Freaks and Fortune

I was walking along, head down and brows furrowed. I remembered dropping my shovel and wheelbarrow in the middle of the dirt path leading from the cages to the shed.

Both were gone. Initially, I panicked. I'd thought that someone had taken them. But then I thought about it. Who, in their right mind, would want to steal a dung-crusted shovel and a rusty wheelbarrow?

I flung open the creaky doors to the storage shed and could immediately tell that they weren't there. They were used every day and thus, were always towards the front.

I shook my head, confused, and began walking back to the cages. Maybe someone had graciously returned them to my work site?

As the cages came into view, I realized that they had been returned. My heart jumped and squealed before sinking very, very low.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice soft and menacing.

Cal Orion jumped up into the air, frightened by my sudden question. He whorled around, his brown hair flopping into his face and framing his cheeks. He slicked it back with his right hand and broke out into a child-like smile.

"Hi!" he piped cheerily. "I'm doing your work!"
"Why?"
"Well... Now that I've done something nice for you, wouldn't you think that you should do something nice for me?"
"Not really, no."

He set the shovel down and walked calmly towards me. The cages were set up on a high cement platform so he had to lean down to look me in the eyes.

"Ivenia, I need you."
"Ivenia?"
"That's what it said on your file..."
"You read my file?" I screeched.
He winced. "Sorry... I guess you go by Nia?"
"Ivy," I corrected.
"That's pretty," he nodded.
"What do you want?" I sighed.
"I want you."
"I don't care."
"I know I made a bad first impression and I'm sorry."
"You should be."
"Cut me some slack, will you?" he pleaded, throwing his hands into the air.
"Not my style."
"Ivy!"
"Cal!"

He groaned in frustration and gently yanked at his hair.

"Look... You are the only girl around here who is young and pretty enough to be the Kissing Booth Girl."

I sighed. Was I just trying to give Cal a hard time? I don't know what it was. There was just something in my heart telling me that it was a bad idea. A very bad idea.

"I just can't do it, okay?" I told him, moving around towards the back and through the door to the cage. I picked up the shovel and continued where Cal had left off.

"Let me put it this way... If you were stranded out on an island and you had a radio, would you use it to call someone to rescue you?"
"Of course," I muttered mindlessly and continued to work. "It's foolish to have a tool and not use it."
"Exactly!" he shouted, punching the air with his fist. "I'm a tool! Use me!"

I snorted in laughter.

"Wait... That didn't come out right."
"Go figure."
"What I meant was... You should accept the offer I'm giving you. You should want to climb your way up at Piccadilly's."
"I'm fine at the bottom, thank you."

"Consider it?" Cal asked, his voice sounding off right in my ear. His breath washed over my neck.
"No."
I suddenly felt two of his fingers on my cheek. They were warm, warmer than a normal person's fingers. He lightly rested his chin on my shoulder.

I shoved him off me.

"You're trying to seduce me!" I accused.
"Uh..."
"You're sick!"
"Ivy, come on! I'm going to get into so much trouble if you don't-"
"I am so about to slap you!"
"Promise?"

I raised the shovel over my head threateningly and he winced slightly, shrinking away from me like a shadow from the sun. Then, when he remembered that I was no war goddess, he decided that I didn't have the guts to hit him. Which was absolutely true. He chuckled as he straightened, flipping up the collar of his worn leather jacket. His black fingerless gloves we unnecessary in this heat, and yet he was still wearing them proudly. All a part of the bad-boy front he was putting up, I supposeed. He winked and walked away. Dust swirled up around his ankles as he shuffled, attempting to dance. I could hear him loudly singing the chorus to "Light My Fire" by The Doors.

"C'mon baby, light my fire... C'mon Ivy, light my fire..."

I winced in embarrassment.

"Try to set the night on fiirrrreee!" he wailed as he rounded the corner, out of sight.

A few hours later, I was just finishing up. I had been getting done earlier and earlier these days. And my back was feeling less like it was made out of needles... Hey! I was actually developing a work ethic! The sun had just started to go down, and the sky was tinted pink.

Anthony Piccadilly appeared behind me, leaning on the bars to the cage.

