🍊

“don’t be such a baby,” she replies with an intoxicated laugh. “what do you really think frank is gonna do ── fire us ? like anyone else would work for this shit hole.” 

“no clue but i could kiss them right about now,” she said with a cup of her own creation in hand, raising the drink to take a large sip from the cup. listening to the other, she waved off his words casually. “and that nearly impossible task is a morning problem. come on,” the girl said putting one hand on his shoulder and pushing him towards the drinks. “if you keep worrying you’re gonna be a buzzkill and usually that’s my job so have a drink with me? i promise it’ll help.” 

summer had hoped that getting past the initiation of conversation in the first place would sooth her nerves on the matter, but it seemed like that wasn’t going to happen. “see, the fact that i didn’t remember that is proof enough that it was right to ask you first.” a cautious chuckle escapes her. it’s for the best that she didn’t catch his eyes darting into the crowd behind her, looking for the very reason they were tiptoeing around each other in the first place. what would she do if she had? grit her teeth and bear it? indulge in the pulling sensation in her stomach and run for the thousandth time? who could say. “i was thinking you could just run the swings? they don’t necessarily bring in the drunk crowd.” yes, compared to the lines for the roller coasters and tower drops, ones she had inhabited previously, the tamer side of the park seemed to be deserted. “i don’t want to drag you out of keeping up your manager shtick for too long, so you can just run those once or twice and then i’ll let you go back to keeping people from vandalizing the place or something.” 

“ well i’m glad you did. i might still have a job after tonight as long as no one gets hurt. ” at least that is what he is telling himself to get through the night without having an aneurysm. “ for sure. ” he agrees easily. brows bunching a bit in confusion at her choice in rides but biting his tongue and refusing to question it. “ it’s really not a big deal summer. i’m pretty sure i nagged everyone enough that hopefully they will party like normal people for one night. ” he assures her, waving off her concern. glancing around for a moment, his gaze flickers back to her. “ so, is there anyone else you wanted to join you or - ? ”

scrunching up her eyebrows in confusion, the girl shakes her head after reaching the dancefloor. “no! no, zeke, no!” charolette crosses her arms over her chest, pouting, though it only lasts a brief second before the brunette girl begins to dance again, dark hair shaking side to the side with the way she moves. quickly, any confusion or annoyance that she may have felt – not that charolette truly did to begin with – dissipates. the sound of the bass in the air makes her happy, though it’s only moments after they reach their current destination that zeke walks away. charolette recognizes his voice and what he says, but by the time she opens her eyes, it really hits her and then she begins pouting again, finding him by the table with glasses of water lined up, ready to go. “come on, let’s go dance again!” she turns herself in the direction of the boy, mimicking the same movements she did only a few minutes before, this time sticking out her lower lip slightly. maybe being drunk brought out a more… childish side of char – one that maybe many didn’t know about. “if I take a sip of water, will you dance with me?”

right where he left her, zeke sighs. a wave of relief whooshing from his lungs as he places the bottled waters out on the table. her melodic voice pulls his gaze towards her, his arms crossing over his chest as he straightens his posture. “ have some water first. ” he demands, nudging a bottle closer to her in hopes that she will concede and take it. “ if you drink this entire bottle of water, i will dance with you. ” he can’t believe he’s bargaining a dance with his dream girl. zeke would have done anything to get a chance like this with her but her level of intoxication is worrisome and he refuses to take advantage of the situation even if it’s just dancing. “ one bottle and then a dance. it’s either that or i’m ordering you an uber. ”

* 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕  𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓  𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉  𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆 .   @clementinestm​

          ‘  i  know  this  may  look  bad  —  ’  he’s  scrambling  for  an  excuse  ,  dropping  the  massive  cooler  on  his  end  and  letting  it  thud  to  the  ground  as  he  holds  his  hands  up  in  innocence  ,  ‘  but  ,  given  that  i  have  only  been  home  for  like  two  days  ,  it  hasn’t  been  enough  to  purge  the  sigma  chi  outta  me  .  ’  he  faux  -  pouts  as  if  his  excuse  is  in  any  way  a  valid  one  ,  though  he  knows  zeke  knows  him  well  enough  to  pick  up  on  the  humor  in  his  tone  .  feeling  the  impending  lecture  to  come  from  the  guy  in  charge  of  ensuring  the  night  goes  off  without  a  hitch  ,  he  tries  to  offer  some  sort  of  consolation  .  ‘  i  promise  i  wasn’t  doing  it  to  screw  anyone  over  ,  just  to  encourage  the  good  times  .  ’  charlie  gives  his  friend  a  pleading  look  ,  eyebrows  arched  in  hopeful  excitement  .  ‘  c’mon  dude  ,  it’s  just  like  what  we  used  to  get  up  to  .  you  can’t  be  mad  at  that  .  ’

