Imagine (6 page)

VII

imagine fireworks

I have always loved carnivals; I know I will enjoy this one even more though, as I get to share the experience with my friends. Apparently this one is huge around here and to celebrate the first day of the carnival they are putting on a huge firework show. It has been advertised throughout the county for the last few weeks to build excitement. We decided to arrive early which will give us plenty of time to check out all of the attractions, get some food and enjoy the fireworks at ten o’clock. The sun doesn’t set until about nine this time of year, which I
Imagine
is the reason for the late time for the firework show. It has to be dark to enjoy fireworks.

We arrive at the carnival, park up
and decide to check out some of the games first. Keagan and Eddie get talked into trying a basketball game. Both boys give the guy running the stall five dollars, which buys them five shots, 3 consecutive shots into the hoop wins a small prize or five out of five wins a large prize. The prizes are hanging from the top of the booth, everything from a large banana with a smiley face and sunglasses to cute little teddy bears.

Eddie makes three in a row while Keagan makes four out of five
, missing his third shot, so he didn’t win anything – what a rip off. Eddie tells Chelsey that she can pick a prize, so she picks out a fluffy pink teddy bear and hugs it close to her; she throws her arms around Eddie, causing him to almost loose his balance. The look on his face is priceless; I don’t think that he expected tiny Chelsey to be able to throw him off balance. Keagan and I start laughing at them. Eddie and Chelsey join in.

I find my favorite game, darts, and tell Keagan that I am going to show him how it’s done. I buy five darts and each one hits its target with a loud ‘pop’. I pick out the ugl
iest stuffed animal that I can find, a gray ape with a pink butt and hand it to Keagan. He thanks me by giving me a hug and kiss which he teasingly places on the corner of my mouth, barely missing my lips, giving me butterflies. I look up into his eyes, he leans in again, ever so slowly and I close my eyes in anticipation. I can smell his cologne; he whispers in my ear “Let’s get some food.”

WHAT! My eyes pop open and he has a mischievous look in his eyes, a huge grin on his face. I punch him in the shoulder and turn my back on him, only to find Chelsey and Eddie watching us with raised eye brows.

Thinking about it, I really don’t want such a special moment to be shared with anyone, especially not in public. With this in mind I turn back to Keagan.

“I am ready for some
food; let’s check out what they have.” Embarrassed a little, I begin to walk towards the food vans, successfully diffusing the situation. I stop at a Mediterranean booth, displaying pictures of one of my favorite foods, Gyros. I buy a Donner meat gyro, oozing with delicious Tzatziki sauce and fresh salad. Chelsey buys a funnel cake, a carnival favorite. Eddie and Keagan each buy a cheeseburger. 

We all head towards an empty table set near the stage,
a band is playing, I sing along with ‘Old Time Rock and Roll’, one of my Mom’s favorites. It has the crowd singing and dancing. Looking around everyone is just having such a great time.

Keagan sits next to me and throws his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close to his side. Chelsey and Eddie sit on the opposite side of the table, I reach over and steal a piece of Chelsey’s funnel cake. She tries to slap my fi
ngers away, I’m too quick for her though and I pop the piece into my mouth.

“Mmm…so good.” I tell her while smacking my lips. She playfully glares at me
and completely messes up the annoyed look by wiggling her eyebrows.

I take a bite of my pita, the cucumber and yoghurt sauce drips down my hand so I lick it off. The meat melts in my mouth
, it’s so tender. We all joke around and sing along to the music while we eat. The boys have even gone so far as to throw fries at each other. You can tell how close they are, what a great friendship they must have.  

Next up is the fairground rides,
 I pick bumper cars first and each of us takes a different car. Mine is a bright green, with the number eleven on the side in yellow. I wait in anticipation for the ride to begin, the countdown begins and the loud horn signals the start of the mayhem. I immediately slam into Keagan’s blue car, then turn and rush towards Eddie. He has a huge smile on his face when he notices me heading in his direction. The impact shoots through my body when I hit him head on, then again when I am taken by surprise by Chelsey, whose grin is splitting her face from side to side until Keagan surprises her, crashing into her side. We continue terrorizing each other until the horn sounds again, signaling the end.

