Iris

Iris.

When I next gained consciousness, I couldn’t even open my eyes. I let out a groan and turned over on whatever I was lying on. I felt more cushion under me, making me sigh out of relief. At least I wasn’t on a couch. I tried to think back and see what my last memory was. And that only got me to the third mouthful of whiskey. I yawned and shook my head lightly. I was really not too excited to figure out how I probably managed to single handedly embarrass myself in front of everyone at Brian’s party.

I heard my door open and hit the wall next to it. Loudly, Jimmy sang, “Good morning, Iris!”

I groaned again and pulled the pillow that was under my head on top of it. My head was pounding and Jimmy’s loud voice was like a mallet to my cranium. Jimmy yanked the pillow away and gave the same greeting, at the same level, but this time he decided to place his mouth right next to my ear. I let out a sound that was a mix between a cry and scream and covered my ears with my hands. “Stop it, please!”

“C’mon, it’s already noon. Get up,” Jimmy informed, the bed shifting ever so slightly as he sat down next to me. Noon? No way. I always wake up before ten. Well, maybe that changed when you get drunk off of whiskey. Being thirteen sucked. You were a light weight and got drunk off of freakin’ three mouthfuls of whiskey. “Besides, we need to talk.”

“Can we not?” I whined childishly.

“Sorry kiddo, it’s not optional.” He gave me a pat on the side of my thigh before pushing himself off the bed again. “Take a shower or whatever you need to and get dressed. We got places to be and people to see.”

“Please don’t make me see anyone,” I moaned. Jimmy let out a soft chuckle.

“C’mon, Iris. You got ten minutes to start moving or I’m pulling you out of bed.” With that he left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. I let out a huff before finally opening my eyes. I winced, wanting to instantly shut them again. The sunlight streaming through the window was too harsh and made it nearly impossible to see clearly. I flipped onto my side, making my back face the light. That was when I noticed the white pills - along with my normal medicine - and a juice box on the end table.

I quickly downed them (grimacing at the too-sweet juice) before forcing myself to get out of bed. I knew Jimmy would take me up on his offer and I really didn’t want to add that to the list of things wrong today. I drug my feet across the carpet until I reached the bathroom. Soon enough I took care of my business and was showered. I still felt draggy and my eyes hurt like hell from the fluorescent lighting in the small room. I got dressed in such a slow manner that I was somewhat surprised Jimmy didn’t come to tell me to hurry up.

I pulled my hair into a messy bun, pulled a beanie over it, and placed on my sunglasses. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I deemed myself good enough. I slipped my phone into my pocket before taking the stairs as slowly as I could. My chest was tightening and my anxiety was screaming in my head. Surely I embarrassed myself, as well as Jimmy, at the party last night and he was going to tear me a new one. Not that I could blame him. I’d do the same if the daughter I barely met made me look like a fool in front of so many friends and members of my family.

I finally reached the bottom floor and was going to head into the kitchen, where I figured Jimmy would be, but a knocking caught my attention. He was standing at the sliding door which led into the backyard, a cigarette dangling between his lips. He beckoned me with his hand before moving to the side and out of view. I took a deep breath before approaching the door and exiting into the backyard. Jimmy sat at the table, leaning back in his seat and blowing puffs of smoke into the air. I gingerly slid into the seat across from him, eyeing him warily. Jimmy removed the cigarette from his lips before putting it out in the ashtray between us. He caught my eyes - not that he could really tell where they were - and gave me a soft smile. “Calm down, Iris. We’re just chatting.”

“I am so sorry,” I blurted out, causing Jimmy’s eyes to narrow in confusion. The words kept rushing out of my mouth, my speech almost becoming a giant slur. “I knew it was stupid to touch the whiskey, but I thought I could handle it and then I just blacked out and I don’t even remember anything until I woke up this morning. I’m such an idiot and I’m so sorry.”

“Whoa, cool it, kiddo,” Jimmy chuckled. He leaned forward and placed one of his hands over both of mine which were fidgeting. I froze the instant his skin touched mine and stared at him with wide eyes, which he still couldn’t see. He gave me a wider smile than before and I felt my muscles relax. “It’s fine, I’m not angry.”

