Come and Go

It's hot.

The sun is giving off the most extreme heat Oliver has ever experienced in his life, and it is the worst, the absolute worst. He should not have woken up today, he should not have left his home, he should not have pitied Lee, he should not have agreed to come to this fair, and since he has done all of these things, he should not be all by himself.

He sees Lee - mistake number one - busying himself with a bunch of games, trying to impress this girl he's just met, embarrassing himself in a game of Ring Toss. How dare he just totally ditch Oliver for some girl? How dare he beg for Oliver to accompany him to this stupid fair ("It's pathetic to go alone, Ols,") and then just inch on over to a pretty woman, leaving Oliver high and dry and, well, pathetically alone?

There is no way in Hell he is just going to stand here.

He spares one more glance Lee's way, rolling his eyes when his baby-faced friend gives him a sheepish smile and proceeds to mouth out, "Sorry, Ols!" He is not off the hook, nowhere near.

With that, Oliver shuffles away, subconsciously rubbing his arm and crookedly tracing lines of the many, many designs on his skin. People scoot past him, screaming and squeaking, and he keeps himself drawn in, tugging on the short sleeve of his black t-shirt - mistake number two - and tries to avoid bumping into any part of the sweaty, sticky crowd.

He looks for a spot with the least amount of people, finally settling on the Ferris Wheel not too far away. Why he chooses the Ferris Wheel when there are clearly even less people near the churro stand, he has no idea. Maybe there is a little piece of him that wants to show Lee that yes, you can have fun on your own. Maybe not.

It probably is, though.

Oliver stands around the gates to the Ferris Wheel - it's so incredibly large, what if it just rolled off, crushed everyone in its path? - and he knows he looks as awkward as he feels. He feels so stupid just hanging around, watching everyone. He has no doubt that he looks weird, and weird draws unwanted attention, so he shakes his head and turns toward the line. Well, getting on the thing would probably be far better than standing here.

Slowly, he makes his way to the end of the line, hands in his pocket. He could kill Lee. He really could. His gaze is on the pavement, locked on a little pebble that he continuously nudges with his foot. The people in front of him are so loud and jovial and cracking jokes every five seconds, no doubt enjoying their day. Oliver has the right to be a little jealous - he was totally blown off, after all.

Before he can count to one hundred (hey, it helped pass the time), there is no more line. He is directed to a pale yellow car by a sleepy-looking employee, and just as he wonders why they didn't close the door, someone is ushered in and plops right beside him, making the car rock a bit.

"Hey," she says, sporting a bright, wide grin. She's sitting so close to him, their thighs are touching.
"Uh, hey." Pathetic or not, Oliver was kind of getting used to being alone, so,

His car partner opens her mouth, prepared to possibly start a conversation, but then the ride jerks to life and she is too busy worrying about the fact that she has just hit her spine against the back of the car. She rubs her back, mumbling profanities, words too dark for her bright exterior.

"Looks like we're both on our own, huh?" She adds a laugh onto the end of her (not quite a) question, looking past him and at the world outside of this car they are both trapped in.
"I...guess so," Oliver mumbles, looking at his lap. So maybe he isn't the best at speaking with strangers. It's not like he planned this.
"I bet you weren't ditched like I was, though," she says, wrapping her slim finger up in strands of her interesting pink and orange hair. "My friends and I came here together and then when I turn around, dudes have vanished. According to Jeremy's last message, they're at the opposite end of the fair." With a shrug, the unnamed girl turns toward Oliver, no doubt expecting an explanation as to why he, too, is alone. He doesn't really want to share, but he doesn't really want this girl to think he's some antisocial weirdo.

He might be, but still, he doesn't want her to think it.

"I was. Y'know, ditched? My friend begged me to come, he thought coming alone would have been pathetic. Then some girl catches his eye and just like that, he's glued to her side."
"Aw, that sucks. It sounds like we just have bad taste in fair partners, huh?"

