Lily's p.o.v.

I headed home after last period to change for the carnival. I knew it would be hot, so I needed to choose something cool but not revealing. I did not want Ryder to see my cleavage and try to put the moves on me. I hopped in the shower and after I got out, started trying to pick out my outfit. I wanted to look my best, for whatever reason. I eventually picked out some jean capris and my favorite rainbow tee. I slipped on some brown sandals and curled my hair. I did my makeup natural and chose some diamond stud earrings. Then I wore my gold locket Daddy gave me, remembering to slip the tiny picture inside. After an hour, I was finally ready.

I wandered downstairs to wait for Amber, Mia, Hayden, Drake, and Ryder. When they pulled up, I kissed my mother goodbye, promised to not stay out too late, and eagerly ran outside, grabbing my black handbag on the way out.

To be honest, I was excited. I love carnivals, all except for roller coasters, which scare the shit out of me for some reason. Three cars were outside the house. My jaw dropped. From the way they explained it, I had assumed we were all going together in the same car. But it appeared that the boys were taking their dates separately. Great. Just great. I'd have to ride alone with Ryder.

In the last car, I could see Mia and Drake, then Amber and Hayden. In the first car, a Prius, Ryder sat behind the steering wheel. "You coming Cupcake?" He shouted. "Yeah!" I called back. He hit the gas and we sped off.

"You excited?" he asked. "You bet! I love carnivals," I said eagerly. For a minute I thought I could detect something in his eyes: hurt, anger, disappointment. Just as soon, it was gone, and all I could see was liquid blue. The air in the car was tense and awkward, so I broke the silence by saying, " Hey, you wanna play 20 questions?"

"Sure" he said smiling. "You first." "Fave color?" I asked. "Blue, you?" "I like blue, too." "Do you work?" he asked. "Yeah. Diner. You?" "Convenience store." We went back and forth like that for a while. He learned that I have no pets, no siblings, my favorite book is The Velveteen Rabbit, my favorite movie is Ice Sculpture Christmas, my favorite subject is science, I want to be a singer, and I want to live in Alabama. And I learned that he doesn't have any pets, his favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird, his favorite movie is Texas Chainsaw Massacre, his favorite subject is history, he wants to be a car salesman, and he wants to live in Alabama, too. Judged by his answers, maybe he wasn't as bad boy as I thought.

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We pulled up to the carnival and I was excited. Have I mentioned I love carnivals? Apparently Ryder does too. Only difference is he loves roller coasters. 

"Come on!" I said to Ryder. "Let's ride the Ferris Wheel!" He rolled his eyes at my choice but followed me. We kind of got lost on the way, so we ended up riding thousands of other rides before we finally got to the Ferris Wheel.

Along the way, I saw a carousel. I wanted to ride it, but Ryder rolled his eyes and said "That's for kids." I gave him the puppy eyes. He sighed and said, "All right. But I'm not riding on the horses." We went up and paid. Ryder sat on a white bench and I sat next to him, deciding to leave the horses for the kids.

The music started up and I knew the tune, so I sang along softly. It was Remedy by Adele, one of my favorite songs. "When the pain cuts you deep, when the night keeps you from sleeping, look and you will see, that I will be your remedy..." I noticed Ryder staring at me. "What?" I asked. "You're a really good singer." He said. I blushed. "Thanks!" He grinned. "Anything for my Cupcake."

I leaned back and closed my eyes. It was peaceful on the carousel, and I was happy.

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Eventually we came upon a food court and had a dinner of corn dogs and ice cream. Ryder suggested we hit the game booths. Personally, I think he just wanted to show off his skill. We headed off in that direction. Immediately I spotted a giant white teddy bear I wanted. Ryder must have noticed me eying it, because he stepped up to the booth and whispered, "Leave this to me."

He gave the man running it a dollar in exchange for three tries. He got his balls and tossed the first one, aiming for a whole row of bottles arranged like bowling pins. He scattered all but two, grunted, and tried again. This time, four were left. On the last try, Ryder knocked all the bottles over. He did a victory dance and pridefully collected the teddy bear.

Then, bowing, he presented it to me. I hugged it and buried my face in it's fluffy fur. "Thank you, Ryder!" I said. He bowed again and we continued on our way.

After a while, we came upon a roller coaster. Ryder looked at me, his eyes pleading. "No," I said. "Absolutely not." "Come on, Cupcake. I went with you on the carousel!" he said, begging. He gave me the puppy eyes. I looked at the roller coaster, then back at him. "Fine," I said. "But you have to promise not to complain when I squeeze you really hard or scream in your ear." "I promise," he said, smirking. 

We went and got in line. When it was our turn, we got into the car and buckled our seatbelts. "You ready for this?" Ryder asked. "Sure," I lied. The coaster began climbing and I stiffened. "It's okay, Cupcake." He said and put his arm around me. I relaxed into his embrace and he gave me a warm smile. For a few blissful minutes I was content.

Then we reached the top of our climb and started racing downward. I screamed and buried my face in Ryder's shoulder. "It's okay," he said, patting me. I held tight to him and when the car coasted to a stop, I was the first one off. He smiled and said, "I suppose it would be a waste of my breath to ask if you liked it." "It would," I answered. "Can I make it up to you by bringing you a donut?" he asked, pointing to a nearby stand. I nodded vigorously. 

He went off and returned with a glazed donut. I took it from him, said thank you, and ate it quickly. When I finished I asked, "How'd you know it's my favorite?" He winked. "Lucky guess." 

"So let's go ride the Ferris Wheel, then go home, okay?" I asked him. He nodded and we walked to it. We paid and got a bucket together. I leaned back in my seat and relaxed. It was calm up here. The Ferris Wheel had always been one of my favorite rides, and I liked it even better now. Ryder seemed to enjoy it, too. He put his arm around me and we sat in silence, so perfectly content and peaceful.