Page 85 of Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling

“Thanos has purple skin,” Greg explains. “Though it does appear blue at times in the movies due to the inconsistent lighting choices of the directors. But it’s purple in comic book canon. Regardless, it is not gray.”

Buzz’s mom grabs his hand and pulls him away through the packed crowd.

“Good looking out, bro,” Yobani laughs, patting Greg’s heaving padded shoulder.

“I’m happy to help,” Greg says with a shrug. “Hey, do you think they’ll let us on the carousel? There’s one horse with a missing right eye and a gold tooth that I used to ride on every year.”

“Oh my god, yes!” Ryan shouts. “I need to see this horse immediately.”

We decided on Pa’s Pumpkin Patch for tonight because it’s where we all used to come as kids. But after the initial wave of nostalgia passed, the rides look a lot smaller than I remember—and a lot rustier than their Disneyland counterparts, like they’ve seen some shit. Greg’s horse friend definitely has a secret family and a pack-a-day smoking habit. And the actual field of pumpkins is overrun with parents carrying big-ass cameras and ring lights to photograph their drooling toddlers. All to what—post on their Instagrams? It’s stupid. I don’t know... maybe I’m just in a bad mood after what happened at home. I need a handful of fun-size candy bars, stat.

“So... I have to ask—” Delilah starts as we’re standing in line for the carousel.

“How the show went last night?” Ryan asks.

Delilah’s cheeks go pink as she nods hesitantly. Fun Gi played a show with the Valentines at The Mode last night, their first since Delilah left the band, and I know she’s been wanting to ask Ryan about it ever since we arrived but is nervous about what she might hear. I squeeze her hand in encouragement.

“Oh, they fucking sucked!” Leela yells, and two dads in front of us dressed as Bert and Ernie turn around to give us dirty looks.

“They were... fine,” Ryan says, pronouncing “fine” like the four-letter word it is. “Like they were fine before. But what the four of you had... man. It was different. Like, how your vocals danced around Charlie’s riffs, that sharp and soft contrast, and howBeau and Asher were always so in sync, like this sturdy backbone. It was just this perfect, like...synergy.”

Delilah’s face is a mixture of pride and melancholy. I know she misses it. Not being treated like a second-class member of the band, but being on stage, putting all of herself out there like that for an audience.

“You don’t get that all the time. Some people never get it.” Ryan pauses, maybe realizing how much she’s killing the mood. She points at Delilah and smiles. “You, though? You were the spark. So you’ll get it again, when the time is right.”

“Plus, okay, I know I don’t actually know anything about music, but I’m pretty sure Charlie massively screwed up that last song,” Leela says, leaning in conspiratorially. “I mean, what evenwasthat?”

“Tell me more!” Delilah laughs, leaning in too, and the three of them begin dissecting every second of the performance.

“Hey, you’re one of thoseGame of Thronesdudes, aren’t you?” Scooby-Doo, holding a baby Shaggy, has stopped in the middle of the one tiny walkway, blocking traffic to the pony rides. “The icy dudes that killed that other dude who could only say his name. Man, I loved him.” He narrows his eyes, as if Greg might actually be guilty of killing Hodor.

“I believe you’re referring to the White Walkers. I’m a cloud giant named Slarog, who actually looks nothing like the White Walkers.”

Scooby-Doo’s face brightens at that. “Oh yeah? Well, right on.” He shuffles away, with baby Shaggy waving over his shoulder.

Greg turns back to me and Yobani, totally unaffected by the bizarre interaction that just took place. “Actually, they’re doing some really innovative stuff with cloud giants in this newest season ofRole With It. It’s really making me see them in a whole new light.”

“Oh my god, yeah, that twist with those cloud giant twins in the last episode.” Yobani mimes a chef’s kiss. “Brilliant.”

“Reggie, what did you think about—” Greg starts, but then he taps his gray-painted forehead. “Ahh, sorry. I guess you’re probably not listening to it.”

Fuck.

Well, hopefully Delilah missed that, deep in her Fun Gi shit-talking sesh with Leela and Ryan.

“Why would he not be listening to it?” Delilah asks.

Fuuuuck.

I need to think fast.

“Because I don’t want to be influenced, you know, when it’s finally my turn to play a campaign on the show.”

“But wait, I—” I shoot Yobani a pleadingBro, just go with itlook and thankfully he gets it.

“Yeah, yeah that makes sense,” he says. “Gotta keep a clear canvas.”

Greg’s thick eyebrows are furrowed, but Yobani jabs him with an elbow, and before he can say anything to blow up my spot, the tinkly music playing from the carousel’s speakers starts blasting. It speeds up to three, four, times its normal tempo, and the ride’s spins seem to match it. The kids on the horse scream in delight, throwingtheir hands up as their hair and candy baskets fly behind them.

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