Caramel apples, popcorn, giggling children, tired parents, endless lines…

I wandered aimlessly around my town’s annual summer fair. It was the same thing every year, the nauseating rides, booths of games that rip you off, food that made you loosen your belt, I really don’t know why I came. All around me couples, families, and group of friends seemed to be enjoying themselves. A small crowd gathered around a magician, boys raced girls to the front of the line for the fun house, vendors hocked their sickeningly sweet treats, and I just watched as time passed me by. Soon the sky darkened and there was a collective ‘ooh’ as the flashing lights on every single ride and display blinked on.
The Ferris wheel glistened in the center of all the organized chaos, the bright shining wheel spun tiredly as it’s passengers waved to the people below them. Something unknown drew my body towards it and soon enough I found myself in line for the ride.

Single riders, that’s what I was going to do. Just take a spin and then go home. I was tired, my feet ached, it was bound to be cold, and I was beginning to permamnently reak of fair food. Someone bumped into my side, knocking me out of my place in line and onto the grassy ground.
“Hey… watch it,” I snarled as I got up and dusted my pants free from any grass or dirt.
“Oh, sorry… didn’t see you there,” a nasally familiar voice whined. Karleigh Meyer. My high-school arch nemesis.
“Karleigh,” I practically spat her name.
“That’s me,” She gushed, clearly loving hearing her own name. She wasn’t alone, I noticed she was with her pack of self-absorbed and shallow boys, they flanked her in a perfect V as she stole my spot in line, forcing me to stand directly behind her and her boyfriend, who happened to be
my ex. Brady Brian, he stood there, the typical all-American boy with his blonde hair and blue eyes, staring at the ground as if it were the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. I knew what he was doing, he did this when he was embarrassed or uncomfortable. Karleigh liked this awkward exchange and saddled up to make some usualobnoxious comment. I could hear her as she raised her voice and flipped her dark hair over her shoulders, “So Charlie, hot date night by yourself? Or did you just come here to stalk Brady and I some more?” Her friends teetered as I felt my skin prickle, beads of sweat formed as I faced what was sure to be public humiliation.

My throat felt dry and I barely croaked out a “no” as my response. This resulted in more snickering.

“Well good, because Brady here is completely over you and he’s not coming back. He’s mine now and don’t you forget that,” Karleigh hissed and she slid her overly tanned arms around Brady’s neck and kissed him way too dramatically, as if she were the star of a daytime soap opera. Typical. When they finally surfaced for air, Brady did something he rarely ever did,
he looked me clear in the eyes, and I saw no remorse or sympathy that I once saw in his eyes two months ago.
It was my 18th birthday and Brady’s family threw me a party at their beach house, tons of people showed up, there was music and food and dancing, a typical party. Almost everyone that I knew was there, from family to friends… to enemies. As my parents and Brady’s parents were bringing out a fabulous cake with 18 candles and a crowd gathered to sing “Happy Birthday” to me, I noticed that Brady wasn’t at the head of the crowd, instead his lips were attached to Karleigh’s. They were locked in a passionate kiss and of course neither of them saw when I took the cake
straight from our parents’ hands and dumped it over their heads and left my own party, crying. Brady had only tried apologizing once and I refused to speak to him, I just watched as he pulled some half-assed apology out of nowhere, stating he hoped we could be friends again and that he was sorry I had to find out about him and Karleigh like that.

I cried for a long time that night, ignoring any calls or messages or texts from anybody. But then when I woke up in the morning, I realized that life is going to go on with or without me, so I got up and went to last week of high school, shutting everyone out of my life. I only talked to my parents or teachers. My trust was broken.

