Of the Trees(10)

“French fry?”

Cassie turned and grinned as Ryan and Jon materialized behind her. She snatched a fry from the paper cup Ryan flourished in her direction, popping it in her mouth and grinning her thanks. Laney held her hand out until Ryan passed the container over to her. Jon was next to him, devouring fried dough topped with powdered sugar.

“Where to?” Ryan asked, pulling what was left of his fries away from Laney. “Ferris wheel?”

“You’re not getting me on that thing,” Laney said. “It looks like it’s about to tip over.”

“Says the girl who chases ghosts,” Ryan said.

“Chases, yes,” Laney said, falling into step with Jon and heading off into the carnival. “But I have no immediate desire to join them.”

The carnival was packed with their classmates and families. Cassie waved hello to Sara and Stephanie Allen, twins in the year behind her that played shortstop and pitcher respectively on the varsity softball team. They waved back, on their way to show up their boyfriends at the toss games. Laney got dragged into one conversation by Brendan Holcomb, arguing in low tones.

“What was that about?” Cassie asked once Laney rejoined their group. Laney huffed.

“He wanted my opinion on having a masquerade dance for homecoming.”

“That’d be cool,” Jon said, his attention pulled away from a blond in tight jeans as he nodded at Laney. “Like an early Halloween party. What’d you say?”

“I said ask me about it at school and not on my weekend,” Laney snapped.

“Rough, Laney,” Cassie chastised. Laney rolled her eyes. “Isn’t the dance soon?”

“A couple weeks,” Laney muttered. The crowd surged around and through them, a large man knocking Cassie into Ryan. He steadied her with a firm hand on her hip and her stomach clenched at the contact. Jon dodged past the group and spun back around, walking backward and facing his friends.

“You know,” he said, hands shoved in his pockets, “most girls look forward to senior year dances.”

“Most people look forward to senior year ending so they never have to see any of their classmates again,” Laney countered.

“Except us, of course,” Cassie said through a grin, nudging Laney. “You’ll miss us.”

“You know what you’ll really miss?” Ryan said hopefully.

“Your good looks?” Laney quipped, reaching out and stealing a piece of the cotton candy Jon had just finished paying for.

“Well, yeah, obviously,” Ryan started with a wave. “But even more than that? The Ferris wheel! C’mon, one go around.”

They groaned collectively until Ryan begged. “Please! Cassie, this is my thing.”

“This is your thing?” Cassie teased, laughing. She followed him, letting Ryan grab her hand and pull her along. “A broken down ride at the carnival? Pretty sad, Ryan.”

The Ferris wheel dominated the center of the carnival. It was the same ride Cassie had seen year after year—simple metal construction, a dozen seats covered in a soft plastic of alternating colors: faded red, blue, and a yellow that had stained with use and weather to a mustard brown. Lights flickered on the metal wheel, some of them broken. The tinny music from the over-sized music box blared loudly here, cymbals clanging in time with the animatronic monkey voices.

There wasn’t much of a line. The attendant gestured them forward, and Ryan and Cassie were seated on a red seat. Cassie was pretty sure someone should have checked the safety rail before they got on—it rattled as the attendant brought it down over their laps.

“All set!” the man called. The Ferris wheel lurched back to life, swinging them higher by a few feet and then stopping with a squeal, allowing enough time to get the next couple on the seat below them.

“Don’t happen to have a screwdriver on you?” Cassie asked, watching the people below grow smaller as they swung higher. Ryan leaned over her, checking the bar, and she could smell hints of the sandalwood cologne he must have used.

“I think it’ll be okay,” he said, leaning back in his seat and grinning at her. His arm came to rest along the back of the seat. There were no more people waiting to get on the ride, and the wheel swung now in a continuous arc. “I’ll do my best to catch you if we tip.”

“You’re not funny,” she said, smacking his leg. He laughed.

“Whatever, you know you love it.” His voice was deeper, teasing, but serious, too.

Cassie’s breath caught as she locked eyes with him. It was there, somewhere in his gaze, a challenge. She had felt it before, and it had been happening more and more frequently. An unsettling flurry erupted in her stomach, and she bit her lip. The moment broke when he knocked his knee into hers and grinned. She smiled back, though it faltered.

He talked normally as the wheel spun, telling her about the new cold-weather sleeping bag his uncle had gotten him as an early birthday present. Ryan was always excited to expand his hiking equipment. He was just mentioning that he wanted to pack it for his hike this week when he squinted out over the carnival.

“Where’s Laney going?” he asked, leaning over the rail. Cassie and Ryan were nearing the peak again when he pointed over the carnival. Cassie looked out into the night and could just make out the top of her friend’s head, bobbing through the crowd. “Looks like she’s following Jessica.”