“But I embarrassed you...” I trailed off as Jimmy began to openly laugh and shake his head.

“Iris, you didn’t embarrass me. In fact, everyone at the party loved you.” I blinked dumbly at him. They had?

“What did I do?”

“Not too much. You jumped in the pool after giving me your phone. Brought you home, you got dressed, and we had some Pizza Rolls. After that I took you to bed and you were out,” Jimmy explained with a slight shrug of his shoulders. At least I didn't destroy my phone in the process.

“Oh.” It could have been worse. And I guess the party attendees maybe just thought ‘whelp, that’s Jimmy’s kid for ya’. That thought gave my stomach a light flutter. But a good one. I liked the ring to it. “So you’re not angry about the whiskey?”

“No, I’m not. I just wished you would have let me know. I know it’s probably not ethically ‘correct’,” Jimmy said with finger quotation marks. “But at least then I could have let you take a sip or two instead of instantly pushing yourself to being drunk.”

“Are you going to tell them?”

Jimmy shook his head. “I think you learned your lesson with how much you apologized to me. Just don’t party too hard anymore, okay?”

He had a playfulness to his tone. I smiled back shyly and nodded. “Deal.”

“So, do you like carnivals?” I tilted my head slightly as I looked at Jimmy. He was grinning widely at me and bouncing slightly in his seat. That was a bit random, wasn't it?

“I've never been.”

“Well then, that settles it.” Jimmy stood to his feet, slipping his cigarette pack into one of his pockets. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet before leading us through the back door. “We’re going to a carnival with Matt, Val, Brian, and Michelle.”

“What about everyone else?” I questioned as Jimmy paused at the front door to slip into his Vans, grab his keys, and pull out his cell phone.

“Hungover, tired, or going to church,” Jimmy replied simply before turning his attention to his phone. He ushered me out before following and locking the door. “Hey, we’re going. Where do you wanna meet?” Jimmy waited before giving his goodbyes and hanging up the cell. He led us over to the Camaro before unlocking the doors and having us climb in. “Ready?”

“Sure.” With that he backed out of the driveway and zoomed down the street. After fifteen minutes or so, we were pulling into a parking spot at the pier. It was adorned with a Ferris wheel, carousel, and a few other rides along with games and food stands. I let my eyes absorb the sights before me. It seemed to have an air of relaxation and excitement around it. A lot different from the block parties held every other weekend during the summer at home.

“Iris.” I turned my head to look over at Jimmy to see him leaning down from the outside of his door. He jerked his head towards the pier. “They’re here already.”

“Okay.” I unbuckled my seat belt before slipping from my seat, gently shutting the door behind me. I followed Jimmy, after he had locked his car up, down the sidewalk leading to the ‘entrance’ of the carnival. It was actually just a large banner saying ‘Welcome to the Huntington Beach Carnival' where a majority of the crowd was going in and exiting at, but there were plenty of spots to just stroll in and out all over. This is where we found the two couples. All were dressed in jeans, the girls in simple tanks while the guys wore shirts with band names across them.

“There’s the party animal!” Was Brian’s greeting as he grabbed me and spun me in the air. When I was placed back on my feet, I had to hold his arms to stop from falling. The group chuckled at me until I shook my head and stood on my own. “How’s the hangover?”

“It sucks. Why do you think I’m wearing these?” I grumbled, tapping my sunglasses.

“Thought you were just following in my great footsteps,” Matt joked. I looked over to see him wearing his signature Aviators. I fake snorted at him which made him stick out his tongue.

“Well, I’m glad you came,” Val spoke loudly before pulling me into a short hug. Michelle agreed and followed her actions. Finally Matt gave me his own hug before announcing we should head in. I followed between Val and Michelle as the guys led the way.

“Aren't they worried that fans will bug us?” I questioned the twins as I watched the people walking around us. They seemed oblivious to us, talking to the people they were with or just simply having their heads ducked as they walked. It was like the six of us were ghosts floating through the crowd.

