“Who’s going to tell on me?” Evan looks me in the eye as she pops it open, bringing it to her pouty lips. My dick twitches at the sight.
“You want to tell me why you’re really here?”
“It’s a free country,” she says, avoiding a real answer.
“I see hundreds of thousands of people every year. I can read people. I know when I’m being bullshitted.”
“So, why don’t you tell me why I’m here?” Her expression is smug as she waits for my response.
“I’m guessing it’s because Mommy and Daddy keep you on a short leash. Is this your act of rebellion? Go hang out with the evil, dirty carnies to piss them off real good?”
Evan swallows hard at my words, and I know I’ve touched on a nerve. “Mommy and Daddy cut the leash two years ago.” She looks down at the can of beer, rolling it between her palms. Blue eyes lift to mine. “I needed to get away. Again.” Evan laughs to herself.
“What’s so funny?” Eros asks as he pulls out a Swisher and empties the contents onto the ground. Evan watches him curiously as he digs a baggie of bud out of his pocket. With the wrap lying on his lap, he sprinkles the weed inside before rolling it back up.
“The first time I met you guys, I’d run off after a fight with my parents. It all feels so stupid now.”
The sadness in her voice is making me uncomfortable. Eros and I share a look, and he flicks his chin toward her, his eyes widening as if to say do something. Against my better judgment, I stand, extending my hand. Evan stares at it like I’m offering her a pile of shit in my palm. “What?” she asks, suspicion in her tone.
“For how many times you’ve wound up at the carnival, have you ever actually experienced it?”
“No,” she admits, frowning.
“Then let’s go.” Evan slips her slender hand into mine, and I pull her to her feet, seeing a flash of her underwear in the process that makes my dick jerk in my pants. I drop Evan’s hand, clearing my throat.
“What’s first?” she asks.
“Have you ever had deep fried Oreos?” Eros asks, wiggling his eyebrows. He makes quick work of licking and sealing the blunt.
“That sounds revolting,” she says, scrunching up her nose in disgust.
“Them are fightin’ words. Don’t knock it till you try it.” Eros fishes a lighter from his pocket and sparks up the blunt, inhaling deeply. “Want some?” He offers, his voice strained from holding the smoke in his lungs.
“Hell no.”
“All right, all right. A simple no thank you would suffice.” Eros chuckles.
“Drugs are for people who are too weak to deal with their shit.”
“Jesus. It’s weed, Evan,” I point out, trying not to laugh. This chick is so uptight.
Evan’s body freezes up and something flashes in her eyes, but she conceals it before I can even begin to figure out what it was about. I pluck the blunt from Eros’ fingers and hold it up for her to see before I put it out on the bottom of my shoe, ignoring his protests. “Happy?”
“I don’t care what you guys do,” she insists. “I’m just telling you what I think.”
“Give me some credit. I could have been smoking meth. One of the ride jocks offered me Molly, too,” Eros says, pinching the blunt from my fingers and stashing it behind his ear for later.
“Why not do all three? Dream big,” Evan says.
“And risk messing up this pretty face? Never.” Once again, Eros has Evan cracking a smile.
“So, where do we start?” she asks, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
“You tell me. Whatever your spoiled, little heart desires.”
“I’ve always wanted to try cotton candy,” she admits. Eros and I share a look, his shocked expression mirroring what I’m thinking.
“What kind of bullshit childhood did you have?” Eros asks, clearly disgusted.