pulling off her light cardigan and setting it on a nearby, empty folding chair, the brunette sighs. “zeke, it’s okay! I’m fine!” the boy, to charolette, seemed a bit concerned about her right now, though it’s an observation that the girl brushes off… weirdly easily. “let’s go dance, okay? maybe that will help you feel better.” she barely gives him a chance to respond before taking it by the hand and brings them to a makeshift dance floor. music played loudly and charolette began dancing, smile appearing on her face. “come on! dance with me!” the girl could probably stand to lower her voice (it’s not like they’re currently at a club, where the raised volume is almost necessary), but she’s – clearly – been drinking and practically doesn’t have a care in the world right now nor is thinking about how she’s sounding. charolette shakes her hair around, as well as her body side to side, laughing at herself even though there aren’t many people dancing around her nor to the same extent that she was right now.

the male’s brows lift at the femme’s carefree actions. it was unlike her to let loose this way that he had to wonder if she was okay but then again, maybe college just had an impact on her. he can’t complain that she’s decided to point her attention at him of all people but that only had him worrying more. “ i really think you should drink some water... ” he begins before being dragged closer to the music. he runs his hands down the fabric of his shirt, eyes watching her movements with a hint of amusement. it is tempting to do as she wishes and dance with her, but her clear level of intoxication has him taking a step backwards. “ here let me go get you a bottle of water. i’ll be right back ! ” slipping away from the makeshift dance floor that consisted of the two of them, a few stragglers and a wasted dude pretending to make-out with himself. with a quick shake of his head, zeke rushes to the employee lounge and grabs a bottled water from the fridge, hoping to god she hasn’t wandered off.

maybe it was the nostalgia of being around her old friends, maybe the drinks were making her more sentimental than usual, but summer was trying her best to prevent her personal qualms about anything distract from the purpose of the night. perhaps the fact that the voice in her head telling her to run was still working, no matter how small it seemed, was a sign that she hadn’t drank enough. either way, it’s not enough to stop her from asking important questions, and zeke was probably the best person for this task. “feel free to say no, but would you mind turning some rides on for me? even i know its a dumb idea to try and handle that all by myself.” if summer was to have a line drawn in terms of her signature bad ideas, she supposed it lied somewhere close to operating unfamiliar heavy machinery, or at least simultaneously trying to operate and try to catch a ride on said machinery, especially while intoxicated. 

hand diving into the cooler, zeke pulls a beer from the ice, cracking the top and taking a swig. it wasn’t often he and summer spoke and it had his gaze searching for arizona out of habit. masking his uncertainty, he takes another pull from the can. “ well, even if you wanted to, you couldn’t. most of the rides here won’t even let you initiate the start until all safety harnesses are in a locked position. ” at this point in the evening, zeke is burnt out of playing party host and trying to control the situation. he’d made peace with the fact that he was screwed so he might as well enjoy his last night on earth. “ but i got you, which rides are you thinking ? ”

* 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆 .    @clementinestm​

         charlie  tended  to  live  off  the  back  of  whims  and  impulses  ,  saving  any  effort  for  planning  into  only  the  most  intensive  of  events  .  though  his  propensity  for  jumping  into  things  head  first  was  seen  as  an  extension  of  his  charm  to  most  ,  there  was  a  select  few  who  saw  it  for  what  it  was  :  irresponsibility  .  nonetheless  ,  the  boisterous  male  managed  to  keep  a  close  circle  around  him  ,  regardless  of  whoever’s  nerves  he  might  get  on  from  time  to  time  .  ‘  are  you  smoking  ?  ’  he  asks  zeke  ,  before  motioning  to  the  six  pack  he  has  grasped  on  the  webbing  by  his  finger  .  ‘  i  didn’t  bring  any  just  ‘cause  i  get  pee  tested  during  swim  season  ,  but  i  was  entirely  planning  to  get  as  smacked  as  possible  in  the  span  of  the  next  20  minutes  ,  ’  he  grins  ,  ripping  a  beer  off  its  ring  before  holding  it  out  to  his  longtime  friend  .  though  he’s  not  sure  what  the  morning  brings  for  them  ,  he  figures  the  memory  of  late  night  shenanigans  far  outdo  the  necessity  for  thinking  ahead  .  ‘  shotgun  race  ?  loser  has  to  pay  for  the  uber  home  .  ’

sitting on the barstool, sutton leaned against the bar, one hand swirling the straw around in her mojito. it wasn’t her first time at the tipsy tiki, but her first time there legally so to speak. she had walked the boardwalk for much of the day and had only sought shelter in the bar once the heat became too unbearable. now working on her second drink, sutton was pondering what her plans for the night would be. “i think they may have watered down the drinks here.” she told, drawn out of her daydream when she felt a body take the seat next to hers. “but it’s only a theory.”

