𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 / 𝖉𝖎𝖆𝖒𝖔𝖓𝖉𝖘

“how kind of you.” sutton laughed, shaking her head fondly. “i’m sure elsie will appreciate coming home with a semi-clean, not-thrown-on-the-floor bunny.” she mused, shaking her head after a moment as an attempt to bring herself out of whatever relaxed state she had fallen into. “no, she didn’t.” the girl quickly interjected, mainly account of sutton not ever asking about evie. well, that wasn’t entirely true. for all she knew, charolette very well had told her the news, she had just tuned it out, finding it easier not to think of evie. consequently, here sutton was now, shocked as ever to be hearing this. “o-oh.” she spoke, jaw dropped slightly. she bit her tongue, refraining from asking how evie felt about the entire situation. “that’s um… wow.” she nodded, brows furrowed. sutton’s heartstrings tightened at evie’s last remark, the girl now unable to hold back her concern. “that’s a bit cold. i wouldn’t say one mistake makes you a complete disappointment.”

“yup, because that’s a common word used to describe me... kind,” she repeated her word, thinking it sounds different than when the other says it. it’s probably because evie didn’t believe it. “for elsie? anything,” she nodded swiftly, playing with the hem of her polo. “well, there you have it then,” she said. it wasn’t weird to evie that her stepsister didn’t tell her, why would she? the girls shocked expression made evie chuckle at the very unfunny story she had just told. “it’s a doozy, isn’t it,” her dry tone and her grin contradicting each other. “one mistake... a fuck ton of them, who’s counting, right? anyway, yup –– that’s me. how ya been?”

it’s a reaction that surprises char; the facial expression that she has after evie speaks definitely says that at the very least. “sh– shouldn’t be sorry? why not?” genuinely, charolette believed she probably could have done so much more to approach evie. the fact that she was scared to go against her father and express a support in the other girl was something the brunette definitely wasn’t proud of and, in the pit of her stomach, regrets. as much as she could try and rekindle their relationship – if they even really had one to begin with – the girl knew there would probably always be a part of her that felt the guilt she felt about how she acted. surprisingly enough though, evie agrees to this activity and that leaves charolette feeling surprised again, but she motions with her head toward the direction of cove confections and now has a small smile on her face. “you wish,” she jokes. it eases a bit of the tension for char, but it’s still a little weird to be acting in a playful attitude with evie. “what flavor do you think you’ll get?” she asks. it was small talk, but it wasn’t bad to start off with simple conversing based on this situation, right? “I’m thinking maybe chocolate, but maybe that’s too cliché? what do you think? should I do something different?” she pauses, thoughtful look on her face, before adding, “have they added any new flavors recently? do you know? have you…” charolette isn’t sure if she should say it, but she says, “have you been around long?”

the girl didn’t want to get frustrated but she couldn’t help the feeling that began to bubble over. “because you just fuckin shouldn’t be, okay? trust me,” she said, almost flinching at her own words. it’s rich coming from her, why should charolette trust her when she’s done nothing but add strain to their relationship unnecessarily. her eyes went to the others, wanting to admit that everything was her fault but she just couldn’t force it out. but they were in public of all things, making her skin crawl with the idea of strangers being able to hear their conversation. it was easy enough to be light with her, it wasn’t deep to where she would feel confined. but her thoughts were too quick and just when she thought she was out of the hot seat, she found herself clearing her throat at the question. evie hated that he sister was so in the dark about everything but of course –– who’s fault was that? catching a beat, the girl looked ahead, “about a year,” she said as casually as possible. “get chocolate and something weird,” she spoke quickly, trying to move on. “like pistachio or cotton candy,” she said before making a face. “actually, don’t listen to me, that sounds –– kinda fucking gross. but i’ll probably get rocky road or something,” she rambled. 

sloane would’ve been perfectly fine ignoring evie forever. it was something she was remarkably good at doing. yet, they appeared to be still tethered in away she never quite expected. looking at evie made healed wounds still feel fresh. a grimace slowly creeps on her face while the other talks, fingertips clutching her walkie talkie until knuckles grow sore. “if you haven’t noticed,” she begins, motioning behind her to the rest of the park, “this place is falling apart. hell, it’s being run by some mediocre asshole, a twenty something assistant manager, and me. so, i’m sorry i can’t have fun like you, evie. but some of us have responsibilities.” a metallic voice echos through the device, fingertips already pressing to reply. “if you’ll excuse me, i’ve got a job to do.”  

