The energy in the air was wild and crisp all at once. The wind brushed my skin, but it felt comforting to my burning soul.

Despite all my excitement, I had to admit arriving at a carnival by yourself may be the single most humbling and somewhat pathetic feelings ever. I had to lie to Ajit and say that I had to work on a project with a classmate, but you've been reading along, and you know that's a lie.

I know maybe that wasn't the best idea, but damn it— I wanted to go. I needed some sort of excitement in my life. Like I said, the energy here is unmatched.

I roamed around the bustling shops, intaking the invasive aroma of popcorn and cotton candy. Let my ears consume the noises of arcade games, lightning-speed carnival rides, and screaming children.

I stood in the midst of this carnival. In the background of peoples' core memories. You're always supposed to feel like the main character in your own life, but in this moment, when I should've felt that the most, I just didn't. I felt like an extra in a movie.

I looked towards the side, meeting eyes with a group of my peers; blonde-eyed beauties, shaggy haired golden boys. They wore sweatshirts with the phrase "Lathrop University, 2025" all over it. They were my age. How mortifying.

They were a friend group; something I, so, desperately craved. I flattened out my short skirt, which felt constricting all of the sudden. One of the boys in the group with hungry eyes followed my actions, biting his lip.

I pivoted around, feeling my stomach twirling, and not from excitement. Insecurity began flooding within me. I was sweaty and freezing at the same time.

I glanced over my shoulder, only to meet eyes with the intimidating stranger once again. His eyes were glued on me, and I felt incredibly uncomfortable. Maybe if it had been another boy, this would've been exciting, but this guy just gave me some off-vibes.

I walked over towards an empty corner near a rollercoaster ride. It was more secluded, but still allowed me to people-watch. When I faced up, this guy was still looking. His bloodshot eyes were not even blinking. I tilted my head to the other side of the carnival.

In the far distance, I noticed a pearly smile with sunken, bright green eyes. Ezra ruffled his hair, laughing at a joke made by someone he was near. I recognized his all-boy group. Those were Ezra's cousins; we had met. Ezra was the baby of the family, and I could never forget all of his cousins' playful teasing and excitement when he first introduced me to them. It never really struck me how much I missed their company, and Ezra's too, obviously.

I cleared my throat, trying to rid myself of these destructive thoughts. I miss the memories and not him. I just had to keep reminding myself of that.

Ezra clearly hadn't noticed me yet, and maybe it would be better that way. I wouldn't want to ruin his day.

My eyes scanned the floor. What was I even doing here? Why was I still here? Clearly, I had no place being here. This didn't seem like such a great idea anymore.

Before I could dwell any further, I heard loud boots with chains stomp towards me. My breathing hitched. I looked up, now towards the opposite direction, and noticed the intimidating stranger, who was watching me earlier, seconds away from reaching me. He held a half-finished alcohol bottle. He was clearly around my age, but something about him was just scary. He had definitely been to jail or something.

He cleared his throat roughly and spat on the floor right in front of me. He was now a couple of steps away from me.

He licked his teeth and grunted, "Hey there, short skirt," he said.

I instinctively took a step back. He stepped closer. He softly gripped the end of my skirt and carelessly flicked it upwards. I immediately pressed down on my skirt.

He viscously smirked, "Why so shy, cutie?" he asked.

I swallowed hard. I felt myself shaking, but I tried hard to not show it. He lifted his dirty hand and was bringing it closer to my face. He stepped even closer and looked down at my lips.

I was yelling at myself in the inside. Fucking move, Tara! Do something. I was paralyzed, though.

Seconds remained till his dirty being would lapse onto me. I put my hands on his iron-like chest trying to move him. He was too heavy. He smirked at my attempt, almost looking more turned on by it. He was sickening.

Tears were about to expel out of my eyes any minute. My heart was racing, my mind was screaming, but my body was frozen. I hated myself. Maybe it's what I deserved for being here, for wearing this skirt, for talking to any guy. Fuck.

In a second's notice, my vision was blinded by a large figure shoving himself in front of me and urging me away with his large arm. I stumbled back, noticing Ezra smashing the stranger's faced violently. He repeatedly struck the guy, bringing his arm all the way back and all the way forward into the guy's face.

Red was spilling like water from the guy who began coughing.

"Ezra!" I exclaimed, "That's enough."

He would've killed him. Ezra huffed, pulling away. He turned around, looking at me. He looked like a mad man. His eyes were full of veins; his lip was bloody; his fists were stained.

He shifted his head back towards the guy struggling on the floor. "You touch her again, and you're dead. I'll make sure of it," he spat.

Ezra gritted his teeth tightly and walked past the guy towards me. He grabbed me softly, with his bloody hand and took me to the side. He looked straight ahead, not caring that his blood was staining my skin. It's alright though, I didn't care either.

Once we were completely secluded in a dark alley. Ezra studied my face carefully. Despite his scary appearance at the moment, his eyes were full of concern. To be alone in a dark alley with any guy would be sketchy, but with Ezra, no matter what we had been through, it was okay.

I felt my shoulders relax, and tears immediately began flowing like a broken faucet from my eyes. I grabbed Ezra and hugged him tightly. I wrapped my hands around his neck, and he sunk his head into my neck. I cried harder and harder.

I let it all go in Ezra's arms. It wasn't just about what had just happened with that guy; it was about everything. I was crying about my father, about how lonely I felt, about how much I hated my life. I was crying about these last few days with Varun, and how I didn't even recognize my brother anymore. I was crying about my Ezra, and how much I missed him, and how no matter what, I still loved him.

I loved Ezra, and that just doesn't go away instantly.

I choked on my tears, continuously crying, unable to stop. Ezra squeezed me tighter every time I did. He rubbed his hand on my back.

"Shh, I've got you," he whispered, "I've got you."

His words were the most comforting thing I heard in a while. I needed it. I swallowed and pulled away briefly. My eyes were swollen and stained with tears. Ezra's bright green eyes dawned on mine, offering sympathy in every glance.

He brought his thumbs to my cheek pads, and brushed away my tears. He kept his hands on my cheek, staring down at me. He was slightly trembling. I stared up at him, softly placing my hands on his cheeks. I stood on my tippy toes and enveloped his lips into mine.

His red puffy lips were like a pillow, and I melted into him. He instantly kissed back and electricity formed between us as he mirrored my actions. We were magnetic. We were meant for each other, no matter how forbidden it would be.

I pulled away, and Ezra and I just looked at each other. I glanced over his shoulder, not expecting anything, or anyone for that matter, but I was wrong.

I met eyes with Varun. Suddenly my whole world stopped. Oh no, what the hell did I just do?

Varun shook his head disappointedly and turned around and ran away.

Fuck, this was bad. This was worse than bad; this was horrendous. How could this happen? How could I let this happen? What was he going to do?