Something Oliver notices is that the higher they get, the closer she gets. He thought they were as close as possible, but with every passing second, she manages to intrude further on his personal space. Her fingers curl around his wrist, possibly unconsciously, and she is so, so close that they may just melt into one form.

Then the ride stops.

"Oh, what the hell?" the girl gasps, leaning over Oliver and staring out of the car harder than ever. He can really smell her perfume. She is drenched in the scent of vanilla. It's only a little annoying. "Oh my gosh, we're stuck."
"What?" This is not happening. It just is not happening. Is it?

When Oliver slumps back and realizes they do not rise any higher, he comes to the conclusion that yes, this is happening. Fucking Lee. Oliver blames it all on him.

"Okay," she breathes, taking a glittery ponytail holder from around her wrist and pulling her colorful hair into a quick, somewhat sloppy ponytail. "Okay, let's pass the time, get our minds off all this. Okay. I'm Hayley. And you?"

He can finally put a name to the slightly panicky face. Her cherry red nails are digging into her denim-covered thighs, but other than that and the occasional twitch of her pink lips, she hardly looks nervous at all.

"I'm trying not to focus on how easily we could die up here."

Hayley rolls her eyes and barks out a laugh, but her uncomfortableness is now much more obvious. She must not have shared his thoughts, not until now.

"You're so optimistic," she says, staring down at her pink Chucks. The laces are dirty and undone, but she makes no move to tie them back up. She's hardly moving at all, save for a few turns of her head and of course, her lips parting and all when she wants to talk. She's tense, probably terrified of being stuck up here, and well, Oliver certainly isn't helping to ease her mind.

"We'll be fine," is his attempt to brighten the moment. "Don't mind me, alright?"
"Oh, I know we'll be alright. We'll be fine as long as you don't move the car, no dude!"

One slight shift to get comfortable and Hayley is staring at him like the car is going to just drop. She's definitely terrified. Oliver could either continue to make her panic or calm her down. Since he sees no reason to feed on her fear, he tries to remain as still as her, not wanting to rock the car and hear her screech again.

"So..." Hayley starts, but never finishes, looking out of the side again. She doesn't do it for long.
"M'name, uh, it's Oliver. 'Cuz I never told ya. So it's Oliver, but everyone shortens it to Oli. It's up to you, really," he says far too fast. It's a miracle that Hayley is able to understand.
"Okay, Oli. I'll call you that. Our names rhyme if I do, did you notice?"

He most certainly did not.

They fall silent, but Hayley seems calmer now, much calmer. She even reaches down and ties up her shoes. Just as she straightens up, the ride jerks to life once more. Hayley gasps a bit in happiness, kicking her legs a little and clapping. It makes her lazy ponytail bounce and swing and brush Oliver's cheek too many times.

"We're moving, thank God! Whaddya know, Oli, we didn't die at all."
"I told ya, don't mind me. I usually dunno what I'm saying."

Hayley laughs loud enough to draw attention across the park. When they reach the top again, she leans over Oliver - holding onto his wrist with one hand - and points out into the distance. "I can see my house from here!" she shouts, smiling broadly. Oliver rolls his eyes, marking her down as ridiculous.

It doesn't stop him from laughing, though.

Finally, the ride comes to a stop and they are released from the potential death trap that is their pale yellow car. Hayley jumps out, Oliver taking his sweet time. She spreads out her arms, spinning around and singing about how great it is to be back on solid ground. Maybe she wants to be seen and heard, maybe she's just being herself.

"Hey, Oli, do you see your friend anywhere?" she asks once she's done serenading the entire fair. He quickly looks around, and upon realizing Lee is nowhere in sight, he shakes his head and shrugs.
"He's gone."
"Well, so are mine. So, hey, maybe we could stick together? Play some games or something? I mean, you probably have better things to do than hang with a stranger, but--"
"Not really."

Her slight look of frustration due to being cut off fades when she realizes that Oliver will be by her side for at least a little while longer. He is rarely at ease with strangers, but after the minutes they shared on the Ferris Wheel, he doesn't really see her as a stranger. Best friend, no, but not a stranger.

