Page 20 of Finding Jeremy
His old man had been there to listen to him rant each time that it happened, and though he never said one way or another, despite how many times he asked, Jeremy suspected that he’d had a few words with Gray about it too, because Gray had always been contrite and apologetic when Jeremy had shown up again the following week.
Now they joined hands as they headed for the boardwalk, still savoring their sticky treats and the slight coolness of the breeze that blew through a park that had always been filled with towering trees whose wide canopies offered plenty of shadewhen the sun was out. The rare times storms had toppled one or a lightning strike had split one in two, the parks department had quickly replaced it and even added flowers around the base, providing homes for the animals, food for the bees, and a beautiful space to spend time in.
“Whoa!” Jeremy said, nearly getting dragged a few steps when he stopped and Gray didn’t.
“See something you like?” Gray asked with little left on his candy apple stick.
“Check out those necklaces,” Jeremy said, pointing to a wall of different ones, all with names and logos from bands and cartoon icons like Hello Kitty and the characters from My Hero Academia.
“How do you play?” Gray asked as he cocked his head, studying the necklaces.
“Get three darts inside the loop to win the necklace,” the carny manning the booth said.
“Those loops aren’t that wide,” Gray remarked, looking thoughtful when Jeremy glanced over at him. “I don’t know how this is gonna go. My skills are a bit rusty when it comes to pitching darts.”
“Dad tried to teach me, but I’ve never been very good at getting the dart to land where I want it to,” Jeremy explained. “I can hit the board, mostly, though he did spend a good ten minutes trying to figure out how I’d accidentally gotten one stuck in the ceiling fan.”
“How the hell did you manage that?” Gray asked.
“Ricochet.”
The carny looked completely amused by their conversation as he tapped a handful of darts on the counter and waited to hear what they decided.
“You want me to try it, or do you want to have a go?” Gray asked.
“Even rusty, I think you’ll do better than I would.”
“Alright, which one?”
“The bat with Ozzy on it,” Jeremy said without thinking twice.
Seeing the man in concert, with Zakk Wylde slaying on his guitar, had been the most amazing concert he’d ever attended, but his old man hadn’t had much money for merch after getting the tickets, and at the time, Jeremy had been in love with one of the t-shirts, an item he’d later framed and tacked up on his wall when it had gotten too small for him.
Gray placed a five-dollar bill on the counter, and the carny passed him three darts, the implication clear: there was no margin for error; he either had to land all three in the loop or pay for three more darts and keep on trying.
Scooting away and half holding his breath, Jeremy dialed in on that necklace, silently whispering,please, please, please, as Gray let the first dart fly.
“Yes!” Jeremy declared, doing a little dance that was all butt squirming and flapping arms, so excited that he nearly bounced what was left of his caramel apple off his nose.
Grey blew out a long breath and regarded him for a moment. “Don’t celebrate yet. I’ve still gotta get two more to fit.”
“You’ll get them,” Jeremy said before going silent again.
This time he studied Gray’s face. The angle of his jaw, the slight bend of his nose where it had been broken somewhere in the past. The way his tongue poked from between his lips and little lines formed between his eyebrows right before he threw the second dart.
“I told you! I told you!” Jeremy squealed, drawing a few stares their way.
When he waved, several people waved back at him, though one stood with his arms crossed over his chest, studying them from where he stood, feet planted like he was gearing up fora fight. It took Jeremy a moment to realize who he was, and even then, he wasn’t completely certain with the way the neon spun, and nearby lights flashed on and off after someone won a prize smashing a hammer against the pressure plate on a test of strength.
For a moment, Jeremy considered saying something, but when he turned back to face Gray and the board holding all those necklaces, the anticipation revved up again. He could practically feel the weight around his neck and knew just where it would hang when he wasn’t wearing it. Right on the corner of the frame holding his Ozzy Osbourne t-shirt.
Please, please metal gods in the sky, let Gray nail the final shot, Jeremy thought, holding his breath this time as the dart left Gray’s fingers.
“Holy…” Jeremy slapped both hands over his mouth, his caramel apple leaving a sticky splotch on his cheek as he barely managed to contain the expletive that threatened to burst out.
Only a squeal slipped out as the carny took the necklace off the wall and handed it to Gray, who chuckled as he undid the clasp and approached Jeremy.
“Gonna have to clean you up if you can’t control yourself and that apple,” Gray declared as he stroked a finger over the back of Jeremy’s hand, urging him to drop them so he could put the necklace on him.