Chelsey spots a huge yellow rollercoaster and ushers us towards it. I’ve never been on a rollercoaster but decide to give it a try, closing my eyes and clinging on to Keagan
for dear life the entire time.

He is so sweet, holding me close with his arm
around my shoulder. When the ride reaches its end I can barely wait for the safety bar to be released so that I can jump out of this death trap. Keagan looks at me with concern as we climb out. “Are you alright? You are really pale.”

“I did not like that at all.” I put on a brave smile and grab his hand. Che
lsey and Eddie meet us at the exit.

“That was so much fun, I love rollercoasters.” Squeals Chelsey.

“Hey guys, I think I’m going to take Trish on something a little calmer. See you in thirty minutes by the car for the fireworks?”

“Sure thing buddy, enjoy.” Replies Eddie with a wink as he takes Che
lsey, hand in hand, towards the vortex ride. Keagan takes my hand too and leads me away.

We chat about the best rides we have been on, Keagan is amazed that that was my first rollercoaster. Assuring me they are safe. He leads me over to the Ferris
wheel. I love going on them? Looking at the scenery from up high. The sun is setting now too, how did he know? We give our tickets to the guy manning the gate and climb into our basket. The setting sun is illuminating everything in a soft orange glow, including Keagan, who is sitting on the outside of the basket. I look past him to admire our surroundings.

“Wow
, it’s so beautiful.” I say in awe. The hills make a perfect backdrop to the bright lights of the fairground. Keagan turns and looks at me. “Yes, yes you are!”

I smile at him and feel myself blush.

“Thank y….”

I am caught completely off guard as he leans in, takes my face in his hands and kisses me. His lips are so soft. It is ever
ything I could have ever imagined my first kiss to be, and then some. Sparks seem to fly, the butterflies are going bonkers. It takes me a minute to re-gain my bearings when he pulls away, opening his eyes slowly. He just smiles at me and kisses my lips again with a quick peck.

We enjoy the rest of the ride. Pointing at the different rides, stalls and tiny people below. I cannot seem to wipe the smile off my face as we walk back to the car. Chelsey sees us as we get
close; she claps her hands in excitement and rushes over to us. She throws her arms around me, I look over her shoulder at Keagan, who just shakes his head with a smile and joins Eddie.

Two large blankets are on the ground in front of the Me
rcedes. Chelsey gives me a hug and whispers in my ear “We’ll talk about it later. Come on!” She sits on one of the blankets with Eddie, who is playing with his phone, once again controlling the music in the car, its windows open so we can hear Bruno Mars’s album Unorthodox Jukebox.

Keagan and I
sit on the other. He sits behind me and wraps his big arms around me. The fireworks are amazing; they are the most beautiful colors. We can hear
oohhs
and
aaaarrrs
coming from all around us. The finale of red rockets, pink fountains, orange helicopters and purple roman candles is perfectly choreographed.

I am in seventh heaven
while watching. My first kiss replaying over and over in my head, it was earth shattering. Keagan was a total gentlemen, it was thoughtful and romantic. I couldn’t have even dreamt of a better one.

Chelsey jumps in the back of the car with me and makes Keagan sit in the front.

“Spill, I can tell by the dreamy look on your face since you got to the car that he totally laid one on you.”

“It was perfect Chelsey, we were rising to the top of the Ferris wheel and I was taking in the view.”

I lean in even closer and glace up front to make sure that Keagan is not paying attention, but thankfully the music has been turned up and the guys are talking about the track meet that is supposed to happen next week.

“The sun was setting and everything was cast in an o
range glow as I was saying how beautiful everything was Keagan commented that I was beautiful.”