Hayley takes Oliver's hand - so forward - and pulls him toward a multitude of games. She seems so happy to be wasting her time with someone she's hardly close to, so why argue? It's better than wandering aimlessly, he supposes.

"Hey, are you any good at basketball?" she asks, coming to a stop in front of a stand with three small basketball hoops. Oliver shrugs, even though he knows damn well he is no good at basketball, or any sport, for that matter.
"Not exactly?" he mumbles, not exactly proud of his lack of athletic abilities. Hayley laughs. She just laughs. How dare she laugh at his embarrassment?
"Aw, you sound so scared! Don't be ashamed, Oli."
"M'not ashamed!"
"Good. Then let's play."

Hayley gives the man in charge of the stand two dollars - "A round for me, a round for you, okay?" - and in seconds, Oliver has a plushy orange murder weapon (basketball) in his inked, slightly shaking hands. He bends his knees a bit, because that's how he always sees people prepare to shoot, but he hesitates. The hoop isn't thousands of feet away, nor is it thousands of feet high. In fact, the hoop would probably come to his forehead if he were to walk up to it.

"You look like you're thinking way too hard about this. Just go for it," Hayley says, a hand on his shoulder, probably to give him some sort of comfort or something. He winces as the ball leaves his hands, just deciding to toss it at the hoop and hoping it ends well. His eyes are screwed shut, but they slowly open when he hears rapid clapping.

"You got the best hoop on your first try, Oli!" she announces to probably the entire fair, easing up on her clapping. "And you say you're no good at basketball."
"It was luck, really," he says, playing it off as nothing because it really is nothing. Just dumb luck. It doesn't stop Hayley from being loud and proud about his achievement, though, and he decides it's okay. She doesn't exactly have to stop.

"Pick a prize, dude, that's how this works. You don't even need to do the other two balls."

All the prizes are obnoxiously bright and soft and plush, and though he really has no interest in any of them, he decides that the big rainbow snake is probably the best choice. Its color is muted and it looks the coolest and he can scare Lee with it later. The man in charge of the game follows Oliver's gaze to the snake and seems to get the hint, reaching up to take it and handing it to Oliver, adding a bit of praise to his prize: "Great job, kiddo."

Oliver could argue, "I'm no kid, mate," but no. He just accepts the big snake with a smile and a polite, "Thank you."

"Okay, it's your turn now," he says, turning to Hayley. "You can do it."
"Thanks. Let's hope."

Now Hayley is the one with a soft ball in her hands, a look of concentration on her face. She licks her glossy lips and crouches down, one of her legs further back than the other, her polished nails digging somewhat into the ball. She looks like a professional.

Now who's thinking too much?

She shoots after what feels like a millennium, and she hits the second hoop. Not as good as Oliver's shot - not like he's going to tell her that or anything.

"Oh, wipe that smirk off your face," she says, grinning.
"I don't have a smirk! If anything, I am barely smiling." As he says this, his small smile only grows. She laughs, much quieter this time, and takes her second ball, shooting again. This one makes it into the second hoop again. Her third and final ball makes it nowhere, which has her huffing in annoyance.

She aims a low, playful, "Damn you," at Oliver before she lets the man know that she wants the plush, medium-sized sea horse. It's a bright cerulean and she's able to wrap the tail of it around her wrist, so she's happy. After thanking him, she turns to Oliver and asks, "Now what?"
"I dunno. I was following Lee when I got here. Now I'm following you."
"Then I'll follow you. Let's put you in charge."

Oliver is caught off-guard at the sudden opportunity to do what he wants. He doesn't know what he wants to do, really. Coming here was not his idea, he has no plans, no real direction. He's wasting too much energy mulling over this, honestly. Just as he prepares to suggest something lame - "Let's go wherever our feet takes us," for example - his stomach growls and it's loud as shit and Hayley laughs. Of course she does.

Feeling completely betrayed by his own body, he takes Hayley's hand and starts walking, keeping his back to her so she doesn't see his embarrassingly red face. "We're getting food," he says, just daring her to argue.
"Good choice. Sounds like you need it."
"Oh, whatever."
"It sounded slightly dinosaur-esque."
"Whatever."

