Finding Laila: Some Changes are Necessary (23 page)

Cole
looks at everyone and flips us off before he finishes eating his lunch.

“I
gotta go.” Haden stands up and bends down to kiss me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Are
you going to tell me anything about this date?” I ask as he walks away.

He
turns back and smiles. “Wear comfortable shoes.”

“I’m so proud of you, honey,”
Mom
gushes when I walk through the door.
“Second place!”

“Thanks,
Mom. I wish you could have been there.” I smile and return her hug.

“I
know, me too. Your sister is still running a fever, though.”

“No,
it’s fine, really. I think both Dad and I were bored for most of it.”

“He
was texting me the entire time, so I really doubt it. Are you hungry? Do you
need anything?” she rushes.

“Honestly,
I’m exhausted and Haden’s taking me out tonight—I’m not sure I’ll be able
to hang.”

“Then
I suggest you take a nice warm bath and maybe a little nap.” She smiles.

“Do
you know where he’s taking me?” I question suspiciously.

She
shakes her head and walks away, leaving me to wonder as I have been all day.
She’s been secretive ever since our little shopping excursion last night. It
took three tries to find the perfect dress for prom. I had Mom snap a picture
of the dress on the hanger to send over to Haden but he won’t see it on until
prom night. For the next ten minutes they went back and forth, and every time I
tried to look at her screen she’d move away.

Dad
walks in from the garage like the proud parent he is and high-fives me. “Our
girl did great,” he beams.

“So
you said,” Mom pouts. “I
told
her
she
needs
to rest for tonight because she’s not hungry.”

“Who
said I’m not hungry?” I interject.

She
walks to the refrigerator and pulls out some lunchmeat and condiments and
places them on the counter. “Okay, well you go shower and I’ll make some
sandwiches.”

I
give her the salute I know she hates and run upstairs to get cleaned up. I have
texts from Haden and Joey, but I skip reading them when the phone rings and I
see
it’s
Haden.

“Second
place,” I answer without greeting him.

“That’s
awesome! Maybe your boyfriend should take you out tonight,” he answers.

“I
thought he was, but I’m not sure what to wear.”

“Didn’t
he tell you to wear something comfortable?”

“Yeah,
well that doesn’t tell me much, now, does it?” I laugh. “Are you sure you can’t
give me a hint?”

“Nope.”

“You
suck,” I answer back with a roll of my eyes, even though he can’t see it.

“No
I don’t. You just hate being out of the loop,” he reminds me, which is
completely true, though I won’t admit it to him.

“Did
you call to harass me?”

Lame, I know—but it’s
the best I can come up with. I’m so bad at flirting.

“That
and to tell you that I love you and I’ll pick you up at six,” he says sweetly.

I
think my stomach swirls a little. No matter how often he says those three words
to me, or how long I’ve known him as one of the guys on my street—my best
friend—he still has this way of making my heart flip.

“I’ll
be ready,” I breathe out as I try to compose myself. “I’m about to take a
shower now.”

“Lai?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll
see you at five thirty,” he strains out.

“But
you just said six,” I remind him and panic at the loss of those thirty minutes.

“Five
thirty just sounds better,” he answers. “See you then. Bye.”

“Haden?”
I rush out, hoping that he’s still on the line.

“Yeah?”

“Love
you, too,” I answer, and hang up as I throw myself onto my bed to catch my
breath.

* * *

“Thanks
for waking me up,” I tell Mom when I go to the kitchen fully rested. “I guess
you still won’t tell me what’s going on.”

“I
have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says with a straight face. It
would be convincing if I didn’t know her as well as I
do
,
so I choose to play along.

“Am
I dressed okay?” I ask in an attempt to garner any new information out of her.

She
looks me up and down as she takes in my skinny jeans and sleeveless striped
tank that I’m wearing under my gray jacket and shrugs. Haden said dress
comfortable and this fits that for me. I have my hair in a high ponytail so it
is out of my face, and a smidgen of makeup on, but other than that I look the
same as I do every other time he sees me.

“You
always look pretty. Roll the sleeves up and I think you’re good to go.” She
smiles and looks at her watch. “What time is he coming to get you?”

“Five
thirty,” I answer and raise my brow in question.

“Then
he should be here any—”

Someone
ringing the doorbell interrupts her comment, and of course we know who it is.

“I
got it,” Luka yells and runs into the living room despite not feeling well.

Mom
runs after her to stop her from getting him sick, but by the time we get there,
my little sister is already in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder.

He
gives me a cocky look and hands Luka off to my mom before kissing my cheek. I
think it’s sweet that he’s so…
Haden
in front of my parents. Mom asks a few questions, but I pay no attention
because my eyes are stuck on the guy I get to call my boyfriend. He opted out
of his trademark jeans and looks preppy in his cargo shorts and collared shirt.
His black hair and brooding appearance is a stark contrast from the look he’s
trying out, but I think it’s cute all the same.

Mom
says her goodbyes, and before I know it Haden has me in his car, driving to
some location he still refuses to divulge.

It’s
not for a lack of trying on my part, that’s for sure.

The
entire fifteen-minute drive, I ask for hints, possible date-crashers, or any
other clue he can give me so I can figure out where we’re going, but he’s a
steel trap—smirking the entire time.

“Close
your eyes,” he says and hands me a blindfold.

“Um,
Searle,” I look at the piece of material and try to hand it back, “I don’t do
blindfolds.”

“If
you want your surprise you do,” he answers without looking at me.

I
growl. I actually let out an obnoxious, pouty growl and he laughs at me, but I
finally concede and place the navy piece of material over my eyes.