he recognized the femme almost immediately. grabbing the stool beside her with confidence that she’d forgotten who he was all together. “ maybe you’re just not drinking them fast enough that the ice is melting. ” the male states, matter of factly. nodding to the bartender just before they get to work on his usual. as the pilsner glass slides in front of him, zeke smacks a few bucks on the bar top before standing once more. “ beer is always the safest option. no one can really fuck it up. ” nodding towards the stairs, zeke grabs his glass, sipping the froth from the top. “ you should come up to the rooftop. way less dingy and depressing, might actually help you finish one of those. ”

it wasn’t unlike elliot to get dark with his humor. romance was far from what occurred in a place like rainbow point - though, he had seen more than his fair share of proposals on the ferris wheel and out on the pier. the thought alone made him let out a chuckle. but the most frequent kind of romance? it was a little dirtier, a little less than nsfw. zeke had worked at the park as long as he had, if not longer. the other boy knew exactly what he meant. “ i think you don’t need my clarification, ” he chuckles, shaking his head. the dark haired boy watches as ezekiel miraculously finds his wallet almost instantly. at least he’d known it was there. “ here to service you in any way needed, ” elliot bows, winking as he returns upright. “ not driving seems like a mistake, babe, ” he huffs, beginning to walk in the entrance’s direction without another word. a beat passes. “ d’you use orange stickies for a reason? ”

“ you’re right, i don’t. i just thought you were going to give me some counter argument based off your personal experiences here. ” zeke knew of all the best hookup spots at the park. he himself using them from time to time but it was usually when the sun still hung in the sky though it still didn’t scream romance to him. the park was a dump in need of some serious love. walking beside elliot, zeke’s brow takes a dive as he swings his gaze over to the male. “ and why is that ? i’ve gotten this far in life with my bike as my sole method of transportation and i’m sure saved a ridiculous amount money too. sounds like it’s just the opposite. ” he counters. there wasn’t a real reason zeke didn’t drive other than him having zero desire to do so. he didn’t need to living in such a small town, it seemed like a useless skill. shrugging his shoulders as they close in on the gates, zeke shakes his head. “ not really. i guess the orange ones just pop more like, the yellow ones are sometimes too dull ––– too cliche and the blue seems to blend in too much so its either orange or pink so i choose orange. ”

“listen,” she warns, “those cold brews are delicious and you know it. besides, those babies got me through finals last year.” by now she’s leaning on the countertop, attention focused on the male. “and you’re what ── some coffee purist now ?” she teases with a laugh, arms crossing over her chest. “i might as well label that pot with your name,” she remarks, “but y’know how tight shit is getting around here.” her tone is hushed without noticing, nearly embarrassed to fully admit it. a devilish grin tugs at her features, head tilting slightly to the side. “on a completely unrelated note. you busy in the next five minutes ? i think the, uh, supply closet needs restocking.” 

zeke. it’s someone the woman hadn’t seen in a long time, but the sight of him makes her smile, teeth peeking out behind her lips. “of course I remember!” she disagrees, but laughing breathily about the matter. she really did remember him; he always made her smile and laugh and for charolette, those were things she didn’t forget easily. “I am,” the brunette says next, nodding, smile still present on her face, though calmer now. “I actually just graduated, so I have my degree and everything now, but this summer I just want to have fun.” she smiles, looking over at a ride where excited screams had just burst from. “speaking of which, that ride looks like fun.” charolette didn’t tend to ride the rides unless maybe she was with summer, but maybe this was a chance for a change – for her to let loose a little bit more.

his features did little to hide his surprise. his brows raising at her recognition, hanging onto every word that passes her lips. all the time he’s gone without seeing her didn’t seem to impact his very real crush on her. shaking his own thoughts from his head, the male cranes his neck to catch a glimpse of the attraction she’s referring to.  “ have you never been on it before ? ” he asks, almost appalled by the idea of her never knowing the thrills the forty year old rollercoaster has to offer. “ okay ––– no. you’re coming with me, we’re riding this immediately. ” tilting his head in the direction of the ride entrance, zeke is only able to take a few short steps before coming to a halt. the realization that charolette probably wasn’t just milling about alone kills the excitement that once buzzed throughout his veins. she was more than likely at the park with someone else and running off with him definitely isn’t on her agenda. “ unless you’re waiting on someone then i can get you guys a flash pass so there won’t even be a line. either way, you’re rinding this bad boy, today ! ”

“you mean that ? you’d buy tickets to it if it was a thing? that’s a dedicated roommate right there,” she kept her eyes focused on passing guests. pressing herself off the uneven surface, she began picking up the stuffed creatures and placing them into a bag. “you might be right but god, this is my favorite game to work. i mean, it has the perfect amount of foot traffic,” she gestured to the lack of people in front of them, shooting a goofy grin to him. “i would ask you to put me on a better game but ….. please don’t.” 

“ 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. ”