Chapter 4.11
August
"Give me one good reason why you won't go?" I asked, not believing how stubborn Etoile was being. I knew she still liked me. I mean, how can a person just turn like that? She couldn't get enough of me last week and now she was as cold as a winter storm. It didn't make sense.
Pinning me with her gorgeous silver eyes, she said, "I'll give you two reasons: Briar Blackwell and Benji Lygra."
"Lygra? What the hell does he have to do with anything?" Benji was the Brindleton Bulldogs quarterback. Didn't know Etoile even knew him. He didn't hang out in our crowd.
Rolling her eyes, she said, "If you must know I have a date with him on Friday."
"If you went after Lygra to make me jealous then it worked. I am. But you couldn't possibly like him as much as me. Come on. We've been going out for months. So, I screwed up. I admit it. Why can't you give me another chance?"
She sighed, shaking her head.
"Please?" God, I was reduced to begging. Was she really worth this? We didn't have much in common anyway. She didn't like sports or music or camping or mountain biking or cheesy romantic comedies. The only thing we had in common was sex. We both loved it. Lots of it. It was like she was my dealer who said they were getting out of the business. I missed her wild sense of adventure that way and her soft body with all the right curves in all the right places. She was intoxicating. Mesmerizing. And I needed more.
Panicking, I wanted to shake some sense into her. Hell, I wasn't proud that she'd turned me to an Etoile addict who was just suddenly cut off. "Etoile," I whispered. "Please? Just one more chance."
Without a second glance at me, she said evenly, "I'd advise you find another girl, August, and move on. I have. I cried for two days over you, but not anymore. You're not worth it."
Punching the locker, I said, "Damn it, Etoile, there's no need for you to do this. I'm not thinking about Briar."
"Good."
I heard her heels click away as I crumbled into a husk. Is this what male black widows felt like right before their mate devoured them? Ethan had been right all along. Now I understood. She was the epitome of a black widow.
"Uh, hey, dude," Ethan's voice pricked my nerves. I didn't want to see him. No doubt he was going to gloat. He'd warned me not to mess with her.
I didn't answer. God, this was humiliating.
"You got shot down, huh?"
I caved and answered, "Okay, let me have it. The I-told-you-so's. You were right. She's pure evil. And I should never have entered her spider's web."
"I wasn't going to say that, bro. Listen, I feel for you. But now's the time to lick your wounds and get back out there. I've already texted Wilder, and he's got you covered, okay?"
I groaned. I really didn't feel like going out on another date so soon. "I think I'm going to pass. I want to stay single for a while. Why don't we get Beau and the gang together?"
"Dude, no. That wasn't the plan. I've already asked out Amber."
My eyes widened. "She said yes?"
"Yep. And besides, you just need a pretty face to make you happy again. I can guarantee Wilder will do you right."
"And Amber's okay to hang out with me and my date?"
He shrugged then smirked. "She only cares about being with me."
I lifted the side of my mouth and punched his arm. "I'm glad one of us is a babe magnet."
*****
Friday came and I decided to invite Beau and some of our friends along just in case I didn't gel with this blind date. Plus, I figured having my buds around would take the pressure off.
We all decided to meet up at the park's entrance at dusk.
"Hello, August," Wilder said as I walked up to him and his girl for the evening. "Your date isn't here yet, I'm afraid. I am rather embarrassed. I thought she'd be here earlier."
The red head snorted. "She's Livvy's sister, Wilder. Of course she's going to be late."
Wilder made an introduction of his date, Mallory Barkley, a pretty redhead. One by one, my friends met us over the next fifteen minutes but my date still hadn't shown. Just as well, I thought, since I really didn't want to be here with her anyway.
Finally, I was about to cut into Beau's conversation when a tiny squeak of a voice popped up next to us. "Hey, there, Wilder. Sorry I'm late. I had to catch a ride from Liv."
"No problem, darling," Wilder said in his charming way. No wonder he had women swarming him like bees on a flower. He possessed the nerves of a saint. She already garnered a strike against her in my book for making all of us wait and with my growing bad mood, that wasn't a good start.
The girl was tiny, around 5 ft. 2 with pixie like features--a cross between Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. She was even wearing what looked like tights for pants. All she needed were fairy wings, a wand, and some glitter dust. Total opposite of Etoile.
"Kiera Bentley, this is August Day," Wilder introduced, gesturing to me.
I nodded at her and said, "Nice to meet you."
Her eyes fluttered nervously as she said in her squeaky voice, "Um, yeah, nice to meet you, too!"
She giggled at Wilder and said, "You were right, Wilder. He's CUTE!"
Wilder laughed. This girl was bold. That was something then.
I glanced over at Ethan who was already having a great time with Amber.
God, I didn't realize how beautiful Amber was. I guess when she's not wearing a neverending scowl, and spewing profanities, she actually could look decent. Ethan sure knew how to make her smile. I wistfully thought about being anywhere but here, having to watch someone else have a great time.
"Pumpkins!" Kiera squealed, jerking me out of my thoughts.
"Huh?" I asked.
"You want to carve pumpkins? They have a carving station over there."
Pumpkins? What were we? Five? But I stomped down these thoughts because I was beginning to feel like a first class horse's ass. My mood needed a definite lift. It wasn't Kiera's fault that she wasn't like Etoile. I decided to give the poor girl a chance.
"Where are these pumpkins?" I asked.
"Over here! Come on!" Pulling me along, I stumbled behind her. We must have looked like Jack in the Beanstalk who found the giant and was leading him around the circus. Finally, I saw the station and started in on my pumpkin.
"What are you going to make?" she asked, brightly.
I shrugged. "I think something that fits my mood." I once saw a barfing pumpkin. Looked easy to do. Might as well have fun and stoke the darkness that swooped down on me.