“They typically don’t bug us on our home turf. They know the guys love them, but also want their time to relax and be with family. They have a respectable group of fans,” Michelle informed with a light shrug. I almost wanted to argue. Quite a few of their fans had been quite rude, but I knew they were talking about the vast majority of the fans. And there were a lot of them around the world. What I counted as ‘quite a few’ could be a tiny number to them. So, instead, I kept my mouth shut and nodded.

“Anyone want cotton candy?” Jimmy asked, turning on his heels and walking backwards. Michelle raised her hand, Val shook her head, and I gave a shrug. “Well, let’s go Brian. You’re buying us cotton candy.”

“I didn't agree to this,” Brian complained as Jimmy grasped his bicep and dragged him off into the crowd. Matt decided to bring us to a picnic table near the food stands to wait for them. The sound of the carnival was really starting to make my headache pulse again. Maybe coming here wasn't my most brilliant idea. I mostly listened to the three with me talk as I shut my eyes, my head leaning against my hand. Just a few moments of peace would be great.

“I have returned!” I guess not. I opened my eyes again to see Jimmy and Brian on either side of me. Brian passed one of his small bags of cotton candy to Michelle, who thanked him, as Jimmy did the same with me.

“Thanks.” I ripped opened the bag and popped a small piece of the blue fuzz into my mouth. It was sickening sweet, but in a good way. I doubted I would even eat half of the junk. Jimmy seemed thrilled by the large bag he held and I would bet he would finish mine if I didn't. The group took up another conversation about I’m not sure what, but I tossed in a few nods and ‘yeahs’ to make it seem like I was paying attention. I was trying so hard, but all the colors and noises were effectively distracting me.

“Let’s go win stuff!” Val announced, jumping out of her seat and running off into the crowd. Michelle followed her actions and, after grabbing my empty hand, ran off after her. We ended up in front of a booth with Nerf handguns and pretty fast, moving targets of ducks on the opposite side of the tent. “Look at that bear!”

I followed her finger and saw a large, pink bear that was probably about the same size as me when I sat on the ground Indian style. I looked over at Michelle to see her eyes sparkling at an equally large panda bear. I skimmed over the prizes myself and didn't really see anything to interest me. When I turned to look at the twins again, they were both frowning. “What?”

“They’re top prizes and we can’t aim,” Michelle summarized with a true sadness to her voice.

“Can’t the guys win them?”

“They could, but they’re lost,” Val commented as she craned her neck to look through the crowd of people around us. Her sigh and defeated look let me know she didn't spot the three men we had come with anywhere. I shrugged and stepped towards the booth owner who had been observing us.

“What would you have to get to win two of the top prizes?” I questioned, digging into my jeans already to pull out the five dollars I had stored in them.

“Hit ten targets, five for each,” he replied happily. I couldn't tell if he was just acting or plain happy all the time, but that didn't really matter. I just needed to hit the targets and get the prizes. “Two dollars for ten shots, five for twenty.”

“I’ll just need the ten,” I spoke, giving him my bill. He gave me a doubtful look, but placed down the ten bullets and my change on the counter. After pocketing the money, I placed in the first five shots. After getting all five shots, reloading, and getting the last five, the three of us were walking away with two over-sized stuffed animals.

“That was great!” Val exclaimed. She had her bear turned around so that, as she held it to her, it looked as it were hugging her back. “Thank you, Iris!”

“Yeah, thanks!” Michelle agreed, grinning widely as she hugged her own bear tighter around the neck. “Where did you learn to shoot like that?”

“It’s no problem, guys. And I went to the shooting range once or twice with Trevor.”

“Well, you, my friend, are now my toy winning friend,” Val announced as she wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She frowned, looking down at me. “Don’t you want to get something?”

“Nah, I’m fine,” I spoke. My eyes were trailing the game booths and nothing was really capturing my attention. If I was going to get a rinky-dink, too highly priced prize from a carnival, it was going to be something awesome. “Shouldn't we find the guys?”

“No need,” Michelle spoke, pointing forward. Val and I turned to see Brian waving at us as the three advanced. Brian and Matt took their significant others into a hug, having some difficulty due to their treasures.

