
"Well. I'm sure you didn't come here to console me so..." Emery looks around the booth, ready to get out now.
"Absolutely not. But, I do have an idea." He wore his mischievous grin, paired with excited eyes. She didn't like where this was going.
"I'm sure somebody would really love to hear it. But, not me and not now." She tries to crawl over his large body to get out. Unfortunately he blocks the entire exit. Whale.
She sits with a huff. "Fine, tell me."
"We should fake date."
Emery chokes on the air, coughing and struggling to regain her posture. When it's under control, she gives him her furrowed eyebrows.
"What the hell are you thinking?" She says.
He rolls his eyes like she's the one not seeing reason. "I'm thinking that I need to make Lana jealous so she'll want to crawl back to me, and you need to make a power move." He shrugs.
She hates that she considers it for a second. Half a second.
"No way. I'm totally fine, no revenge or anything needed." She gives a tight lipped smile in his direction.
He narrows his eyes, "Really? Because your leg is bouncing to the sky and back." He cocks his head.
She stops it with her hand.
"Even if I was to consider it, which I'm not, that would never work. You literally make me want to set myself on fire. Twice." She says flatly.
He winces, "Fair. I could possibly tone it down to like three pranks a week." He offers. She just gives him a dumb look.
"How about no pranks at all?" She says. He lets out a loud huff.
"No can do."
"Then I can't either." Emery finishes. She hates that he blocks her only way to fresh, non-Harven air.
It's silent.
Harven sighs, "Okay. No pranks."
Emery eyes him from her leaned back position. She would have to be insane to accept this offer from her sworn enemy. But, how nice it would be to bite back at Ethan.
"I'll do it. It only a temporary thing, until Lana wants you, yes?" She asks.
"Everybody wants me. But, pretty much." He says. The only thing she can think of is what am I doing?
"Okay." She finishes.
"Great, lets take a photo. The couple who just got got." He sounds out in his obnoxious laugh.
He sticks his head out to put five dollars in the slot.
"Smile, babe!" He shouts.
"I'm definitely not your bab-"
The camera clicks, the bright flash cutting her off.