“That is easy. Key Lime Pie. Cheese fries are a close second.”
“Good to know,” I say, loving the smile on her face. “Alright, I’ve got a good one. You ready?” I ask, not caring whose turn it is. I just want to know everything I can about this beautiful girl.
“Hit me.”
“Who’s the most important person in your life?” As soon as I ask the question, I can feel her tense up.
She twists the silver ring on her thumb. “My Grandma Lorraine. She died two years ago, but she was the best person I knew. She was my dad’s stepmom, so we weren’t actually even related, but she basically raised me because, well, my parents kinda suck. And Grandma Lorraine was awesome. Sweet and kind, but she also took no shit, you know? So yea, she’s my favorite person. Who’s yours?”
“She sounds pretty amazing,” I say, getting the sense that Willa could be described the same way—kind and sweet, but not in the mood for anyone’s shit.“As for the most important person in my life? My little brother, no doubt. I mean, my best friends are awesome—they’re the guys I’m moving in with next year, but my little brother is six and he’s the shit. He’s young still, so he’s curious about everything and excited about everything. I can't wait to go to school, of course, but I’m gonna miss the hell out of him.”
A crew of our classmates float by, yelling and screeching. They’re having a blast, no doubt, but I’m happier here with Willa.
She leans her head back, soaking up the sun and just when I wonder if she’s fallen asleep, she turns toward me. “If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?”
I laugh wryly. “Bringing out the big guns...ok... Can I say I’d pick new parents? Is that on the table? My mother has told me on more than one occasion that she regrets giving birth to me and my dad split the moment she told him she was pregnant.”
“Ouch.”
“Yea. When I was younger, I was always really curious about him. Like, I wanted to know if we looked alike, or ifI had siblings or cousins.”
“Did you ever look him up?”
I shrug. “I can’t. Not really. I don’t even know his last name. I guess I could scour the greater Philly area looking for a forty-year-old man named Jason who spent spring break with a blonde one year in Cancun... But I’m guessing that might not narrow things down much.”
“Wow. I think we both got short-changed in the parent department. So I’m with you—I’d pick new ones, too.”
“Yea?” I ask, curious, but not wanting to pry.
“Definitely. My mom’s still in LA and I haven’t seen her in a couple of years. That’s no great loss. And my dad is more like a roommate than a father. A roommate who eats all the groceries and forgets to pay the electric bill.”
That’s harsh, and it occurs to me that Willa and I come from pretty different backgrounds. Granted, we both clearly lost when it came to the parent lottery, but all my basic needs are met. Thanks to my grandparents, I’ve got a trust and money has never been an issue for me. Before I can steer our conversation to lighter topics, I hear noise behind me as a wave of water hits my back.
I’m soaked, but it’s not a huge deal since I’m actually sitting in water. “Tell me that’s Austin and his crew,” I ask, wiping water from my eyes.
“The guys from this morning? Yea.”
“Dude. You’ve been here all freaking day,” Austin bitches as he swims up to our tubes. I detect the exact moment he takes in the sight that is Willa in her bikini, though I’m no better, based on the thoughts running through my mind.
“Yep,” I tell him. “All day…” I say, hopping out of my tube and releasing Willa’s hand so I can grab hold of the handle on her tube. I pull her toward me as I swim downstream. “Later, bitches.”
I drag her tube to one of the little plastic tree canopies, out of the way of screaming children and their inattentive parents. I pull the tube toward me and lean on it, bringing my face close to hers. “Sorry we got interrupted,” I tell her.
“It’s ok,” she says. “You can really—”
I shake my head, holding my finger up to her lips, the contact sending a rush of electricity through me. “Nope. In case you hadn’t noticed, I kind of love spending time with you.” I trace her full lips with my finger, then tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her left ear. We’re so close and the smell of her cherry-scented perfume is intoxicating. I lean impossibly closer to brush a kiss to her lips.
Her mouth melts into mine and for a moment, we get lost in each other. She pulls back and smiles shyly. “I like spending time with you, too, but I feel bad. You haven’t ridden any rides, and that’s probably what you came here to do.”
“I came here to have fun and that’s what we’re doing. But I’ll make you a deal, ok? Let’s get out of the sun for a while. We can get some food and chill. Then, tonight, before we leave, ride one ride with me?”
She runs her hands down my arms. “That sounds like a plan.”
* * *
Willa
“You want me to go on that?” I ask, looking up at the giant Ferris wheel in front of us.