squinting her eyes towards the girl, she would be foolish to think that everything was fine when it so obviously wasn’t. she yearned for the distant feeling of normality only coming to realize recently that she could never go back to that –– she’s grown since then. but now she see’s that sloane’s growing in a different direction and she has been for a while. evie blinked blankly as she caught a beat, “sounds like someone’s got a lot on their plate,” she quipped. going over to sit on the booth’s counter and let her feet dangle, evie couldn’t help but stall at her words. it only took a second before she tossed back her head with a chuckle. “responsibilities... why didn’t you just say so?” she was prepared to deal with people acting differently towards her but there was a part of her that wished sloane wouldn’t be one of them. “seems like you’re holding back and honestly, just fucking say what you’re thinking, sloane.” 

“ well, i guess that depends. are you performing here in the park still because i get in for free. incase you forgot. ” he teases easily as his gaze swoops back over to evie. “ though i might be good for some tips. you got a jar or a hat laying around here somewhere ? ” zeke continues to mock her, pretending to look for a sign that read ‘TIPS’ , as if she were some sort of street performer posted up on the boardwalk. “ no, i think here is good. the less foot traffic you have means i won’t have a bunch of customer complaints to resolve later. ”

“good point. but you’ve given me the perfect idea, i’ll set up shop right outside the park... that way you still have to pay to see it and i become healthy competition for the park... like who would you rather see? me fighting with children toys or a full amusement park? seems like a clear choice to me,” she rambled jokingly. rolling her eyes with an amused scoff, she tossed a stuffed animal in his direction, “hey, more customer complaints means more work, more work for you means time flies by quicker so actually ... you’re welcome.” of course that wasn’t the case and she was just pulling on his leg –– something they both seemed to like doing. “it’s fun to keep you busy.” 

if summer’s mood was dampened at all by losing the game, that effect was almost immediately reversed by evie’s stunt. “who knows? maybe i was betting on the odds of intervention?” giggling, she quickly peeked over her shoulders, making sure no one too nosy was able to spot the blatant cheating. she raised a finger to her lips, agreeing to keep the exchange conspicuous. well, as much as one can while lugging around a two-foot-tall bear.  accepting her contraband, she leaned back on the counter, glancing at evie. “do you want me to play guard dog? you look like you need a break.” one does not simply tarnish helpless plushies without good reason, after all. summer couldn’t imagine how mind-numbing running the game was, watching elementary-schoolers clumsily knock rings off the bottles with no real chance of winning (something not too unlike her own recent performance.) a smirk growing on her lips, she began pulling a few more tickets out of her pocket, “kids run off real easy in my experience. especially if you give ‘em enough tickets for the rides their moms won’t let them on. i can buy 50 tickets worth of time, give or take.” 

even though it was wrong, it wasn’t like this was the first time that evie has just given away prizes. when kids are crying because they lost or their parents are throwing a fit for their child, she has no problem giving them away if it means she gets a moment of peace. “don’t bet too much on those odds,” she joked, looking out towards the girl with a smile spreading on her features. the other girls offer had her eyes light up, excitement taking the place of annoyance. “oh thank god, would you mind?” but before she could get in a word, evie had already slumped down on the side of the booth, looking up towards the girl. her smile only grew at her generosity, especially since she was the one slacking off on the job. “have a lot of experience repelling kids for your friends that slack off to much? and wait –– dude, don’t you want to save your tickets?” 

arizona was on her break, sitting on the counter for the ring toss booth as there were no people waiting to play. the blonde always filled her time with keeping others company; a trait that she didn’t ever think of shaking. in the midst of picking at her boardwalk fries, the other young woman’s voice brought her frame to freeze from shock. her brow stood up as she watched the scene play out in front of her. “uh.. evie-?” ari tried, her face scrunching into a flinch as her start of a proposal to help was cut off by the explosion of plush that filled the booth. the tanned girl couldn’t stop from laughing, her voice melodic like a song bird. 

