Dear Summer

The night was cool, but not too cold. Light up tents and trailers were aligned into aisles in a large parking lot outside the local Greek Orthodox church. The festival looked just like any other of it’s kind. Young couples strolled by hand-in-hand, enjoying the music pouring from loud speakers.

Christmas lights lined the tent that Abbey and Kinsley were standing at. It was a game booth. One of the ones with water-filled fishbowls enclosing a circle. Baskets of Ping-Pong balls lined the table in the middle.

A small redheaded girl cried as she left the tent with her mom, without the much desired goldfish prize for winning the game.

Kinsley frowned at Abbey who just shrugged. Kinsley has already wasted twenty-five dollars on the senseless game that she had no skill for.

Inhaling deeply, Kinsley concentrated on a bowl towards the middle of the table, aimed… and missed.

“This game is rigged!” Kinsley exclaimed dramatically.

Abbey rolled her eyes and looked back to her cell phone, “You know, Kins, You could just give up.”

“No,” Kinsley said, handing the game attendant another five, “I’m going to win one of those pretty little fish.”

Kinsley quickly tossed all of the balls toward the bowls, eager to see if they somehow knock another in.

“Can’t you just buy a goldfish at the store?” Abbey asked, “It’s much cheaper and not a waste of our time.”

Kinsley shook her head, “I want one of those.”

“I give,” Abbey declared, “I’m off to find a lemon shake.”

She turned around and bumped directly into Matt’s blonde friend, Alex, accompanied by the tall skinny one, Jack.

“Pardon me, gorgeous, but what are you girlies up to?” Alex grinned.

“Avoiding you,” Abbey grinned cockily.

Alex pouted and looked at her with puppy dog eyes, “But we’ve ridden all the rides excluding the Ferris wheel,” he motioned to Jack.

Jack nodded, “We weren’t going to be lame-O’s like Rian and Zack and go without female companions.”

Kinsley giggled.

Abbey linked arms with Kinsley, “Well, looks like you’re out of luck. Kins and I are not leaving here without a goldfish.”

Alex rubbed his chin as if he had a beard, “I see.”

He walked up to the game attendant and whispered something in her ear. The girl smiled at him and preceded to catch a small yellow fish from the tank. Alex turned and winked at Abbey.

Kinsley beamed and reached for the plastic baggie, “Thanks!” she squealed.

Abbey raised an eyebrow, “How did you do that?”

Jack laughed, “Knowing Alex, he’s probably meeting up with her later.”

“Hey!” Alex shouted, “I resent that.”

“Right, so how’d you do it?” Abbey repeated.

Alex wrapped his arm around Kinsley who was watching the fish swim circles, “I simply explained that my dear friend really wanted this little fella.”

“Mhmm,” Abbey nodded.

“And slipped her a nice, crisp Hamilton.”

Abbey pulled Kinsley away from him and started walking away from the booth, “Kinsley spends thirty bucks on the dumb game, and you buy the chick off with ten dollars?”

“I can be…persuasive,” Alex replied.

“To the Ferris wheel!” Jack declared, taking Kinsley’s hand.

Kinsley shook her head, “Wait!” and then she took off in the opposite direction.

The Ferris wheel sounded fun, and it would be really funny stranding Abbey with Alex, but Kinsley was on a mission. The same mission she had been on since she approached the tent giving away gold fish.

Kinsley spotted the little girl and her mother by an ice cream stand. The girl wasn’t crying anymore, but dried tear marks streaked her face.

Kinsley slowed her pace and checked to make sure the fish was still okay, remembering the fish in Finding Nemo dying because of a shaken bag. The fish was fine, so Kinsley walked over to the redheaded girl and her mother.

“Hi,” Kinsley said cheerfully to the woman, “I saw how upset your little girl was, and I was wondering if it would be okay if I gave her this.”

The little girl was jumping up and down excitedly and her mother smiled.

“Are you sure?” the woman asked.

Kinsley nodded, “Not much I can do with it.”

Kinsley handed the fish to the little girl and waved goodbye. Now that that was done, she could begin her next act of kindness: setting up Abbey and Alex.

She skipped happily toward the group, to realize that Abbey was glaring.

“Are you serious?” Abbey demanded.

“Yup,” Kinsley linked elbows with Jack, “To the Ferris wheel, correct?”

Jack bowed toward the large circular ride, “Oui M’dame!”

