Chapter 7 Worst or Best

"Come on!" Nathan suddenly opened his car door and hurried to my side, yanking mine open before I could even react. I jumped in surprise as he took my hand and pulled me along. He looked unusually thrilled-almost radiant.

"Nathan, wait!" I stumbled after him while he laughed at my flustered state.

"So, what should we ride first?"

Yes, you heard that right-we were at a carnival. In front of us stretched a wild blur of rides, flashing lights, food stalls, and games.

In short, I was in hell.

"What are we doing here?!" Panic cracked in my voice as I scanned the place. The noise, the crowd, the dizzying lights-it was too much. I could feel the color draining from my face. Even from here, the sight of those towering rides made my stomach twist.

The sun was setting, streaking the sky in gold and pink as the evening breeze brushed against my skin. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and glanced at Nathan's profile. The fading light carved his face into something almost unreal.

It should be illegal to look that good. I sighed.

Nathan chuckled softly. "Have you forgotten? This is our date!" His voice was bright with excitement.

I said nothing, only swallowing hard. He didn't notice my discomfort and just tugged me closer. I decided not to ruin his enthusiasm. Maybe going with the flow wouldn't hurt.

"Do you want to ride this one?"

We stopped in front of a huge crowd cheering wildly. Nathan excused himself politely as he pulled me closer. Some people glared, but when they saw him, they immediately stepped aside. I guess being him had its perks.

"Oh! I know this ride!"

I squinted toward the massive spinning wheel, watching people scream as it tilted and twirled in every direction. A few looked like they might faint or throw up. My stomach churned just watching it. Definitely not a good idea.

I started to turn away when I felt someone grab the back of my shirt.

"Where do you think you're going, young lady?" Nathan's teasing voice came from behind me.

"Uh... restroom?" I flashed an innocent smile.

"Tsk, tsk. Nice try-you're not going anywhere."

Before I could protest, the ride stopped and Nathan led me straight into the line. His hand gripped mine firmly, leaving no room for argument. When it was our turn, the attendant guided us to our seats. Nathan helped me buckle in, his fingers brushing mine.

I tightened my hold on the safety bar, my heart hammering. This was my first time at a carnival-pathetic, I know-and my nerves were shot.

"Relax," he said softly.

Then his hand found mine, his fingers interlacing with gentle confidence. He rubbed his thumb over my knuckles, silently assuring me that I'd be fine. Somehow, my heartbeat steadied.

"You ready?"

I nodded. He smirked, that infuriatingly confident grin, just as the ride began to move.

At first, it was slow-almost pleasant-but soon it turned wild. The machine spun, twisted, and rose in waves that made me scream. Nathan, of course, was laughing the whole time like a maniac. When it finally stopped, I stumbled off, dizzy and barely able to stand. Nathan caught me before I fell.

"You look wasted," he laughed, helping me down.

I sulked, crossing my arms, though a small part of me admitted-it was kind of fun.

Before I could recover, he grabbed my hand again. "Come on! Next ride!"

This time, it was bumper cars. He insisted on taking the pink one, leaving me the blue. As I adjusted my seat belt, someone rammed into me from behind. My forehead nearly hit the steering wheel.

"You're going down!" Nathan shouted, laughing like an evil villain.

I glared at him. That actually hurt. I spun my car around to face him.

"Is that a challenge I hear?"

He froze dramatically and raised a brow. For a moment, everything else faded-just the two of us in our silly little battle. He pointed two fingers at me like mock pistols. I drew an imaginary line across my throat in reply. When the moment came, we charged straight at each other, the impact jarring but hilarious. Soon, our laughter filled the arena as we bumped and crashed again and again.

I didn't realize how much fun I was having until the game ended.

"So," Nathan said later, "how was the night? Did you enjoy it?"

We were now at the top of the Ferris wheel, the carnival lights glittering beneath us. I was quietly eating cotton candy, my hair swaying in the night breeze.

"Hmm..." I nodded shyly, avoiding his gaze.

Silence settled between us, soft and full of unspoken things. I felt his eyes on me, and my heart raced. The Ferris wheel paused, leaving us suspended high above the ground.

"Thank you for tonight, Natasha. I really had fun."

I looked at him. The moonlight reflected in his eyes, one half of his face shadowed, the other glowing softly. He looked impossibly beautiful, and my chest tightened painfully.

Our eyes met and held. No words. No movement. Then he leaned closer, and my breath caught. Was he about to-?

Instead, he took my hand and pressed a gentle kiss on the back of it. My cheeks burned instantly. I turned away, mortified he might notice.

"So," he murmured, "what's your answer?"

Oh. Right. He'd been waiting for my reply. I coughed, pretending to think, and looked at the moon. Despite how strange this day had been, something between us felt genuine. Something I didn't want to forget.

"See you tomorrow, Nathan."

That night, sleep refused to come. I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, replaying every moment-his laughter, his touch, that kiss on my hand. I groaned, telling myself to stop. I needed rest for class tomorrow, not another round of mental torture.

At some point, dawn crept in. My eyes were puffy, my hair a mess. I dragged myself out of bed and shuffled downstairs. Mrs. Johnson was at her desk, writing something.

"Morning, Mrs. Johnson."

"Hello, Na-" She froze, hand on her chest. "What on earth happened to you? You look like you just crawled out of a coffin!"

I waved her off and trudged out the door. The sunlight stabbed at my tired eyes, and my head pounded like I'd partied all night.

At least I made it to school in one piece.

"Hey, isn't that the girl who went out with Nathan Davis?"

"The one from the carnival?"

"I saw them-they looked like a couple."

"Seriously? So Nathan's not single anymore?"

Their whispers hit me like bullets. My steps faltered as fear crept up my spine. All around, students stared, whispering and pointing. Some laughed, some sneered.

My heart thudded painfully. I lowered my gaze, biting my lip, and quickened my pace. My hands turned cold as I focused on the ground, desperate to escape their eyes.

Then-bam. I ran straight into someone.

Great.

"Oh, look who's here."

That voice. I looked up slowly to see Natalie and her friends standing in front of me, arms crossed, their expressions smug. I swallowed hard.

"Uh, hi. If you don't mind, I was just about to-" I tried to leave, but one of them grabbed my wrist.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere," Natalie said, her tone sharp. "We just want a word with you."

My stomach dropped. I knew exactly where this was heading-and it was nowhere good. I forced a shaky smile, but dread settled deep in my chest.

This was not how I'd imagined my day would go.