“they look like you just told them that andy was coming.” she couldn’t stop the grin on her face from forming at her toy story reference, before she slid to the inside of the booth. her actions were graceful and fluid as she instantaneously started to pick up the array of neon rainbow plush. “or like you whacked chuck e. cheese and raided his prize collection.” she commented, her smile still present though the sun only made the plush brighter and her eyes sting because of it. 

it’s not like she would admit it in front of most, but evie liked arizona’s company. no matter how frustrated or cranky evie seemed to be, ari was close behind with a smile on her face and while at times it might’ve been annoying to her, evie admired it nonetheless. she heard her name being called but by then, the damage had been done and the nightmare of plush animals ensued. she froze for a moment as her eyes scanned the floor, swinging back her foot and kicking one of the animals to the other side of the booth. “fucking... i hate this,” she sighed, tossing her head back in frustration. her comments made a quick laugh leave her lips, “maybe i did, or maybe i told them i wanted to get fired so they just took it upon themselves to help out.” as she started to help, evie tossed one of the plushes in her direction, groaning with annoyance. “hey, you don’t have to help. it’s my mess,” she muttered before rolling her eyes. “thank you i guess.” 

the sound of evie’s voice causes charolette to close her eyes. of course, this was a bit uncomfortable – why wouldn’t it be? it wasn’t only evie who, it seemed like from the brunette’s perspective, stopped responding, but also charolette, herself, wasn’t very good at initiating conversation in the first place. it wasn’t though she texted consistently; as much as she hated to admit it, charolette almost didn’t want to text her sister sometimes, … which resulted in her putting off doing it. truth be told, she did want to have a relationship with the other girl, but clearly their relationship was strained and the ordeal itself was hard. shaking her head, charolette, looks away from the other girl. “I’m sorry for not texting enough. or calling. I should have called…” she somewhat trails off, closing her eyes again briefly and sighing, trying her best to the past behind her. “but it’s over now. can we…” she wants to ask to have a better relationship now, but asking that felt… weird. years of tension and stress weren’t just going to go away (as much as charolette may wish they could). “do you want to get some ice cream or something? you said you just got off – are you busy? or.. do you already have plans? it’s okay if you do.” it’s a pretty basic attempt to try and improve the girl’s relationship with her sister, but it was an attempt – that’s what mattered… right?

she wished she could be open about how much she hated this. not their relationship and certainly not her sister but oh, how she hated the awkward moments and everything that settled uncomfortably in-between. she knows that the reason their struggling is because of her and for whatever reason, refuses to fix it head on. seeing charlotte reminded her of all the texts that she ignored and calls she sent to voicemail. she still read and listened to them, but she hardly ever responded and that’s what counted. “dammit charlotte, don’t do that –– you shouldn’t be sorry,” she blurted out, not being able to hold her tongue. evie could feel the heat rise on the back of her neck as char trailed off, but her words were cut short. evie’s eyes widened towards the ground, shaking her head in almost disbelief at how hard it was to avoid her own sister. she didn’t want to avoid her, truly she didn’t but she just thought it would be better than her coming back every so often and messing it up for her. evie couldn’t exactly say no –– she truthfully didn’t know if she had the strength to. taking a deep breath, she grabbed her board and tucked it under her arm. “hey woah –– ice creams fine,” she reassured before nodding down the board walk. “my treat?” 

“oh don’t even tempt me.” sutton chuckled, eyes bouncing from the stuffed animal to evie again. “i like usually suck at the games though. it takes me all summer to win two, maybe three, things. but it never stops me from trying.” she went on, the point about them being rigged still going somewhat over her head. “i’ll probably be here with elsie later in the week trying to win that stuffed bunny over there.” sutton explained, nodding in the direction of the other booth. at evie’s explanation, sutton’s head tilted to the side for a moment, not quite understanding what she meant– after all, she had made it a habit not to ask charolette for updates involving evie. “pay rent?” 

“someone’s gotta throw money at these things,” she spoke while offering a small shrug. her stomach dropped when she mentioned she would be coming back. but of course she was, it was summer after all and the longer she avoided telling her the truth, the more embarrassing it was going to be. “well, since i’m probably going to be here i’ll make sure not to throw it on the floor,” she chuckled while looking back to the animals that were still covering the bottom of the booth. but her attention snapped back to sutton, a tight smile plastering on her features. “yeah. kinda surprised charlotte didn’t tell you but, i lowkey –– highkey flunked out of school my second year there so,” she trailed off casually while raising her eyebrows, sucking in a breath through her teeth. “yikes, you know? plus i kinda like took their money for two year so... i’m living with zeke and working here.” she nodded her head, her words sounded more amusing than anything else. “i’ve been told that i make people proud. pretty fucking awesome... right?” 