"Me, too!" she said, giggling.
Her warmth defrosted my icy thoughts, and I half smiled. Kiera was a sweet girl. I was starting to like her. Cocking my head, I said, "We'll see how this goes. I'm not good at this kind of thing."
Next to us, Amber and Ethan were fighting about what they were going to make. Amber wanted to carve matching skull pumpkins and Ethan wanted funny ones.
I was not proud of the fact that I wished Amber would cuss him out and leave. No matter what, the girl's voice sent me into PTSD fits, remembering all the tongue lashings she'd given me over the months.
As I'd finished pulling out the guts of my pumpkin, the blood rushed out of my head.
Etoile was marching toward me in the arms of Benji Lygra.
"What the fuck?" I breathed, picturing all the places she'd probably taken him before they arrived in front of me. She loved to try out new spots, and I was sure this park had hundreds of alcoves just waiting for her and...
Him.
My stomach felt like I'd just swallowed a bolder.
It was over, I hissed at myself. Why did I care?
I tried not to watch, but my eyes would not move. Etoile went to town on Lygra's face.
She was fucking doing this on purpose. This was how the Black Widow killed her last mate by showing off with the new one. I wasn't going to get down about it, and I sure as hell wasn't going to get angry. But my emotions weren't listening. If she wanted to burn every desire I'd ever had about Briar, she did it. I was consumed by wanting her.
I had to stop.
Slowly, I put down my carving knife. I just wanted to leave. This was a stupid waste of time for me and for poor Kiera.
And then I spotted Briar.
Squealing, Daniel was chasing her with a smug smile on his face.
Inwardly, I reveled in the fact that Etoile didn't get what she wanted. Briar was definitely engraved in my head. I'd never get over her. For some reason that fact alone felt satisfying.
I was pathetic.
"Are you okay?" that squeaky, sweet voice interrupted my intrusion on Briar's date.
Wincing, I said, "I'm not sure. I kind of have a headache. Sorry I'm not feeling that great."
"Maybe a change in scenery is all you need."
Looking into her innocent face, how could I say no? I nodded and offered for her to lead the way. I had no clue where she was going to take me, but I definitely wanted to stop watching the two girls I cared about having fun with other guys.
*****
Beau
I was really worried about August. I'd never seen him so upset before. He'd moaned to me about Etoile all week and how she'd dissed him. I kept telling him she didn't deserve a guy like him, but he wouldn't listen. He was obsessed. And now I saw Etoile flaunt Benji Lygra in front of him right here.
God, she was a piece of work. It was obviously so master planned by her to hurt August, and his heartbroken face told all that she got to him. But I couldn't do a damned thing about it. Wilder set him up with some silly girl who was definitely not his type. I kept saying he should just hang out with us, but Ethan talked him out of it. I hated how Ethan had a bigger influence on him than I did.
"Dude's going to get him some," Chase said, eyeing August and his date walk toward the south exit.
"Why does everything have to turn into sex with you?" I asked.
"What's wrong with that?"
I rolled my eyes at him then noticed Ethan chatting up Amber. At least someone was having a good time.
August
We both decided to do some games. I thought maybe I could try my hand at one of the carnival tosses. I was pretty coordinated. I thought winning her a stuffed animal would make her happy.
I must have spent twenty bucks trying to win something, but no matter how hard I'd throw the baseball, none of the stuffed animals would go down. The thing was rigged.
"That's okay, August," Kiera kept saying. It was making me mad. But in the end I had to give up.
The most fun we had was inside the tent where some swami guy floated in the air.
"I wonder how he does that?" she asked, wide eyed. I smiled at her strange naiivety. She seemed to see everything like a young child. I found it kind of...charming.
Chuckling, I said, "Wires. If you take a look, the light will sometimes catch on one and you'll be able to see it."
"Really? Wow, August. You're so smart. I would have never guessed that."
Inside, I was wondering what she was really thinking. That the guy actually had the power to rise in the air all by himself?
The night wasn't moving fast enough for me. It was only 8:00 and I felt like I'd talked all I could with her, but there was just no connection. She was sweet, but I just wasn't feeling it. I felt like Kiera could have been a great little sister or something. As we were walking out, I took her elbow and was about to tell her it was time for me to go when she raised herself on her tiptoes to kiss me.
Quickly, I awkwardly turned my head to avoid that, saying, "I think we should go this way to the front of the park." Her kissed missed, forcing her to bob her head in the air.
"Oh...uh...I'm sorry, I..." she stumbled over her words, cheeks flushing bright red.
I felt so bad for her. Pulling her toward me, I said, "Oh, um...it's okay, I'm just...well, I've got to be honest with you, Kiera. You're a nice girl and all, but..."
"But you don't like me like that," she finished as if she'd heard this kind of thing before.
Before I could say anything more, I heard a woman's scream pierce the night, and then something muffled as if her mouth had been covered.
"Did you hear that?" Kiera asked.
Heart speeding up, I said, "Yeah. Stay here. I'll go check it out."
Heading toward where I thought the sound happened, I turned the corner to see someone crumpled on the ground. Adrenaline kicked in and I raced to the person.
When I caught sight of the woman, I stopped short. "Oh my God."
I'd never seen a dead person before. Or pools of blood. But once I came up to a woman I didn't recognize, I knew in my heart what I was witnessing.
My body shook as my knees buckled. The sickening coppery smell of blood flooded my nostrils. "She's dead."
*******
I want to thank RABOOSKI for designing the wonderful circus park for me. It got a Maxis fav because it was so creative. If you want to download it and play, here it is just for you! THREE RING CIRCUS
I want to thank RABOOSKI for designing the wonderful circus park for me. It got a Maxis fav because it was so creative. If you want to download it and play, here it is just for you! THREE RING CIRCUS