She keeps giggling and Oliver only picks up the pace, his long legs covering ridiculous amounts of ground. They are surrounded by different stands and scents in seconds. It smells amazing, and for a second, Oliver forgets about the blistering heat and the t-shirt sticking to his back and the bouncy young woman on his arm.

Then he comes back to reality and the sun is beating down on him harder than ever and his shirt feels extremely unpleasant and he has to remind himself not to drool around all the sweet-smelling food. He's already a bit embarrassed, and drooling would just push him back to the car in utter shame. He glances at Hayley, who looks on the verge of drooling herself. At least he's not alone.

"Oh my gosh, Oli, let's get some!" she exclaims, suddenly taking charge again. He isn't complaining.

Hayley practically yanks him towards a candy floss stand. She refuses to let him buy his own - "For not abandoning me like lousy Taylor and Jeremy," she says and he guesses those are her friends - and in seconds, she's presenting him with his own.

"Here, I got you cotton candy," she announces, like he didn't know. He nearly takes it, but then realizes that she said "cotton candy." He isn't quite used to the American name, and even though he knows exactly what she's talking about, he decides to get a small amount of payback for her laughing at him earlier.
"You got me what?"
"Cotton...candy?" she responds and she seems confused and a little hesitant. "Do you not--"
"What the hell is cotton candy?"

Hayley frowns, looking like she wants to engage in a nervous habit - rub the back of her neck or hold her arm or whatever, something like Oliver's habits - but she can't because she has candy floss in each hand. She sucks on her bottom lip, humming unsurely.

"It's...it's, like, fluffy sugar? I dunno. It melts when you eat it and it tastes really good, just try it. I'm no good at explaining."
"Oh, candy floss?"

She pauses, then rolls her eyes. She gets the joke now, but Oliver doesn't want to stop. It's fun messing with her. She holds the cotton candy out towards him, smiling even though her bright eyes are narrowed.

"Take the damned cotton candy, dude."
"I'm telling you, I'm not eating anything I'm unfamiliar with."
"Dammit, Oli!"

He laughs at her now, covering his hand with his mouth as she stomps her foot and becomes increasingly annoyed with him. It's definitely funny.

"Take the cotton candy."
"I can't."
"You won't take it until I call it candy floss, will you?"

Hayley has this knowing look on her face. She finally sees how to get to him, finally breaks through and understands how to get him to shut up and eat the puffy blue sugar being presented to him.

"That's how stubbornness works, I believe," he says, folding his arms and turning away. The sun gets hotter with his body aimed at it, but to keep his act going, he stays turned in the direction he's in. He just hopes Hayley hurries up because his stupid game is not worth heatstroke.

"Fine. I got some candy floss for you, you want it?"
"For me? You shouldn't have!"
"I know," Hayley grumbles as Oliver takes the treat from her hand. She laughs a moment after, though, unable to stay upset for long. They take a seat at an empty umbrella table and pull apart their cotton candy or candy floss or whatever, laughing and eating and talking about nothing.

It's like they've been friends their whole lives.

"So then his foot caught on a wire and we thought it was the wire to the microphone, right? And he stepped forward and accidentally yanked it out and bam, all the power is gone! That is the story of how my lovely friend Zac shut down the high school talent show."

She notices that every time the boy beside her laughs, he has a (wonderfully tattooed) hand over his mouth, hiding his laughter. She reaches to pull it down, revealing his smile, and it is definitely a good choice, because it is, quite honestly, adorable.

"Show me when you laugh," she says. He stares at her for a moment and tries to hide his smile by biting down on his bottom lip. It works for a moment, allowing him to look serious when he asks, "Why?"

She tears off a piece of cotton candy and lets it melt on her tongue as she thinks. She can come out and say that he's cute when he smiles so he's probably cute when he laughs. Then she feels like she's probably overstepping her boundaries if she does - this boy could have a girlfriend and after all, Hayley has hardly known him a full day.