Chelsey is listening intently
“He called you beautiful? Awww, that’s so sweet.”

“He leaned in and took a hold of my face and then he kissed me”

I glance out of the front windshield and my heart falls into my stomach. I grip a hold of Chelsey’s sleeve and pull on it, I am speechless and can only nod in the direction that I want her to look. When she turns her head to look out the window I know that all she sees are headlights coming from above us. Headlights that belong to another car that is about to hit us.

I had watched the car veer off the overpass above and fre
efall straight in front of us. I don’t want to die, not tonight. I squeeze my eyes shut and
Imagine
the falling car suspended in midair until we are past it, then gently being placed right side up onto the road behind us.

I wait, eyes still squeezed shut,
and I hear Chelsey scream and Keagan gasp. I anticipate the pain that will momentarily take over, as the car either crashes right on top of us or we hit the wreckage in front of us. I wait …

VIII

imagine being betrayed

As I lie in bed on Saturday morning I still can’t believe what happened last night and that we are all still here, alive. Somehow, just as my imagination had laid out the pictures in my head is exactly how it all happened. We never hit the falling car, instead it landed safely with nothing but some body damage in the middle lane and we just sailed past. It’s a miracle that everyone involved is still alive. We pulled over, called 9-1-1 and checked on the family inside, they were in shock, as to be expected, but all four of them were taken to the hospital by the attending EMTs.

I was awestruck, how did I do that? Did it have som
ething to do with the broom back in my kitchen? I
have
to call my Mom and get an explanation.

Eddie
had never even known what was coming our way. He may have felt a little guilty that he was responsible, as when we continued our drive home in stunned silence he suggested a party at his grandparents’ house in Stone Valley the following night, in honor of us surviving the scare. He said that he and Keagan were going to take care of everything
.
All we had to do was turn up at around eight...
Top of Form

             
So it’s Saturday night and once again I’ve decided to let Chelsey loose on my hair. I trust her with my make-up this time too. I needed a little persuading to begin with, but she’s doing an amazing job! I am really excited to see what tonight brings for her, maybe Eddie will finally make it official that they are dating. I don’t think anything would make me happier than to see Chelsey happy and I know that if Eddie did define the relationship Chelsey would be ecstatic.

“You look about as excited as I
feel; I wonder what tonight is going to be like! I still can’t believe that we are going to a party with Eddie and Keagan just celebrating the fact we are alive.” She says as she is straightening my hair. “I hope Eddie will finally make it official tonight, I’m ready to be his girlfriend. If he doesn’t then I might." Chelsey gushes all at once.

I’ve never been to a party before, at least not since I’ve been here at Dalton. I am jittery with excitement, like a li
ttle kid on Christmas Eve. So many things are running through my head, will there be a lot of people that I know from school? Things have really turned around over the last month but occasionally I still feel some hostility from my peers, especially around Porsche. I hope her rumor mill stops soon.

But most importan
tly, will Keagan kiss me again? Just thinking about it gives me the now familiar feeling of butterflies in my stomach. One thing is for certain, tonight’s party is a welcome distraction, if only to stop us all dwelling on last night.

I must have had a glazed look in my eye, the same kind I get in history class, it’s a dead giveaway that my body is in the room, but my mind is not.

“You’re thinking about Keagan right now aren’t you?” Chelsey cuts into my thoughts like a warm knife through butter. I shake my head but smile at her in the mirror. My daydream has distracted me completely from her work, so when I look in the mirror at the face staring back at me, it’s as if I’ve transformed completely into someone else.

Instead of the girl with the big, sad eyes and grimace that normally looks back at me when I look in a mirror I now see a beautiful young woman with bright, sparkling eyes and a HUGE painted smile (Chelsea had applied a red lip gloss, wow I really was in a daydream) looking back at me.

