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"I didn’tup, and I can’t protect you fro"

I haven’t cried like this since the day I found Moonshadow’s body I let theet how I hooked up with Jack and shared a part of iven anyone else

The honest to God truth is that I’m mad at , and Vanessa, Rory, and I arehis cousin Alex at the county fair A double date I’etabout the idea of walking around holding hands with a guy under the night sky makes me feel like I’ll find my one true love here The fair is full of hope

We hop out of Rory’s truck intoour way up to the ticket booth covered with flashing lights The night is crisp and cool and smells of popcorn and cow poop I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans and anxiously scan the crowd for Alex

"Calm down," Rory says with a smirk

"Quiet, you," Vanessa says to Rory She flashes lance

A couple e to bounce on my tiptoes He’s dressed very comfortably--jeans and flip-flops, and his T-shirt and over shirt are untucked and a bit wrinkled I love how Jack always looks so put-together, but I like Alex’s look too And of course I adore his floppy Whitfield hair

He gives Rory a pat on the back then hugs Vanessa, and finally turns his focus to me

"Hey," he says

I stick outinto ht happen tonight I hope whatever happens et how hts

We each get 5 worth of tickets--enough to ride the Ferris wheel, slaet queasy on the Tilt-a-Whirl The smell of funnel cakes and fries wafts under hts and bells dinging when kids win prizes

Our first stop is the Tilt-a-Whirl, where Vanessa and I screaet sufficiently nauseous, while Rory and Alex have a grand ole time Then Rory and Vanessa want to ride the Ferris wheel, so we head that way Alex and I watch therab the handlebar as it settles in their laps

"Riding the Ferris wheelout," Alex says, as Vanessa and Rory start pawing at each other

"Yup"

"Want to?" he asks, pointing at the ride

"Make out?" I tease

He pauses for a sec, looking freaked out "I " My face feels a uy and when I try to pass over tickets of ot it"

"Thanks," I say

"But wait Are you tall enough to ride the ride?" Alex asks, pointing to the ruler

I give hirasp the bar, looking straight ahead as the wheelus up into the black sky From way up here, you can see all of don The Franklin Theater ht flashes on top of the water tower

Alex looks at me sideways "In full disclosure, I haven’t been on a first date in a while"

"I’ll have h He doesn’t date often? That’s hard to believe Wind rushes against ain

"So you’re a horse jockey?" he asks, lifting an eyebrow "That’s pretty sexy"

I give hi him about last week’s race andDixiana Derby Alex watchesand soon I’y major at Middle Tennessee State," he says It turns out he likes rock cliet off the Ferris wheel, Vanessa and Rory say they want to ride it again--which is code for wanting to make out some more, so Alex buys us a funnel cake and alk around, chatting and licking powdered sugar off our fingers

I see lots of people fro out with the cheerleading squad and guys froaslide, squealing and banging against each other as they land on the cushioned bottom Colton and Kelsey wave at me, and it doesn’t escape my notice when they check out Alex

Colton estures with his hips, and I grin back at him What a perv It surprises ht And it surprises me even more that Kelsey waved at me

"How about the Fun House?" Alex asks, and we spend a fewinto a mirror that o on a diet," I tease

"On second thought, you’re nots, he fishes it out of his pocket, and stares at the screen "I need to take this C’mon"

We leave the Fun House, and while he chats on the phone, I go over to the dialass bowls filled ater I miss all five times

That’s when I see them