Page 25 of Fortunate Misfortune
“The corndog is for me, and we’re splitting the Oreos, right?”
“Yeah, but still—”
Cade’s hollering grabs Mallory’s attention, forcing her irritation to shift into happiness as she waves. Instead of joining us in line, Shay searches for a table while Cade heads to a different food truck. I offer to wait for our food and watch as she runs to meet her best friend.
Once our order is ready, I weave through the crowd and take a seat on the sticky bench across from Mallory. Placing the food between us, I reach for an Oreo, but Shay’s sour expression stops me.
“I’m gone for one night, and nowhe’syour fried feast buddy?”
Mallory kisses her forehead, leaving behind a dusting of powdered sugar. “Consider it your friendship fee for leaving me alone with him all night.”
I smile and push the plate toward Shay. “Jealousy isn’t a good look on you. Eddie needed an upgrade, and I was beyond happy to be of service. Let me know if you want me to take over full-time.”
Each girl in The Quartet is different. I’ve gotten a glimpse of them all, together and separate, during our time in Clear Lake. My research concluded Jo is mild and calm. Adri is wild and free. Mallory is… Mallory. And Shay is reserved and fierce, decked out head to toe in pink.
I jerk backwards when Shay leaps over the table to tackle me like I’ve seen her do on the soccer field. It’s as if Mallory expects this reaction because she doesn’t even flinch. With one hand holding her turkey leg, the other shoots across Shay’s chest like a seat belt to anchor her back onto the wooden bench.
Prevented from throttling me, Shay grabs an Oreo and shoves the entire chocolate disc in her mouth with a grunt.
“Isn’t she lovely?” Cade chuckles, leaning forward to wipe powdered sugar from her lips.
If I thought Mallory was loud before, I’ve been proved wrong. Her normal volume is nothing compared to the piercing screams she’s letting out as she flies through the air. No sane person would ride roller coasters after eating, but once her mind is made up, she will see it through.
Cade drops onto the bench beside me and passes me a beer. “You good?”
“Yeah.” Swallowing the fizzy liquid, I exhale. “Dad’s the worst.”
The Gray Construction summer internship isn’t news to Cade. He was around when my siblings went through it. Like me, he assumed I was free of that expectation when I changed my major.
We still haven’t talked about my father’s reminder that I am far from free and how I’ll be cut off for not following through with the internship, but the carnival isn’t the right place to discuss that.
“Other than that,” he continues, “how was your night?”
“Well, I was ditched for a girl again—”
“Dude, we were like thirteen. Are you ever going to forgive me?”
I laugh and take another drink. “Other than that, it’s been fine. She hasn’t been too bad.” That’s a lie. Mallory hasn’t been bad at all. “She obliterated me tonight. It’s 9-10 now.”
“Yeah,” Cade sighs. “MalPal is prettygood at that.”
I drop my eyes to the last fried Oreo. As hard as I try, I can’t get the memory out of my mind of her perfect smile fading because of our best friends.
And how I never want that to happen again.
“You guys ditched her tonight. I know you and Shay are… whatever you two are, and that’s fine. I’m happy that you’re happy, but this was supposed to be a group thing. If I had driven us here, you’d be finding your own ride home. Don’t let it happen again, Cade.”
His shoulders slump. “I’m sorry, Kent. We got caught up. Did she say anything to you about it?”
Mallory exits The Loophole and howls maniacally before getting back in line. Her rare moment of vulnerability will be taken to my grave.
“Not a word.”
After seven more rides, Mallory’s voice is hoarse as we head to the parking lot. I’m still carrying the plush frog, which she named Mr. Pibb. I toss him into the backseat, and my stomach turns when I catch Shay and Cade leaning in. I’ve seen and heard enough of them to last a lifetime.
I jog around the car to escape and run straight into Mallory.
“Sorry,” she whispers. The roughness of her voice pulls at the corners of my mouth. “I guess we had the same idea.”