My hair looks shiny and glossy and lays perfectly down my back in prettily arranged spirals. My green eyes sparkle, emphasized by the smoky eye shadow that gives me some mystique. I feel sexy in the black tight jeans and dark red, off the shoulder, slinky top. I feel more confident than ever, I am ready for anything tonight may have in store for me.

Now I think I’m starting to finally realize that even though things are different, it doesn’t mean that I’m a di
fferent person. I decide the kind of person I am, not anyone else. I just have to adjust to the changes and make the best of them.

“Trish, Trish are you list
ening to what I’m telling you?”

“
Uh, oh I’m so sorry Chelsey; I was just caught up in my thoughts. Hey, has anyone ever told you that you are a miracle worker?” I know how to get back into her good graces, and from her frown turning into a bright smile it must have worked. 

“You look absolutely stunning, in that outfit
too.” I add.

I’m not just saying that either, Chelsey looks incredible. She is wearing a cute little yellow summer dress that has small white embroidered flowers all over it with a pair of brown cowboy boots. Her blonde hair is styled in a similar way as mine but
she still looks like the girl next door. I know I could never pull off that look, but Chelsey does it with such ease. 

The way I look has given me that extra spring in my
step that little bit of extra confidence I need to text my Mom.

To: Mom

Something very strange happened

t
o me again this week.

I’d really like to talk to you
soon,

A
bout everything. To say that

I am confused
would be an

u
nderstatement.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Love you too,

Trish x
x x

7:35 pm

I leave my phone in my room
as tonight is meant to be about celebrating being alive and not thinking about what happened. We head out the door to Trish’s car for the twenty minute drive to the party. Both of us as happy as we had ever been, perhaps when we return here tonight we will both have boyfriends.

We arrive at
the address Eddie gave us for his grandparents’ house a little after eight, fashionably late. We pull up the long driveway. Surprisingly, for it being out in the middle of nowhere, the grounds are immaculate. The driveway ends in a horseshoe shape in front of the house, in the center of which lies a fountain, it is absolutely stunning.  Half a dozen stone cherubs surrounding it, each of them are squirting water out of things that they are holding. There is such detail in the little statues, if I didn’t know any better I would say that they were little children that Medusa, the Ancient Greek monster with snakes for hair, had frozen for eternity. 

There is one cherub that really catches my
attention; it is made of white and blue glistening marble with its face turned up to the moon, as if it were in prayer and raising a golden goblet, as if in a salute.

T
here are only about twenty cars parked out front, maybe people car-pooled? I look up at the
colossal
mansion for the first time, it’s beautiful!

The mansion itself is made out of a dark red wood, maybe redwood, the tall tree which this area of California is so famous for.
 It’s a huge house.  It makes me thing of ancient Rome, and the villas they used to have with the huge columns out front, all I’m missing now are the gladiators fighting in the front yard for their Lanista. All of it is absolutely breathtaking. I didn’t know Eddie’s family were so wealthy, the brand new Mercedes was beginning to make sense now.

The remainder of the grounds are just as impressive. The darkness now eliminated by spotlights at the front of the house. I can see that there are beautifully sculpted hedges
everywhere; they’re the shapes of animals. They litter the lush, green grass. I can make out an elephant, lion and a giraffe the rest of them are too far away for me to see by moonlight alone.

The moon is full
tonight; we had a great view of it and the stars twinkling in the clear night sky as we drove through the darkness to get to the house. There must have been about five miles between the nearest sign of civilization and here.

As we pull
slowly up the driveway, both in awe of the house, (I can tell Chelsey was impressed as she was silent) we realized that Eddie has a valet, a young dark haired college student opens Chelsey’s door and offers her his hand to help her out of her old Subaru. He takes her keys and hands her a ticket, which she stuffs into her pocket as we walk up to the house, and knock on the huge wooden door using the heavy brass knocker.

While I was half expecting an English butler to open the door and call us ‘Madams’ to my pleasure
it’s Keagan who opens the door and stands in the doorway, just staring at us for a full 20 seconds before finally opening his mouth. “So you two actually made it!”

