Snakebite Hearts & Bubblegum Smiles

“Score!” Zack threw his fists in the air as he made the perfect pitch, lobbing the tennis ball right into the pyramid of tin cans. For his prize, he picked a huge plush bear with sandy-brown colored fur. It had big black eyes and was clad in a purple vest, green bowtie, and a small gray bowler cap perched between its ears. “Looks kind of like you,” he said, tucking the bear under his arm as we left the gaming booth.

“In what world?” I said, giving him a funny look. He just laughed and poked me with the bear.

“Here, take it.”

“But you won him!”

“What am I going to do with a stuffed animal?” he said.

“What am I going to do with it?”

He rolled his eyes. “Can you just be a girl for five seconds and take it?” He held the bear out to me again and this time I accepted, holding it to my chest. It was late in the afternoon; the sun was just beginning to set, casting streaks of pink and orange across the sky. After a week of being beach bums, we’d all decided to kick off the weekend by spending the day at the boardwalk, and since I didn’t like roller coasters, Zack had offered to walk down the strip with me to play some of the games while everyone else went on The Last Ride. It was supposed to be the tallest, fastest, and most terrifying ride in the whole park.

After spending virtually all of our money on boardwalk games and fried Oreos, Zack and I decided to go back and find the rest of our group. I sent a text to Jane asking where they were and she sent a message back saying they were waiting by the dining area next to a small Nathan’s Famous. When we found them, they were all gathered around a picnic table, eating hot dogs.

“Dude! You missed out!” Jack told us as we approached the table, sounding as though he was still running high on the adrenaline rush he’d gotten from the ride.

“Seriously though, it was insane!” Rian agreed. Kara was seated on his lap, her sunglasses shielding her eyes and Rian’s arm wrapped lazily around her waist.

“I’ll take your word for it,” I said and sat next to Jane on the bench, Zack taking the seat next to me. I looked across the table and saw Lisa, who did not seem to be sharing in all the hype the guys were building up about the roller coaster. She was slumped over with her head in her hands and Alex was beside her, rubbing her back. “What’s wrong, Lis?” I asked.

“Roller coasters aren’t exactly Lisa’s forte,” Alex said, his eyes meeting mine for a brief moment before he turned back to Lisa, handing her a bottle of water. She moaned, rubbing her temples.

“I feel like I just got shit on by a bull dog…” she said and took a small sip of water. “A big bull dog.”

“If you don’t like roller coasters, why didn’t you come with Brooke and me?” Zack asked, but Lisa just groaned in agony.

“I. Don’t. Know.” She squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face in her palms again. Alex leaned forward and kissed her shoulder, still rubbing small circles against her back. I’d never seen Alex act so loving and caring, or maybe I’d just never looked hard enough to notice it before. The way he was looking at her as he brushed the hair out of her face and offered her more water…

For a second I thought back to the other day, when Alex had brought me inside after his football had hit me in the head. I remembered the way he held the ice to my skin and how he laughed a little every time I winced at the pain. He’d brushed the hair out of my face the same way. Whoa, I thought, stopping my train of thought instantly. I realized I’d zoned out for a minute and when I looked back at Lisa, I saw that Alex was helping her stand up.

“Where are you guys going?” I blurted out.

Alex turned to me. “We’re going back to the house.”

“They literally just said that,” Jack jumped in, but I ignored him.

“Oh, well feel better, Lis. See you later?”

She nodded, still looking miserable, and then left with Alex. As I watched them go, the thought of Alex carrying me inside the house resurfaced. I was drifting off again when I heard Rian say, “Don’t tell me you’re feeling sick too?”

My head snapped in his direction and I realized he’d directed that at me. “What? No, I’m fine,” I said, though I didn’t sound very convincing.

“Let’s go on another ride,” Kara suggested, clearly trying to bring back the party vibe. Everyone but Zack and me finished what they were eating and tossed the remains into the nearest trashcan before hurrying off to find the next attraction. Zack and I followed a few paces behind.

“What’s up with you?” Zack asked, eyeing me warily. “Just a second ago you were all smiles and now you look miserable.” I shrugged, not entirely sure of what I felt the way I did either. “Oh come on, talk to me Brookie,” he said, wrapping a big muscular arm around my shoulders.

I put on a smile and looked up at him. “It’s nothing, honest. I’m just tired, that’s all.”

I felt bad for lying; I was usually very open with my friends, but what could I say? I wish Alex were here instead of taking care of Lisa? I’d rather have Alex’s arm wrapped around me right now? As good of a friend as Zack was, he couldn’t help with that, so there really wasn’t much point in telling him anything.

A few minutes later we found Kara, Rian, Jack, and Jane on line for the DOUBLE SHOT. My eyes widened in horror as I stared up at the ridiculously tall structure and watched its riders being shot up all the way to the top, screaming with delight.

“Looks fun, huh?” Zack nudged me.

“Are you kidding? That’s a heart attack waiting to happen!”

“You have to go on at least one ride today,” he said. “Where’s the adventurous Brooke I know and sometimes fear?”

“She’s shitting herself just looking at this thing…” I mumbled, watching as the ride attendant strapped another group into their harnesses. Eventually I agreed to go on, shaking as the six of us walked through the gate and took our seats. I took several deep breaths as I fastened my seatbelt, anxiously waiting for the attendant to double check that it was secure. Once we were all strapped in, the attendant returned to his post and started the ride. My breath caught in my throat as we were slowly lifted off the ground, stopping at just a few feet. I felt Zack grab my hand.

“Hey,” he said. I was staring straight ahead, petrified.

“Yeah?”

“You ready?”

“No.”

And up we went.


By the time we all got back to the house, the sky had turned black and I was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open as Zack carried me in on piggyback. Everyone else filed in behind, stopping in the living room to relax for a little while before we went up to bed. Jack and Jane took their usual spots on the floor, looking extra cozy as Jane sat between Jack’s legs, his arms looped securely around her waist. Rian collapsed into the big chair, the remote in his hand, and flipped through channels while Kara, who looked like she was already out cold, rested against the arm of the couch. Zack had set me down on the other end and curled up next to me, which I had to admit, was very nice. His skin felt hot from spending all day out in the sun and although he still smelled like a mixture of corndogs and the ocean, I felt secure in his arms. But as nice as this was, I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering, picturing someone else in his place.

“When did you guys get back?” Alex appeared at the top of the stairs, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. I tried to focus on the television screen as he came down, but of course, he decided to stop right next to it, putting himself in direct view.

“Like ten minutes ago,” Rian said groggily. “Lisa ‘sleep?”

“Yeah.” Alex nodded, glancing at Zack and me. I caught a glimpse of what looked like surprise on his face before he broke his gaze and sat down between Zack and Kara. “You two look comfy,” he said in a low voice, making my face turn a slight tinge of red. Zack, who was fading in and out, just smiled and nestled into me more. I could feel a smirk tugging at the corners of my mouth as I turned back to the TV, Alex’s eyes still watching Zack and me. I started combing my fingers through Zack’s hair, hoping Alex would notice.

And then I stopped myself. What am I doing, I thought and dropped my hand from Zack’s hair. I couldn’t believe that I’d just tried to make Alex, of all people, jealous. I wanted to slap the stupid out of myself for even entertaining the idea. I didn’t like Alex that way. I couldn’t. But as I stole another sidelong glance at him, studying the slope of his jawline and the way the light from the television shone on his face…

Maybe, possibly, I did.