More and more people stopped in the middle of their conversations and activities to stare at us. In a matter of minutes, we would be the talk of the entire festival. Maybe if I put a little space between us, everyone would think Trent and I had just run into each other.
Trent laced his fingers through mine, claiming ownership of our new relationship. So much for my plan. I guessed there was nothing I could do except follow along.
Trying to ignore the whispers and stares, I dragged Trent over to the long row of food tents on the east side of the square. My mouth started watering as I breathed in the aroma of greasy foods that were all a heart attack waiting to happen. Fried food may be the downfall of mankind, but damn if it didn’t taste like a small slice of heaven. At least it would help take my mind off everyone watching us.
“Do you want to eat now?” Trent asked. “Or do you want to pull off the Band-Aid first?”
“Band-Aid?”
“You know, face the firing squad. Admit that you’re dating Nerd Boy.”
He had a point. I should be ashamed of myself for caring what any of the busybodies around here thought. It took a lot to embarrass me. Hell, I had done things in this town that would make Charlie Sheen blush. I needed to stop acting like such a wishy-washy wimp-ass.
Dropping Trent’s hand, I turned to face him. His eyes held no judgment, but I would have deserved it if they had. Stepping closer to him, I could see the surprise in his eyes, despite the dim light as the sun dipped down in the horizon, when I looped my arms around his neck.
“There’s no Band-Aid to pull off,” I said, bringing my lips to his. It was time for me to go ahead and lay my claim. Go big or go home.
18.
Word of my impulsive display of affection spread through the festival like a match held close to an old brittle newspaper. I didn’t feel boxed in like I had been expecting. Instead, I felt proud to be on Trent’s arm as we chatted with friends from high school and eventually our own families when we ran into them.
Despite seeing me with Trent, my dad’s only concern was my probation at MSC. He had already received an update from Professor N and was pleased with my improvement. He asked if the police officers from David’s case had been in contact with me.
“Only to return my phone. The fraternity suffered a lot. His parents were gunning for someone to be held responsible for what happened.”
Mom clucked her tongue. “I don’t blame them. I couldn’t imagine being in their shoes, but I suspect my reaction would be similar to theirs if I ever lost your brother or you in a senseless accident.”
I nodded. During the last month, I’d given everything that happened a lot of thought. I understood where David’s parents were coming from, but deep down, I knew it was an accident. We were all stupid that night and every night before that, but I wasn’t sure I agreed with some of the punishments that had been handed out to the fraternity. One thing was certain: The ripple effect of David’s accident would be felt for a long time.
Dad changed the conversation after that, which I was thankful for. It was still upsetting to think about that night, and I had chosen to block it from my mind.
After a few minutes of idle chitchat about how long we’d been dating, Trent asked if I wanted to visit the haunted house at the library.
“Sure. It’s always on my list, even though I hate when people jump out at me. I always feel like I need to punch them or something to defend myself.”
“Pleas
e don’t do that,” my mom ordered. “Your brother is working in the haunted house this year, and I’d rather he didn’t get a black eye from his big sister.”
“Why? That punk totally deserves it for what he did to my Jeep this summer,” I grumbled, remembering the blown-up condoms that had covered every square inch of my Jeep.
Both Dad and Trent laughed at the now-infamous condom incident.
“That wasn’t one of my finer moments of being a parent to you two heathens,” Mom mused.
“He was just expressing his displeasure over the sex ed class they forced him to take at school.” Dad laughed again.
“Yeah, but that creep even tagged the picture on Facebook, so everyone in the world could see it.”
Everyone laughed at my expense. That was fine with me. It would make my revenge that much sweeter on both him and his partner in crime, John. Giving Mom a kiss on the cheek, I told her if we didn’t see them again at the festival, I would see them at home later. Trent and I had decided that if we were going to come home for the festival, we might as well stay for the weekend. Now that everyone knew about us, I was glad I had agreed.
The haunted house was the most popular part of the festival, so the line was always long. To make it spookier, they waited until the sun went down and only took in small groups of six people at a time. The haunted house weaved through the library, but also extended into the forest behind the building. It took a good twenty minutes to walk through it.
By the time Pam, who controlled the line, chauffeured our group in, I had already freaked myself out in anticipation over what waited for us. I was by no means a chicken, but I hated walking through dark places and found myself cowering against Trent as we entered the first room.
“You do know it’s fake, right?” He slid an arm around me to pull me close as he whispered in my ear.
“Yes, but it doesn’t make it any less scary,” I answered, snuggling into the crook of his arm. He tightened his arm protectively around me when someone dressed like a mummy jumped out, making two tween-aged girls in our group shriek with fear. I found his protectiveness extremely sexy, and being wrapped in his arms in the dark, I could think of a few other things I would have liked to be doing in lieu of walking with a couple of squealing girls.