Chapter 10-"Heartborn Words"

                                    

                                          
On Saturday, I found myself at the amusement park with my two friends, Riley and Quinn. I hadn't spoken to them in a while, so this was something I planned to get us together again, and to distract me from what Karla had said that night on the bus. 
As the vibrant lights of the amusement park illuminated the night sky, Riley could be seen laughing and screaming with exhilaration as he rode the dizzying array of thrill rides. Meanwhile, me and Freddy, decided to take a break from the action and found a secluded bench tucked away in a quiet corner of the park. 
We sat there, the soft glow of the overhead lights casting a warm hue on our faces, as we indulged in the sugary sweetness of the fluffy pink candy floss, held tightly in our hands. The aroma of fried food and laughter filled the air, and we watched in contentment as families and friends enjoyed the festive atmosphere around us.
"It's been a long day, eh? Zairo?"
I nodded.
"It sure has." I looked at him, my eyes fixed on his face. "How've you been, Fred?"
Quinn locked eyes with me.
"What do you mean?"
"Like, what's new?"
"Oh, well, um...since the last time we spoke, I made a game, like, I coded the whole thing."
A huge grin drew on my face.
"Wow, amazing," I exclaimed, patting his back. "Man, you're a genius, what's--"
"Catch me up," Quinn interjected. "Last time we spoke, you were planning on asking Karla out on valentine's day, how'd that go?"
Quinn forced me down memory lane, a lane I really hated to travel through. Embarrassing memories seemed to travel to me quicker, and all I could remember was dramatically hiding from Karla, even going as far to jump over a game machine. 
Quinn saw the embarrassment on my face, and silently nodded. 
"Aha, so you got rejected, eh?"
"N-no, it didn't go like that. In the end, I didn't get to ask her out."
Quinn's shoulders slumped, and he released a sigh from the depths of his chest and said, "Man, you're lame, you know that, right? A girl as pretty as Karla will get taken by some super handsome guy if you don't step up your game, hear me?"
"Um, well...about that..." I scratched my head, contemplating whether or not to tell him. "Uh, so..."
"Just spit it out already," Quinn yelled. 
"We work at the same restaurant, and yesterday, we finished our shift late. I stayed back to help her lock the place down, and we headed home, but she asked me something."
"What?"
"She basically asked me if I had feelings for Kayla, I said no, and she looked kinda relieved."
Quinn leaned forward, grinning as he clutched the stick holding his candy floss. 
"For real? Come on, what'd you say?"
"I tried to confess, I stuttered, but the bus came and I swallowed my words," I admitted. Just when Quinn was about to explode, I said, "But, something rather strange happened on the bus."
"Strange? The only strange thing was the fact that you let the bus scare you into silence, what's wrong with you, man?"
"Shut up, dude, I didn't even finish."
Quinn sunk into silence, finishing off his candy floss. 
"Okay, it was only us on the bus, but we were silent."