Then again, she will probably never see Oliver - or as she will always call him, Oli - again after today, although she really hopes she does.

"Because you have a nice face when you smile, so you have to have a nice face when you laugh."

Talk about horribly awkward. That was weird, but it's out there now, and Oliver seems to like it. At least, judging by the fact that he's not trying to stop himself from smiling anymore. It's the widest smile she's gotten from him this whole time, and she loves it.

"Thanks," he says and he sounds so quiet, maybe a little embarrassed. She really likes it.
"I only speak the truth. Now my cotton candy - candy floss--"
"Thank you."
"--is gone and I wanna do something. Lets get on rides, okay?"

Hayley takes her seahorse from around her wrist and makes it nuzzle Oliver's cheek, which causes him to whine and turn his head. When he does that, he's no longer covered by the little umbrella on the table, and the sun hits his hair, lightening it considerably. Hayley really likes that, too.

"Fine, we'll get on a ride or two. Oh, god," he breathes, getting up from the table and wrapping his plushy snake around his long, inked-up arm. "I feel this sense of dread. One of us will not make it out alive."
"Again, you're so optimistic."

Oliver chuckles and this time, he takes the lead, walking in the direction of a ride he wants to get on. Hayley really likes his chuckles, his laughs, whatever.

Maybe she just really likes him.

As they walk, Hayley struggling only slightly to keep up with Oliver's long strides and fast pace, she feels her phone vibrate within her pocket. It's a text from Taylor.

from: yorkie
to: me

hayleyyy where are you are you safe jeremy thinks you're safe but i wanna know for sure are you safe are you ok hays

"C'mon, Hayley, keep up!"

from: me
to: yorkie

i'm absolutely fine. don't you worry. ;)



"Oh my gosh, that was amazing!"

Hayley can think the ride was amazing for as long as she wants, but Oliver just can't bring himself to feel the same.

"I thought...thought you didn't like heights?" he practically whispers, trying to remain steady. The ride was a roller coaster, but it just kept going in one continuous loop, around and around and around. Satanic little ride. Honestly, he feels like he's still on the damned ride, going in circles forever. The rides he chose previous to this hellion were definitely better. He won't say that to Hayley, but he will certainly think it.

"I didn't even notice the height, had my eyes closed. I was focused on the eternal loop. Wasn't it fun?"
"Sure."

Even though Oliver only had fun for the first three seconds, he can't tell Hayley. She just had so much fun and he can't make himself ruin her happiness with his opinion. Of course, it probably won't ruin anything, but still. He's allowed to be cautious.

"You're so dizzy, Oli," she teases, laughing at him once again. This time, he's too focused on not falling to try and stop her from giggling at his embarrassment. "You can barely stand straight."
"I'll have you know, Miss Hayley, that I'm perfectly fine," he says. Thankfully, he's found a gate to hang onto until he regains his balance.
"Yeah, alright...you are okay though, aren't you?"
"I'm okay."

She nods, looking up at the sky. It's orange and pink and it resembles her hair, it resembles her hair a lot. Oliver can finally let go of the fence and pull the ponytail holder out of her hair. It falls around her shoulders, a little stringy and wet due to all the activity in the incredible heat. For the first time in hours, Oliver starts thinking about that heat. It's definitely gone down some, considering the sun is beginning to sink.

If this girl can succeed in distracting him from the inhumane heat, then she has to be pretty interesting, right?

Honestly, she's more than interesting. She's funny (and she finds his embarrassment funny, too, seems like), she's eye-catching, she's the most comfortable stranger - she never felt like a stranger - he's ever met. Now she's pulling on his hand, talking about fireworks because apparently, there is no summer without fireworks.

"Hey, Oli, let's get sparklers."

He's let her run the show almost the entire time and he doesn't mind. It's been fun. Without her, he knows that he probably would have dialed Lee hours ago and harassed him until the young man caved and dragged Oliver out.

But no. He survived the whole day without Lee. He had Hayley.

"Okay. Sparklers."

