FAME│s.m

nine

"Ferris Wheel time!" I squeal. It was always my favorite ride because I could overlook the small town at the top better than my bedroom window.

I practically dragged Simon onto the attraction. I felt like he really didn't want to go on it with me, but I figured it'd calm him from his match.

The ride had finally started, and we were lifted toward the sky.

"Okay, I'll admit, I was wrong," I say. He looks at me intently, his face soft as he watched my face light up. "This is my favorite place to be," I explain, looking over the side of the cart.

After silence and a few rounds of going 'round in circles, I lost hope in our night becoming my favorite memory. The closer we got to the end of it, the quieter he became.

"Hey," I say as we near the bottom once more. He looks up at me, wallowing into my gaze. "What's up, Si?" His eyes lit up, and he slammed his hands against his knees.

He pushed himself toward me, and once he came close enough to my face, he removed his palms from his legs and placed them on my cheeks, our lips colliding.

He pulled away, stricken from the emotion he was currently feeling. Nothing else was said, just an exchange of smiles.

We got off the ride, and he immediately locked his hand with mine. As he swung them back and forth, he guided me to the game he was bragging about winning the whole night, even though he hadn't even touched the soil around it yet.

"You gonna play, fella?" a man in his late 40's questioned as he chomped on his gum.

"Yup," Simon replied. The guy explained the rules to Simon before rolling a fake soccer ball toward his feet. "Top left." Bam. "Bottom left." Bam. "Bottom right." Bam. "Top right." Bam.

The guy running the booth joined me to stare at Simon with awe.

"Wh-what would you like?" the worker asks, gesturing to the larger stuffed animals.

"Pick one, love," Simon smiles back at me, stepping out of my way. I was still in shock as I picked the stuffed elephant.

"How did you do that?" I question. He looks at me as if I was stupid. Then it hit me. He's a professional, Amari.

••••

Everything that happened next felt so quick, yet it played in slow motion.

Reporters came running at us, flashing lights blinding me. Simon pulled my face into his chest to protect me from the press, telling them off as nice as he could. Then I heard a familiar voice call out Simon's name.

"Josh?" Simon questions, pushing us past the press and to his friend.

"We found you, brother," he chuckles, smiling as he gives Simon a hug.

I looked at Simon confused. "How did they-" I get cut off by the toppling hugs of his mates and am pushed out into the open, stood by myself as the press take pictures of the team reuniting.

I was able to pull him away and ask for an explanation of the whole situation. His face just remained as guilty as ever. "Okay, what's up?" I ask, angry he's looked like this the whole night.

"I may or may not have told them where I was... and that I wanted to be picked up."

I look at him with disbelief. "Waitwaitwait, you wanted to be picked up?" I question.

"Amari, you don't even know me-" he starts, but I stop him with a hurt facial expression and a few words of my own.

"I thought I did," I reply, "Just go with them, you obviously have made your choice."

"No, Amari, that came out wrong. I'm sor-" Before he could finish, he got cut off once more by the press. They pushed us apart, and he dove into the coach bus his team had travelled in to hide from the flashing lights before I could kiss him one last time.

He sat at the nearest window to me, pressing his hand against the glass. I shake my head at him, and turn my back on his presence.

You're lucky I still like you, Minter.