“You guys won things already?” Matt questioned, looking curiously at the two bears. “You guys suck at carnival games besides the one that you just pick up a rubber duck with the number on the bottom. And I can tell that these weren't from that.”

“We didn't win anything,” Michelle spoke. “Iris did.”

“Really now?” Brian asked, only slightly surprised. He noticed my empty arms and frowned. “Where’s your prize?”

I huffed, rolling my eyes. “I haven’t seen anything I liked yet. Can we stop this questioning now? It’s ridiculous.”

“Hey, where’s your cotton candy?” Jimmy suddenly asked, frowning slightly. I felt my face heat up and slapped a hand to my forehead. I could clearly see it now in my head, laying on the game booth’s table where I had placed it to play.

“Dang it. I’m sorry, I can pay you back for it,” I spoke, already digging into my pocket. Jimmy chuckled and shook his head at me.

“Don’t sweat it, Iris. I can buy you another.”

“No thanks. I’d probably just lose it again,” I joked. Jimmy grinned again and nodded. Soon we were all aimlessly walking around the carnival, riding on rides and the men in relationships winning cute, little things for their girlfriends. Once they had to go to the car to drop off all the little stuffed animals so they could walk normally. It was at that point we began to go on the rides that I’m pretty sure should have cops called for how unstable they seemed.

Soon enough it was nearing eight o’clock. I was tired and physically drained. I was even feeling a bit nauseous from the stupid spinning tops ride that Brian and Jimmy had talked me into riding three times in a row. It was on the way to the entrance again that I froze in mid step and mid sentence. My eyes grew wide and I took an unconscious step towards a booth. My eyes were trained on the fluff of black and white. On the back shelves of the booth was a stuffed penguin. It was large, above the size from my chest to my waist with large, blue eyes. Just staring at it I could tell it would feel amazing.

“Iris?” I turned my head to Jimmy who looked concerned. But I couldn't take him seriously with the dragon wrapped around his neck. It was a cloth one with a long wire through it’s whole length, making it easy to adjust into different poses. Behind Jimmy I could see the two couples both looking worried too. “You okay?”

I simply pointed towards the penguin, beginning to grin. “I found it.”

“Found what?” Matt asked, utterly confused. Val and Michelle followed my finger and smiled knowingly. If there was a moment that you could definitely tell they were twins, now would be the time. Both had matching grins that made both of them radiant.

“Her prize,” Val spoke simply. This was when the rest of the guys followed the way I was now looking again. After letting out quiet ‘oh’s, I sped walked over to the booth. Upon reaching the game, and finally noticing what it was, I frowned. It was one of the stupid games where you swung the hammer on a pressure pad and tried to hit the bell. While I might have impeccable aim and somewhat good reflexes, I was not strong enough for this idea.

“Can I help you, little lady?” I looked up to notice a pretty buff man standing before me. He had a wide smile showing off his pearly whites. I opened my mouth to say something, but I was cut off.

“I’m here to win her a prize,” Jimmy spoke up, standing straight and jabbing his thumb into his chest. The booth owner gave him a once over and smirked at him.

“Already big boy, two dollars a swing.” Jimmy took out the bills and slapped it into his hand before stepping through the small gate. I eyed the mallet he picked up and wondered how heavy it was. Suddenly Jimmy swung the large mallet over his head with both hands before hitting the pad. The cylinder shot up and almost instantly hit the bell at least twelve feet above our heads. The owner was speechless as he pulled down the penguin and handed it to him. As soon as he was on my side of the table again, he handed the stuffed animal to me. I was wide eyed as Jimmy led me back to the smiling couples.

“That. Was. Amazing!” I finally blurted out as we began to move towards the exit as a whole. Jimmy chuckled, smiling bashfully. “Shows that guy for being a prick!”

“Thank you, thank you,” Jimmy joked, giving small bows. Soon we were at the exited, our two groups hovering under the large banner. “You guys wanna get something to eat?”

“Sounds like a plan. Pizza?” The five of us agreed with Matt’s words and soon Jimmy and I were following the couple in Matt’s vehicle. With my penguin, Arty, in my lap, I was happier than I had been in a while.

I loved it here.