TKO: Total Knock Out (TKO 1)

“You have no idea!” She beams as I lead her into the fairgrounds. The air is thick with the aroma of carnival food. Her eyes light up when she sees someone holding a funnel cake; I buy her one after trying to change her mind. We wander around eating it until a little boy runs past us, accidentally bumping into her, sending the sacred funnel cake flying through the air before it hits the ground. I don’t think the kid even noticed. Raegan just laughs it off and squeezes my hand as we continue to a ticket booth. I’ve always been up for riding the craziest carnival rides. Flipping upside down doesn’t bother me a bit.

“Garrett, can we ride the Ferris wheel?” Her voice is so sweet and angelic; there’s no way I can refuse.

The line for the Ferris wheel is nowhere near as long as the line for the Ring of Fire or the Scrambler for that matter. The laugh I hear as we approach the line was quite familiar; I’d heard it many times at Joe’s, both drunk and sober. The blonde was here and she saw me. I can’t deny it because the man-eating grin on her face insists she will get what she wants by the end of the night. No chance; she’s not getting me ever again.

I place my hand on the small of Raegan’s back and tug her close to me. I cup her chin and bring my lips to hers, gently teasing her mouth open, before crushing our lips together. She moans into my mouth as the kiss deepens. I hate to be possessive, but my point is made as the sound of laughter slowly fades away. As I break the kiss, Raegan wears a goofy grin on her face.

“What was that for?”

“I can’t kiss you?” I brush a strand of hair behind her ear. She’s everything I ever wanted. “I just love you, I’m so proud of you for today.”

“I love you too.”

Soon we’re sitting in our own little car on the Ferris wheel. Raegan rests her head on my chest as we go around in circles. The view of the city is breathtaking. Nothing in this world could ruin this moment, or the certainty that she is everything I want and need. She’s the one who changed my whole world. The one who made me want to believe in love.

I reach for her hand, lacing our fingers together. The scent of her hair overwhelms me; she smells like Heaven. She knows how much I love her, I made that clear, but there’s so much more I want to say to her. So many things I want to express but I don’t. For a brief moment, we’re stuck at the top not moving. She squirms a little and I can feel her heartbeat escalating.

“You okay, Raegan?”

“Why’d we get stuck up here?” She buries her head against my shoulder. “Make it move, I’m ready to get off. I hate heights.”

“You’re safe, babe. I’m here. We’ll move soon, I promise.” I kiss her hair, pulling her tighter against me until she begins to relax a little. A short minute later, we’re on the ground and our car is being opened. We step out hand in hand.

She’s grinning as she leads me to some carnival game that I’m almost positive will drain all the cash out of my pocket. About thirty dollars later, she holding onto a giant pink teddy bear. Her smile fades briefly as she glances to her right. Lance comes running up holding a super-sized corndog.

“Raegan, don’t you wish Garrett was this big?” Lance puts the corndog in front of his crotch and jumps around like a damn idiot.

“Lance, man, shut the fuck up,” I retort. He’s a joker, he just can’t help himself.

“You know, Garrett, when you react like that, it makes him think he knows what he’s talking about. Good thing I already know the truth.” Raegan winks, and I just about lose it.

Lance takes a big bite out of the corndog. I could slap the shit out of him sometimes, but what would life be without Lance and his dumbass remarks? Probably pretty dull.

“That’s my boy. Hung like a mule!” Lance exclaims. “Garrett, hold this bear. It’s Raegan and me on the Ring of Fire.”

I know she’s terrified of being stuck up high. We watch as the ride goes round and round, going faster and then slowing down to a dead stop at the very top before going back around again. No way in hell is she getting on that. She clings to the giant bear for dear life and tells him no. He finally relents and talks me into going instead. I give her a quick kiss, then get in line with my best friend.

“How’s your dad’s new job?” I ask.

“It’s a job. It’s helping me out, I know that for sure. Mom misses him during the day though. I don’t know how much more I can take of this, it’s hard.”

Before we step on the ride, I clap my hand on his shoulder. “Everything will be okay. She appreciates everything you do, never forget that.”

“I know, man, that’s what keeps me going. I met a girl, but shit…it’s complicated.”

“You? You met a girl? Am I hearing things?” Lance was the biggest man-whore around; I couldn’t picture him with a steady girlfriend.

“No, you aren’t hearing things.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “I fucked it up though. We were getting ready to have sex and she told me she was a virgin. I couldn’t touch her. She deserves better. I’m too fucked up.”

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. What you did doesn’t make you an asshole, if that’s what you’re thinking. You didn’t take advantage of her, even after she told you that. Have you talked to her since?”

“No, she is avoiding me, and I don’t know why but it’s driving me fucking nuts.”

“You turned her down after she said she was a virgin. I’m sure she was embarrassed, man. Give her time.” I had to laugh; my best friend had it pretty bad over a girl. I was in his shoes once with Raegan. I want to pry a little more, but the line moves, and we step onto the ride, getting ready to have our worlds turned upside down.

When we return, Raegan is waiting patiently by the exit. “I think I would have puked on that,” she says, gaping.

“That could be hot, depending whether you’re into that sort of thing or not,” Lance comments.