"The elephants are getting smaller and smaller these days," he commented, smirking.
I laughed. "You're dumb. What's up?"
"You seen Ravi?"
"No... Why?"
"I just need to talk to him about something." He sniffed and wiped his mouth. "It's kind of important."
"If I see him, I'll send him your way," I promised.

He walked away, and I saw Ravi sneaking up the path. He had his eyes trained on Anthony, obviously trying to avoid him. He slipped in through the bars of the elephant cage and grabbed my wrist, ignoring my cry of protest.

He pulled me through the door marked "Employees Only" at the back of the cage. It led to a small dark hallway. At the end of the hallway there was another door, framed by light. That door led outside, and to the spot where I always dropped off the dung.

"What did he say to you?" he asked me from the darkness.

I could barely make out his outline, dark and broad-shouldered.

"Is he still looking for me?"
I could feel his breath on my face. "Who, Anthony?"
"Yeah... Yeah..." He shuffled nervously.
"He said he had to tell you something important."

"I should talk to him..."
"What's the matter?"
"What's the matter?" he repeated sarcastically. "The matter is that my best friend is an asshole."
I giggled.
Ravi sighed.

"I should talk to him... Right?" he asked.
"Yeah, you should."

I felt his palm on my cheek.

"Thanks," he said.
"No problem. You really didn't need me," I told him.

I turned away, letting his hand fall back to his side. I walked through the door to the cages and continued working.

Anthony stopped flirting with one of the elephant handlers and turned towards me. He jogged over, brows furrowed.

"Was he here?"
"Yup."
"Where'd he go?"
"Don't worry, he'll be back."

Ravi emerged from the opposite door at the end of the dark hallway, blinking in the sudden fading light. He glanced towards me, nodded once, and then shuffled over to Anthony.

I began dragging the wheelbarrow towards the "Employees Only" door at the cage, ready for my last load-off.

"Look... I'm sorry, yeah?" Anthony grumbled.
Ravi ran his hand through the colored part of his hair. "Yeah, yeah. Me too."

I turned around to push the door open with my back. I continued dragging the wheelbarrow. As I looked up, I caught a glimpse of Ravi and Anthony.

They were inches apart, tension clearly visible between them. Their voices had sounded so calm and forgiving, but their body language clearly stated otherwise. Both of them were quite agitated. Ravi's fists were actually clenched. Anthony looked nervous and angry. Ravi just looked angry.

"I shouldn't have-"
"No, I deserved it." Ravi crossed his arms, a sign of being closed and defensive.

I pulled the wheelbarrow down and around to the front of the cage, lugging it along the path. I tried not to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help catching another snippet of their heated conversation.

"I'm not mad at you, okay? So you can quit."
"Rav, don't be an idiot. I'm trying to apologize here."
"Sure, sure."
"We can work something out."
"No. We can't."

I finished up for the day, unloading the last of the dung and stowing the wheelbarrow and shovel in the shed. Anthony walked past me, careening towards the Main Tent.

"Hey," I stopped him. "What was that all about?"
"What was what?" he asked awkwardly, clearly knowing what I was talking about.
"You and Ravi?"
"Nothing," he said. "I sort of got in a fight with him. No big deal. We do this a lot."

I nodded, offering a smile.

"Out of all the guys in the world, my best friend is the one with the emotional range of a hair-dryer," he deadpanned and looked up into the distance.
I followed his eyes.
"Hey, Nina!" he called, spotting a dark-skinned girl with Pocahontas hair.
"I've been looking for you!" Nina, who I recognized as the snake charmer answered, running to him from the decorated entrance. "How'd it go with Ravi?"

He grabbed her wrist and kissed her hand playfully. "Not so good."
She giggled. "He'll get over it."
"Sure, sure," he laughed and hooked two fingers through the belt loop of her jeans.

She stuck her tongue out at him as they walked away, stepping in time unconsciously. Anthony raised his hand in parting to me, calling out, "Bye, Ivy-kins!" over his shoulder as he and Nina left the arena.

My father always told me that people are liars. Wether they're lawyers, policemen, or nuns. They lie. The only way to read a person is by their bodies. The tiniest step backwards or the most gentle lean of the head said so much more than, "I'm sorry."

I had a feeling that Nina was at the center of this. And that a little apology wasn't going to mend it.