Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82678 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82678 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
She beamed at him. “The bumper cars.”
“Okay, let’s do it.”
I wasn’t a fan of rides, so I opted to hold the huge, stuffed animal he’d won for her instead. With a giant cow in one hand and pink cotton candy in the other, I stayed on the sidelines while they ventured off together.
I imagined that Landon was sort of like the big brother Lilith never had. It melted me to see how well they got along. Lilith’s father, Jack, worked a lot and wasn’t the type to get his hands dirty or let loose at a carnival. I couldn’t picture my own dad running around a carnival with me, either. We’d never done things like this together. He’d call it “foolish” or a “waste of money.”
When they returned after going on several rides, Lilith reached for her cotton candy.
She put a big, fluffy piece in her mouth before she said, “Rana, you have to go on The Sizzler.”
“Oh, no. The one time I went on that as a kid, I got really nauseous and threw up. I can’t do spinning.”
“You have to go on something. The carnival only comes once a year.”
I couldn’t disappoint her. “Okay, maybe the bumper cars? I can handle anything on the ground or that doesn’t move too fast.”
Landon flashed her a mischievous look. “I think we should find someone to hold that stuffed animal so we can both team up on Rana and crash into her. What do you think?”
“I like that idea.”
“Well, thanks a lot, guys.”
Waving his hand toward the booth, he said, “Let’s go get some more tickets.”
Back in the long line, Landon opened his wallet just as a brisk wind hit us, blowing some of his receipts and loose bills onto the ground. One of the other items that fell: the old picture of us that his mother had given him.
My heart nearly stopped as Lilith bent down to pick it up. She flipped it around to look at it. Since it landed with the back facing up, I knew she likely saw our names written on it.
She’d never seen a picture of me as a child before. That was very intentional due to our resemblance.
My body stilled.
When Landon realized she was holding the photo, he looked at me in a panic. Then, both of our eyes were glued to her, waiting for some kind of response.
She handed the photo back to Landon but didn’t say anything.
“Thanks,” he said. He glanced over at me then at her. “Ready to go?”
She nodded.
Had I dodged a bullet?
I honestly didn’t know. It wasn’t like Lilith not to inquire about something, especially a picture of two kids around her age. Had she not noticed the names on the back? Had she not picked up on my resemblance to her?
My breathing slowed a bit as I tried to convince myself that everything was fine while we headed to the bumper cars. A sweet grandmother agreed to hold the stuffed animal so that the three of us could go together.
Landon and Lilith made due on their promise to target me. Being the horrible driver that I was, I kept bumping into the wall when the two of them weren’t crashing into me.
After we exited the bumper cars, Lilith handed me the last of her tickets. “I want to go on the Ferris wheel one more time before we leave. Will you go with me, Rana?”
As much as I hated heights, I just couldn’t say no to her.
As we waited our turn to get on, I glanced back at Landon and smiled at my tatted bad boy holding the giant, stuffed cow. He blew me a kiss.
See? Everything is fine, Rana. It’s a beautiful night. You can calm down.
Lilith was quiet as we got into our car and locked the bar in front of us. With a jolt, the Ferris wheel started to ascend.
I turned to her, expecting to maybe see an excited smile. My own smile faded upon realizing that her expression wasn’t like any I’d ever seen from her before. She was looking at me as if it was the first time she’d ever seen me, as if she was examining my face. Her eyeballs were moving back and forth. I knew before the words even exited her mouth.
“It’s you.”
Her words had sent what felt like a bullet through me.
I swallowed. “Who?”
“You’re the one who gave me away.”
My heart was hammering against my chest. Tears started to fill my eyes as the ride reached its highest peak. I would’ve thought I’d be panicking for my own benefit in this moment but no part of me was really scared for myself anymore—only for her.
Nodding, I finally forced the words out. “Yes.”
She closed her eyes tightly but wasn’t crying. When she opened them, she looked away from me.
“Look at me, Lilith.”