after not seeing anyone she had wanted to see, charolette turned and began to walk away, sighing to herself and kicking gently at the wooden boards beneath her feet. everyone seemed to be doing their own thing – parents walking with their children, said kids looking at all of the booths, eyes wide, etc. and it was when the brunette was too busy looking out at the ocean that the person riding their longboard had almost run into her, until char realized what was happening and she took a few steps back. the realization that it was evie brought out no reaction from the girl other than the surprised look on her face; she barely sputtered out the words she spoke soon after the other girl finished. “w- wait, wait. evie.” charolette puts a hand out to the other girl, holding it over her shoulder before letting it drop, coughing a little to regain her voice. “how… how’ve you been? we haven’t… we haven’t talked in a while. I tried texting…”

of course it had to be like this, evie thought. her thoughts were scrambled like the words she wanted to form but all she knew was that she wanted to leave as quickly as she could. but she felt the chances of that dwindle as she called out for her, confusing evie more than anything. why would she want her to stay? “how have i been?” she chuckled at the question. “really?” she didn’t know what to tell her, she didn’t have an answer that would make up for her not being around. “i’m shit at replying to people,” she shrugged, her eyes glazing over to watch people pass by in hopes to just distract her. but something was eating at her and she knew couldn’t let it sit. “i’ve just been...busy.” 

                ‘  kids  don’t  care  about  winning  ,  kids  care  about  getting  something  done  and  over  with  in  15  seconds  so  they  can  move  onto  the  next  thing  .  if  anything  ,  you  run  the  most  kid  -  friendly  booth  in  this  whole  joint  ,  ’  he  responds  ,  scooping  up  a  stuffed  animal  that  had  rolled  his  way  and  setting  it  down  on  the  booth’s  counter  in  a  feeble  attempt  to  help  .  at  her  proposal  ,  he  sets  his  lemonade  down  and  arches  his  brows  ,  lips  pursing  at  the  challenge  .  ‘  i  know  my  chiseled  physique  and  strong  jaw  would  lead  you  to  believe  i  kill  at  precision  -  type  things  ,  but  there’s  a  reason  i  swim  instead  of  any  sport  with  a  point  system  ,  ’  he  notes  ,  flinging  the  first  of  his  rings  miserably  far  from  even  a  remote  chance  of  success  .  ‘  i  fucking  suck  at  aiming  ,  ’  he  snorts  ,  sending  the  second  of  his  pile  to  sink  pitifully  between  the  pegs  .  his  eyes  dart  up  to  meet  her  gaze  ,  observing  for  a  moment  the  curiosity  with  which  they  speak  —  elephant  in  the  room  is  perhaps  putting  it  too  lightly  ,  but  after  nearly  a  year  of  moving  about  with  no  addressing  it  ,  it’d  seem  they’ll  forever  be  in  this  limbo  of  empty  chats  .  ‘  what’s  your  plan  when  you’re  off  ?  ’

arching her brows as she listened and nodded along while her eyes narrowed to the ground. “oh god, you’re right,” she said, this was the most kid - friendly booth. “but,” she said putting a finger in the air, “that’s why i’m here, you know? i think they were handing prizes too quickly so they needed someone to come out here and slow things down,” she jokes, lips tilting upwards. as the first ring went flying, evie couldn’t help but clap along, biting back a full-blown smile.  “uh, i can see that, maybe stick to swimming,” she responds while crouching down to put the tickets under the counter. stirring for a moment, she looked back at him, “i don’t know, grab food... head home? i live the most thrilling life,” she mused with a fake smile. “going to meet up with friends?” 

sutton grinned at evie’s words, a bittersweet feeling washing over at the reminder that evie knew her. she walked a bit closer, leaning against the counter so she could inspect the stuffed animal. “i don’t know, i think they’re cute.” she sighed fondly, eyes moving from the animal to evie. “i spent most of my time winning them, or trying to, as a kid… don’t ruin the magic.” she teased, the words falling a bit too easily from her lips. shaking her head and standing up a bit straighter, sutton tried to snap out of her apparent minor daze. “i didn’t realize you were working at rainbow point this summer.”

evie put her hands up comically in defense, swaying them back and forth before nodding towards the stuffed animal. “you can try to win again, see if the magic still has it sparks,” she rolled her eyes jokingly as she put the rings on the table. shit. evie felt her stomach sink as she realized the girl hadn’t heard what happened and that she was going to be the one to have to tell her. still somewhat shocked, she shook her head to bring her eyes back to hers. “oh uhm –– yeah. gotta pay rent somehow.” 