The line was quite short, because there were mostly teenagers there, and they preferred exciting rides. Abbey shot Kinsley a pleading look as Kinsley boarded the ride with Jack.

The wheel turned slightly, freeing another open seat. Alex smiled and motioned toward it.

“Right,” Abbey scoffed, and exited the line.

Kinsley watched as Alex received the cold shoulder.

“Darn,” she commented, “Can’t force Abs into anything.”

Jack laughed, “Don’t worry, Alex is a persistent little bugger.”

Kinsley nodded, “Have you seen Matt?” she asked.

“Yeah, he joined up with Zack and Rian right before we left them.”

“Hmm.”

Kinsley enjoyed Jack’s company on the Ferris wheel. He made a ton of bad joked that Kinsley laughed at the entire time. It was nice being able to just listen. Plus, Kinsley was a multi-tasker. She could be half listening and thinking at the same time.

She hadn’t seen Matt since they first got to the fair. He seemed to be avoiding Abbey like the plague. It made her worry quite a bit, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Matt and Abbey were involved more than she led on.

Nah, Abbey was just lonely without Kinsley. But the obvious tension sucked. Being with Matt and Abbey was always easy. She had her best friend and her favorite cousin. Things were going to be like that again, Kinsley decided. It was crucial to her fun summer.

The ride was over and Kinsley and Jack got off. Matt was waiting at the end, stuffing his face with cotton candy.

“Yummy!” Kinsley yelled, stealing it away from him.

Matt reached to get it back, but Kinsley turned to the side, “Hey, go get your own!” he protested.

Kinsley stuck out her tongue childishly, “This is mine.” She continued eating while Matt scoffed and pulled out his wallet.

“Fine, I was going to buy us both gyros, but since you can’t share…” he looked at her challengingly.

Kinsley laughed “I’m a big girl, I can buy my own gyro, Matthew.”

Matt laughed. He loved his cousin and how stubborn she could be. He also really liked getting to spend time with her. The only downside was that she and Abbey were joint at the hip. But Abbey wasn’t anywhere to be found. Neither was Alex. And he wasn’t with Zack and Rian because he had just left them

“Let’s go get our gyros,” Kinsley said, breaking Matt’s train of thought. Matt wrapped his arm around his small cousin’s shoulder and led her and Jack to a stand the he had passed earlier. He ended up paying for gyros for all three of them anyway, but wasn’t surprised. He tended to get gypped out of money, even with his slightly wealthy cousin.

“I don’t want the stupid frog!”

Kinsley, Matt, and Jack all turned to find Abbey trying to escape a giant, stuffed frog wielding Alex.

Alex trailed after her, “Yes you do!”

Kinsley laughed and joined Abbey, feeling slightly sorry that she left her alone now. Abbey looked annoyed.

“For the last time, NO!” Abbey shouted.

Abbey and Kinsley looked at each other and erupted into laughter. That happened sometimes. Any silly situation was better when they were together. With Kinsley there, the stalkerish Alex Gaskarth didn’t seem as bad as he was before, and the giant panda…well it was a giant frog.

Rian and Zack met up with the group right after, both looking confused, but they accepted the situation.

Kinsley walked back over to Matt, with Abbey trailing just a little further behind.

“So what do you say to calling it a night?” she asked, “And going back to your place for a sleep over, just like when old times.”

Matt was about to say yes, but when he spoke, that wasn’t exactly what came out.

“Kid, that sounds fun, but…” Matt struggled to think of an excuse. He didn’t want to be around Abbey and Kinsley together more than he had to. He’d promised Abbey he wouldn’t let Kinsley know what happened that summer, but he didn’t want to chance it.

Then he thought about Natalie, his new girlfriend, and the excuse came a lot easier, “Actually, Warped is starting soon, and I really need to get my shit together.”

It was the same thing he told Natalie when she asked to go on a couples retreat with him a few weeks ago. The best part was that it was partially true. Warped had approached fast this year, but Matt had prepared early and was just enjoying his last couple of nights in his air conditioned house and on his queen sized non-bunk bed.

But Kinsley didn’t seem to find this to be a significant reason to give in. Instead she squealed like a little kid and hugged him.

“That’s so exciting!” she exclaimed, “Abs and I have to be at the first day of Warped. It’s gonna be great.”

Matt sighed and watched everyone agree with Kinsley’s ridiculous idea. “Yeah, exciting.”