“This
better be worth it,” I warn. “How much longer anyway?”

“Maybe
five minutes,” he answers. “Now will you stop talking?”

I
don’t answer and I suppose that’s ‘answer’ enough for him. He plays some music
in the car to fill the silence and reaches over to thread his fingers through
mine. He lifts my hand to his mouth and places a sweet kiss to the back of it
before resting them both on the console between us.

The
car comes to stop and I hear his window roll down before he whispers something
to someone—but we are moving before I ever have a chance to decipher any
of it. The car ride becomes slightly bumpy with the sound of crunching beneath
the tires for a minute before it comes to a complete stop and he turns off the
engine.

“All
right, so here’s the deal,” he says, and I hear his keys jingle for a moment.
“I’m going to get out and open your door. You have to leave the blindfold on
until I tell you to take it off. You okay with that?”

I
nod and wait for him to do as he says after I hear his door open and close. He
pulls my door open and his hand touches mine so he can guide me out of the car.
I’m handled for a second until he leans me against what I presume to be the
back of the car before shutting the door. I brace myself
againt
the cold metal and try to figure out where I am, but I pick up on nothing.

“Just
a few more minutes,” he says, his lips close to mine. “And then you can see.”

He
places his lips against mine and kisses me until any and all nerves have
disappeared and are replaced with a feeling of happiness and excitement. Haden
places his hands on my shoulders and stands behind me as he leads us forward
somewhere. The sound of gravel beneath my feet and the faint sounds of screams,
laughter, and strange music fill the air. I’m not sure where we’re heading but
I try to play along.

Haden
continues to guide me, holding me back when it seems we might run into people.
I can’t make out their conversations, but I know they are near. He’s an
excellent guide.

We
come to a stop and he removes his hands from me and I miss the proximity
immediately.

“Haden?”
I ask, when I can’t sense him near me anymore.

Where is he?

I
can’t tell if he’s gone and I feel like an idiot standing here with a blindfold
while people are milling around.

“Are
you still here?” I ask and try to laugh, even though I find this moment
anything but funny.

“I’m
here,” he answers and kisses me again. “Are you ready?”

I
nod my head and he tells me to remove the blindfold, and it takes me a moment
to recognize where I am.

I’ve been here before.

It’s
a huge parking lot where hordes of people are talking and moving so quickly I
can’t keep up. Haden is standing in front of me with his beautiful smile,
waiting for my reaction.

“A
carnival?” I ask, looking around at the rides and games.

We
used to come to these when we were kids—all of us together. One time when
I was little, I told the guys that my dream was to have a boyfriend who would
take me to one and we’d ride every ride together and he’d win me all the prizes
I wanted. Our last ride would be the Ferris wheel because, well, I saw it in a
movie once. The couple rode up to the top and got stuck, but while they were
stuck, they kissed and eventually fell in love.
I mean that’s the way it works, right?

“Is
this okay?” he asks in an attempt to answer my question.

“Yeah.”
I smile excitedly. “It’s perfect.”

With
that, he opens his hand and reveals too many tickets for one person to use in a
day at any carnival, and I jump into his arms excitedly.

We
run around the grounds playing every game in sight, but neither of us have any
luck with winning. I’m a terrible shot and Haden has never been good at playing
the rigged games. He does manage to win a small stuffed bear, but the guy gave
it to him after Haden spent at least fifty dollars worth of tickets trying to
pop the damn balloon.

Every
ride we go on sends a chill of excitement and dread through me. I feel like a
little kid again, but the grown-up part of me wonders how safe the ancient
rides really are. Somehow, we manage to survive with limbs intact and no bodily
harm done before running to the next possible death trap.

It’s
gotten dark out and even though it’s early spring, there’s a slight chill to
the air. I look up at the Ferris wheel, our last adventure for the night, and
smile, but Haden nudges my arm to get my attention and I see my old nemesis,
the Tilt-A-Whirl. He reaches out for my hand and walks the two of us toward the
ride, where he hands the attendant our tickets. I run ahead of him and pick a
cart and wait for him to join me.

“You’re
going to throw up,” he teases as he climbs in with me.

“One
time, Haden. And I’d just eaten two sticks of cotton candy because y’all dared
me to,” I laugh.

“Oh,
it was because of the dare?” he asks and nods his head. “Then I dare you to
kiss me for the entire ride.”

“Challenge
accepted,” I smirk.

The
guy comes by to lock the bar across our laps and quickly moves on to the next
cart. When everyone is secured, the ride begins its spin and I lean over to
kiss Haden, who starts laughing before finally retuning the kiss. The rickety
tin can spins faster, making it harder for us to keep our lips together.

“I
give up,” I scream and lean my head back while the wind whips my ponytail
around. I look at Haden and laugh at the disappointed look on his face before I
close my eyes and enjoy the ride. The distance is short-lived because he moves
as close to me as he can and holds my face with his hand and kisses me until
the ride finally comes to a stop.

“See,”
I answer breathlessly when the bar unlocks. “Told you I wouldn’t throw up.”

“Yeah,
but you failed the dare. I think the rule was if you
can’t
complete a dare you have to do one act of public humiliation. That was your
rule, right?”

I
climb out of the metal ride of death and head toward the exit, trying to
contain my laughter. I hate when the guys remember the stupid rules I would add
to our games so I would be on the winning end of things.

When
I’m on solid ground, I turn and face him with my hands on my hips.

“So
what’s it gonna be?” I ask.

He
reaches for my hand and entwines our fingers as he leads us to another
ride—or so it seems, until he takes a detour to a quieter area of the
carnival. It’s here that I see the fortuneteller stationed near the center of
the lot.