She pumps a fist in the air and she bounces over to two girls handing out the sparklers she so desires. She gets four for herself - three go in her pocket - and four for Oliver - three she forced into his pocket.

"D'you have a lighter?" she asks as an afterthought, and Oliver can see the hope in her shining green eyes. Or maybe they're hazel? They're green. Or hazel. They're pretty. Hayley's pretty. He can admit that he likes her, he likes her a lot. But this is the only time they'll talk. This is the only time he'll be around her. Maybe. Probably. "Oli? Are you there?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry. Here ya go."

He digs into his pocket, the one with no sparklers jammed in it, and hands her a lighter. She just hands it back to him and sheepishly says, "I, uh, I don't wanna do it. You do it." This gives him an opportunity to laugh at her embarrassment. He almost covers his mouth with his hand when he laughs, but he remembers what she said earlier.

"Because you have a nice face when you smile, so you have to have a nice face when you laugh."

Oliver manages to keep his hand down.

"Are ya scared, Hayley? Are ya scared to light it up?" he teases her, poking her arm with the unlit sparkler and tapping her nose and treating her like a child. She swats his hand away and rolls her pretty eyes.
"Shut up."
"Admit you're a scaredy-cat, then."

She groans and sticks her sparkler in his face, hitting his cheek.

"If you just light my sparkler, I'll leave you alone," she huffs, taking her sparkler away from him and folding her arms. She's pouting, turning away from him, and she sounds really serious. Oliver frowns a little, flipping the lighter.
"Then maybe I won't light it."

Hayley quickly whips around and she has such a wide, bright grin.

"No, wait," she says, giggling. "I was kidding." She pokes at his cheeks, trying to make him smile again. "Your smile's gone. Oli? I was kidding."
"I dunno. Ya sounded pretty serious."

He kicks at a rock and keeps flipping his lighter. It only stops when she places a hand on his shoulder, bringing his attention back to her.

"C'mon. After getting stuck on the Ferris Wheel, winning prizes, eating cotton candy - sorry, candy floss - and riding a bunch of rides with you, do you think I would leave because you tease me a little?"
"I--"
"I'm having too much fun to just leave."

Oliver can't help his smile, and she starts to clap once she sees it.

"There we go. Now light this thing, okay?"

He starts his lighter, lowering it to ignite her sparkler. It jolts to life, spitting bright sparks and she takes Oliver's arm, bringing her sparkler to his and causing it to ignite, as well. They hold them up high just like everyone else, laughing as they light up the sky.

"Are ya really having fun?" he asks her as the first sparkler dies. Hayley nods, tossing it in the trash a few feet away. "How did you screw up at the basketball game?"
"I wasn't trying then."
"Sure. Maybe this was just luck."

She shakes her head and says, "Still having fun," before pulling out her next sparkler, holding it towards him. Items a silent beg to light it up, and he doesn't hesitate.

He's having fun, too.



They're out of sparklers now.

"Oh, damn. I was having an awesome time," Hayley says, catching her breath. She's laughing, which isn't helping.
"Whatever. Ya chased me with a sparkler! You're mental, Hayley, completely mental."

She just sticks her tongue out, braiding her hair and still trying to regulate her breathing. Oliver rolls his eyes and removes the long, plush snake from around his neck and drops it on her shoulders.

"It's yours now," he says. "You'll remember this fabulous day 'cuz of it."
"Snakes aren't my favorite animal," she starts, wrapping it around her neck like a scarf, "but I think I can learn to love this one."

She pulls the seahorse from her pocket, pushing it into his hands and looking away before Oliver can even blink. Out of all the times for her to be bashful.

"It's bright," he says, hanging onto the tail. "Kinda like you and all your colors and your, y'know...brightness. Like, up there." He leans close to tap her temple and she doesn't away him away this time. She just thanks him and she looks sad. Why is she sad? "What's wrong?"
"My friends are over there." She turns her head in the direction of two guys who awkwardly wave once they realize the attention is on them. "And that means I...I have to go now. Because it's really late."
"Oh."

