A Magician Never Tells His Secrets

“Ready to go, Prescott? We don’t have all day, you know,” Daw drawled impatiently. Peter, dressed in a pair of jeans and a white tee, stood up after checking the bolt that held the caravan to the car, which was a beaten up red Volkswagen Beetle.
“Hold your horses Dahkling,” Peter said, glaring at her. He looked up at Tori and me and gave a twinkling smile, but his sharp grey eyes didn’t smile with his mouth.
“Alright, Meg? Tori? Sorry you had to be paired with The Harpy over here. Good thing I’m high-jacking your carpool.”
“High-jacking is right,” Daw said angrily. “No one invited you to ride with us. Why’d you have to come in my car?”
“Because I need to get some return for my services. I don’t see anyone else helping you put your van on your car, so I should get a reward. Not that riding with you is any reward Dahkling. It’s more I wanted to ride with these beautiful girls,” he explained, throwing his arms around mine and Tori’s shoulders.
Tori and I exchanged glances. The tension between Peter and Daw was almost palpable. I wondered why they really seemed to hate each other.
“You just attached my van for something to do; you don’t even have your own!” Daw exploded, storming towards the driver’s side door.
“That’s because I sleep under the stars sweetheart,” Peter replied. “Or in the beds of the local girls.”
He winked at me, and I scoffed.
“Pig,” Daw spat, wrenching open her door.
Peter smirked.
Me and Tori looked at each other again.
“Sorry about that,” Peter said with a smile. “She’s just a bitch as you’ll soon find out. One of you want shotgun? I’ll take the backseat with either. Or both.”
I scoffed again. “She’s right, you are a pig,” I accused, walking away from him towards the front seat.
“Aww, I’m just kidding. Don’t make me out to be the villain,” Peter complained as he sat in the back with Tori.
“You are the villain Prescott,” Daw said loftily. “And no one appreciates your brand of filthy humour.”
“Go shove another ugly barb through your face.”
The atmosphere in the car was tense, and nobody said anything. Daw switched on the ancient radio as we sped from the fairground. I looked at the town as we drove through it for the last time of that summer. The next time I was here I’d be about to start college.
I sighed as we hit the highway.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be back in no time,” Daw said sympathetically. “A whole lot of new memories with you.”
I laughed and the tension was broken.