He has the
dark, brooding look on his face again and all the joy and excitement I felt driving here seem to disappear. Trying to make him smile I give him a hug and kiss, that he barely reciprocates. “Everything alright?” I ask. He can only shrug in reply.

Chelsey is not as
easily discouraged and pushes her way through the doorway and into the lobby. She is on a mission tonight. “Where’s everyone at? There are cars parked outside, but I was expecting a lot more people. This house is big enough to be a club.” She asks as she jostles her way past Keagan.

“Everyone is down stairs, this is a very exclusive party so only a select few are invited,” he replies politely to her inquiry.

Chelsey gives me a look; I know exactly what she’s thinking, because I’m thinking the same thing. This is definitely not what we were expecting at all. We were thinking that there would be teenagers passed out on the front lawn, loud music, dancing and beer bongs. We figured we would find Kristina, May and Lexi rushing us as we walked in the door. You know the deal. But I figure we’re here now, so we might as well make the most of it. Besides, the lesser amount of people here the more chance I have of actually speaking to Keagan and figuring out what has crawled up his butt.

“Well, I’m ready to say hello to everyone
else too. “ I say, confidently.

Keagan gives me another long look and then moves to the side so that I can enter the building too. I have no
idea what is going on with him. I stand and turn a full 360 degrees, taking a long look around the lobby. The inside of the house most definitely matches what the outside had promised. Eddie’s parents have a very contemporary, yet elegant style. And
lots
of money! 

Everywhere I look there are marble floors, shined to a spo
tless finish, high ceilings and crystal chandeliers.  The entrance lobby leads right into the front room where a dark staircase leads to the second floor. It’s one of those staircases you always see in movies, one that has two ways leading down and meet in the middle on the first floor. The entire room is decorated with modern art, including more sculptures and some big, bright paintings on the walls.  To my surprise I notice that there are no family pictures anywhere and even though the house is beautifully decorated, I don’t really thing that it’s very personal.

I think of my old home
, the one I left behind in Florida, it was only a two bedroom house and the furniture was from a second hand store my mother always made it feel warm and homely. She had pictures everywhere and for some reason I always loved how it smelled like freshly baked cookies. Thinking of home makes me a little sad and it must have shown on my face because I get an elbow in my side and Chelsey is looking at me with raised eyebrows.

To the right which is where Keagan is leading us is a si
ngle door and as he holds it open, I can for the first time, hear lots of people shouting and laughing. It sure sounds like they are having a good time. I follow the long hallway towards the noise, down the stairs. I have to descend them while touching the cool stone walls to make sure that I don’t lose my balance in the cute wedges that I borrowed from Chelsey.

As I reach the bottom of the stairs I cannot believe my eyes.

Instead of teens partying and drinking, I see grown men cheering and waving slips of paper at a portion of the room inside a fence. As we approach I can see that we have been brought to the middle of a dog fight!

I stand there in shock
, staring at two dogs tearing at each other. One is a pit bull, its gray coat is glistening with sweat, and its ears lay back flat against its head. Its teeth are showing, blood and saliva are dripping down its chin. It leaps, muscles straining, to get at its opponent, a larger, longer haired tan colored Japanese Akita. The Akita is equally as intimidating, with its long canine teeth exposed and its ears standing at attention.

Both dogs, in their own ways, are impressive and bea
utiful. I can tell that the fight has taken a toll on both dogs. The Akita seems to have the upper hand, but that’s not saying too much. The pit bull has multiple bite wounds covering its sleek body, the Akita has a slight limp seemingly caused by a painful looking bite to its right flank, but both dogs seem exhausted and are breathing very heavily with the strain that the fight has taken on them.

I take in my surroundings, the air seems static with the crowd’s excit
ement, and it is thick with body odor, humidity and above all, the smell of desperation.