Tears stung my eyes now, from all the memories that flooded back into my mind and I pushed by Karleigh and her group and up to the front of the line. The ride operator took my ticket and helped me climb into the Ferris wheel carriage and then it was up, up, and away for me. I collapsed into tears as the fair grounds slowly appeared below my feet.
I just knew that I shouldn’t have come. Why does Karleigh have to be such a bitch? And Brady… that blank expression, like I was nothing to him, that hurt. I used to be his everything… now I don’t exist in his world.
“I”m pathetic. This is pathetic,” I mumbled to myself through my tears, the lights of the fair blurred into bright circles as my vision clouded over. I blinked away my tears and stared down, it seemed as if the world hated me… happy couples seemed to be the only thing I saw, giggling, smiling, holding hands, sharing caramel apples, winning that stuffed bear for their special someone.
I was one of those happy girlfriend once, now look at me… alone on a summer night, drying my eyes at the top of a Ferris wheel. Epitome of classy.

As the fairgrounds were laid out before me, I saw something different, something apart from all the fast paced movement. An boy around my age, stood in the middle of the bustling crowd. He had caught my eye. He looked so lost and lonely, like he could use someone. I watched as his face searched for someone in the crowd. He was handsome, even from a distance, he was tall, lean, had a slight tan, short chestnut hair styled into a tiny mohawk. He had strong facial features that I noticed more in detail as my carriage descended and I got a closer look. His nose was prominent, his cheeks were round, his pale pink lips were set in a line, and his brow furrowed over his eyes. He was dressed casually, as any other boy would, but something set him apart… maybe it was the way his dark jeans made his legs look endless, or the way his plain white v-neck t-shirt hugged his chest tightly, or his black Nike dunks that covered his feet, and his faded black leather jacket that protected him from the approaching cold air of a Northern California summer night.
Perfect, he looked perfect, his eyes locked onto mine as my carriage came to a stop. He blinked at me before I gave him a shy smile, then he blushed and his tanned skin turned an adorable pink. How cute was he?

My smile widened as his did too, revealing two rows of perfectly straight pearly whites, wow. Beautiful smile for a beautiful boy. As a new surge of people loaded into the Ferris wheel and I got off, I watched as he disappeared into the crowds. He was gone. I could hear Karleigh cackling behind me at something that Brady must have said, so I slipped away as quickly as I could. Dodging through people, eager to just get out of here and go home to my silent house. Until I bumped into someone.

“Don’t leave,” a smooth and deep voice told me as I looked up to see that I had bumped into the beautiful boy with the smile. I stood there in shock as he steadied me and brushed my long bangs out of my eyes.
“I was just coming to find  you, you looked like you could use a cotton candy so I went and got you one. I’m Alexander by the way.”
God, he was beautiful. His baby blue eyes searched my face, I wanted to reach out and feel his long thick eye lashes. I must have looked like a fish out of water, my mouth gaping open as this undeniably attractive boy held me in his arms and stood there smiling at me, looking concerned.
I was staring blatantly and realization struck me when I figured out I hadn’t said a word.
“Uh… hello, I’m uh Ch-Charlie… Thank you for the treat,” I barely stuttered out as he passed me a big cone of pink fluff, marvelling at his thoughtfulness.
“How’d you know I would want pink?” I asked, he looked startled and then regret filled his sky colored eyes.
“I’m an idiot. I should have known… I just assumed y’know that you’d want pink ‘cause you’re a girl and all and that’s what I bought and I now I realize that was sexist. Not all girls want pin-” I shoved a piece of his blue cotton candy into his mouth to stop his rambling.

“Calm down. I like pink just fine, so thank you but you didn’t have to do that, I hope you know,” I said between small bites of my own sweet treat and smiled at him.
Two dimples popped onto his face as he smiled back at me, his teeth were slightly tinted blue but the effect wasn’t lost. His eyes crinkled and his whole face lit up, pleased that he had done something right.
We stood there, in the middle of the moving crowd, for a good while. Just smiling at each other as we ate our cotton candy, watching as it dissolved quickly on our tongues like snowflakes to the ground. In that moment, I was happy… Alexander had cleared all the thoughts from what had happened over by the Ferris wheel out of my mind.