elliot blinked at the girl, his eyes glazing over for a moment as he thought about her response. why would someone be lurking around this fucking place? it was the worst. this entire god damn city was the worst and he knew she felt that way, too. in fact, he was sure the group they could form of ‘i hate pleasant bay’ locals was much larger than anyone else thought. but evie in particular? she was a known fellow hater who had made it out. the thought of why she was back fucked with him just enough. “for headphones… we’ll do anything,” he assured her, knowing just the feeling. might as well have been naked if he didn’t have airpods sitting in his ears. music played one hell of a role in his life. “no one promised you warmth, e. don’t be a fucking idiot,” he muttered, brow furrowing at her teasing words. silently, they walked a few strides before he spoke again. “you’re back,” he mentioned, clearing his throat. one of them had to mention it.

out of everyone, she was relieved elliot was the one to help her, knowing that others wouldn’t get the big deal. but out of everyone, she hated that it was elliot. in the past she had been open, perhaps too trusting with her plans and dreams of getting out of this town. because now all that was left of those plans are the words she had already spoken, she had her shot –– she just blew it. “see, that’s the warmth that i was looking for. a fucking idiot,” she repeated “music to my ears.” eyes going wide and swooping over to him, she almost stopped walking out of shock. swallowing a lump that seemed to be forming in her throat, she did her best to play it off. “you’re right, i am. seriously, you’re amazing with the observational skills today.” she felt bad for brushing it off and not getting to the point, it felt wrong considering how honest she used to be with him. 

          witnessing   the   tail   end   of   the   female’s   tirade   ,   charlie   approaches   the   booth   with   an   iced   lemonade   in   tow   ,   brows   arched   at   the   sight   before   him   .   ‘   dirty   as   in   morally   i’ll   feel   like   shit   ?   or   dirty   as   in   they’re   scattered   on   the   ground   ?   well   i   guess   i   answered   my   own   question   ,   huh   ?   better   that   than   dirty   dirty   ,   this   is   a   kid’s   game   after   all   —   ’   sometimes   it’s   as   if   charlie’s   mouth   runs   faster   than   his   own   thoughts   ,   trailing   off   and   switching   to   a   new   topic   without   second   consideration   .   though   things   between   evie   and   himself   had   been   alright   ,   it   was   an   obvious   bandaid   over   a   bullet   hole   type   compromise   for   both   their   sakes   .   ‘   you   look   like   you’re   enjoying   yourself   .   long   day   ?   ’

“is it though? how can this be a kids game if kids can’t even win it?” evie tossed the stuffed animal in hand back towards the ground with the others, prolonging the clean-up process as he came towards the booth. it’s not that she didn’t want his company, she didn’t want company at all. considering where she started, she felt embarrassed to be in a booth all day as she heckled people as they walked by.  “oh you know it, i love losing a fight to a plastic bag. but my shifts almost over, thank fuck.” evie could sense the divide between them, she could feel it with mostly everyone nowadays but she continued to push it away since she refused to bring it up on her own. with a shrug and a small smile offered up to him, she put the rings on the table between them. “last game of the day is yours if you want it. who knows, maybe you can get one of dirty dirty prizes.”  

“yeah, wasn’t asking for it, so …” she replies. it’s nothing out of the ordinary for the femme to hold the weight of her responsibilities without an ounce of help. she knows it’s nothing against evie, but some how it feels deeper than that now. “y’know, i’d love to,” she states, “but, like i said, i’m pretty busy dealing with the typical bullshit this park provides day in and day out.” feet rock backward, already turning a heel to make her way in the direction of zeke. “but i’m glad you’re having fun.” 

“uh, didn’t say you were,” she said, eyes widening towards figuring that now may not have been a good time. she knows its easy to let things go but she was finding the feeling that kept nagging at her annoying. the annoying part being the grey area she was constantly stuck in with everyone. “i get it. ‘m happy to add to the bullshit” she tested with a faint smile. reaching down on the table she picked up the rings intended for her, taking one and tossing it towards the bottles for it to just clank to the ground. “well i am having fun and figured that maybe since i’m working around kids and other humans, it would probably benefit the park to actually have fun. you could uh.... try it.”