Page 16 of Refusing Kendall

“I know,” I tell them. “I’m ok, seriously. Sometimes it’s just the smallest of things that bring them to mind and make me miss them even more.”

“And that’s understandable,” Lucas says from in front of me.

“So, are we good then?” Teagan asks again anxiously as he comes up on my other side. When I nod, he links his fingers through mine with a smile and drags me to the front gate.

“Man, this is going to be so much fun,” he says, practically bouncing on his toes.

I laugh, “You act like a man that just got his freedom back.”

“It feels that way sometimes,” he admits. “Don’t get me wrong I love football, but I do miss being able to do what I want, when I want. “

“Did someone say freedom?” Goose asks, sneaking up behind us.

“Not if it means we get the William Wallace speech again,” Teagan complains.

I tug on the front of Goose’s shirt until he’s close enough that I can throw my arm around his waist and squeeze him tight, “I happen to like the William Wallace speech, but what I really love is the Scottish accent.”

I wink at him, and he leans down to kiss my lips as Mav groans from behind us, “Dear god, Kendall. Don’t encourage him.”

Failing miserably at containing my laugh, I have to admit to myself that it’s not so much the movie quote as it is his fake accent. He’s so good at it that you’d think he just walked off the set. That in itself brings an idea to mind.

“Why are looking at me like that?” Goose asks with narrowed eyes.

I shrug, “I was just picturing what you’d look like in a kilt.”

His head falls back as he laughs. Teagan is laughing too, and it draws the attention of several people around us. They probably think we’re nuts.

As he manages to contain his, Goose leans down next to my ear, “You know that they don’t wear anything under there, right?”

I’d be lying if I said I’m wasn’t considering finding him one for that reason alone.

“I know,” I wink at him again.

The look I get in return makes me want to say ‘Screw the fair. Just take me home.’

“I don’t even need to have heard to know what you just said,” Lucas remarks behind us. “I will say this, though. If you think about it, this day and age, it wouldn’t be so bad free balling because we shower frequently. Back then, it would have been pretty nasty.”

“Dude, don’t ruin it,” Goose complains, making all of us laugh again.

The guys get us these little wristbands that last all night and allow us to ride anything that we want. They leave if up to me to decide where we go first, but I let Teagan choose since he’s more excited than any of us. Of course, his first choice is something that spins in circles as it lifts up off the ground and leaves me feeling like I need to puke in the bushes. Yeah, he can ride that one without me next time.

We’re walking out of line when Goose leans down close to my ear and whispers, “Don’t let him choose that one again.”

I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one that wasn’t a fan of that one. The fair is a decent size, but there aren’t as many people here tonight as I would have thought. Possibly because it’s a weeknight. Either way, it makes it more enjoyable. We’re able to hit all of the rides more than once, without having to wait in super long lines. With the exception of that first one, but I veto us riding that one again. I purposely save the Ferris wheel for last. I’ve spent the last few hours staring at it wistfully, but I wanted to wait until it was dark enough to see the whole park lit up. Now that it is, I drag the guys over there.

“We’ll have to trade around a little bit since we’re an odd number,” I tell them as we start to get in line.

Lucas takes a step back, “No, we won’t. I’m not going on it with you guys.”

I tilt my head in question at him, “Why not?”

Teagan snorts, “Cause he’s scared of heights.”

I smack him in the abs with the back of my hand. He rubs the spot, still smiling, but I’m pretty sure it hurt my hand more than it hurt him, considering it felt like hitting a rock.

“But you rode the other rides,” I recall.

Lucas shakes his head, “Those were different. You speed through the high points. This one you have to sit in that tiny little bucket, and then it stops to let people on and off. No thanks.”

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