Hayley moves his hand away from her face, just holding it in hers for a moment. It's an oddly sentimental moment, looking up into his eyes and all. He really doesn't want to see her leave and she really doesn't want to go.

"I'm kinda glad Lee ditched me," he says after a moment, brushing some of the stray hair from her face and moving it behind her ear. Smooth, Oliver. Really smooth.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. If he didn't, I wouldn't have gotten stuck on that damned Ferris Wheel with ya."

It's the final laugh of the night from Hayley, a loud and attention-grabbing one. Her kind of laugh, one he's come to really like over the course of the day.

She hugs him, standing on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck. The strong scent of vanilla is in his face once again, but he likes it. He likes her. He hopes he'll see her again. He has to see her again.

"We'll have to do it again, since it was such a highlight of your day," she says. She sounds happy, but also like she's possibly going to cry. She's a handful of emotions and energy and Oliver really, really likes that.
"Guess so. It was fun rocking the car."
"Shut up."

Then Hayley pulls away, digging through her pocket and finding a Sharpie after, what, a year of searching? Oliver smirks and prepares a witty remark about how she just carries Sharpies with her at all times, but then she puts the tip of the marker to his skin.

"Hope you'll be able to read it through all the ink that's already there."

When he glances down at his arm, he can easily make out a series of number and then her name, first and last. It's bright and purple, after all, how could he miss it? He looks up to see Hayley starting to back away with a sad smile.

"Don't you dare forget to put that number in your phone, got it?"
"Wouldn't dream of it, Miss..." glance down at the number and the name, "Williams."
"So before I go, what's your last name? It's only fair you share with me your last name. Then we'll be friends for real."
"It's Sykes. Oliver Sykes."
"Sykes?"

Hayley takes the snake from around her shoulders and squeezes it tight, squeezes it to death between her arms.

"I have a new name for my snake now."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah. Sykes. Duh."

Before she backs up too far, before she really goes, she walks back up to him and stands on her toes again and plants a kiss on his cheek. It feels a little cliché and it feels like maybe they're being filmed or maybe they're meant to be together forever or maybe she really wants him to contact her after today.

She shouts out, "Don't forget, Oli Sykes!" as she turns and runs to the two guys who have been waiting patiently through their lengthy goodbye. "Don't you dare!"
"Wouldn't dream of it!" he shouts back, waving the colorful seahorse back at her.

Then Hayley is gone.

She's not at the fair, she's not in front of him, she's not holding his arm or laughing at him or kissing his cheek. She's gone. Now, Oliver notices the heat - it never really went away, did it? - and he notices that he's alone, so he needs to find Lee so they can leave.

Without that silly girl by his side, he's bored and cranky and hot and lonely.

After ten minutes of trudging aimlessly around the fair, dragging around under the night sky, he finds Lee. No girl on his arm, no nothing. Just Lee. Lee and cotton can-candy floss.

"Ols! I was looking around for ya forever!" he exclaims, jumping up from his seat at an umbrella table. It's like the one Oliver and Hayley sat at. "Where were ya?"
"I, um. I was with Hayley."
"Who? Oh, ya met a girl. No wonder I couldn't find ya! I met one too, did ya see? She had a boyfriend, though. Got a sock in the arm for that one. I was looking for ya. I called your phone, didn't ya notice?"

Oliver shrugs, wrapping the tail of Hayley's - his - plush seahorse around the wrist with no number. Of course he didn't notice.

"Nah. I was busy."
"Oh. So, what was she like, this Hayley? Was she hot?"

He narrows his eyes at his best friend, flicking him in the forehead. Hayley is more than hot. She is funny, she is sweet, she smells like too much vanilla and she laughs too loud and she is afraid of heights depending on the situation. She likes to tease and she doesn't mind getting teased back and she gives her number to awkward British boys, so yeah, Hayley is more than hot.

When he says all of this to Lee, Lee just grins and says, "You're a sap, Sykes."

Maybe so. But he got a number and he had a good day.

He can be a sap all he wants.