Insider (27 page)

“I can always win you another,” he took my hand.

“But then it won’t be Perry,” I said as we went through the gates again.

“I guess I’ll just have to make sure we beat Bryce to the car.”

I smiled and stood on my tiptoes to kiss his scruffy cheek. I was enjoying this night so much. It was so nice to go out and just be a normal couple for a little while. I felt like we were never given many opportunities to do that.

I decided to just soak in the night. Remember every detail.

Like the sounds of the games as they clanged and bells went off.
Squeals of delight.
Groans when someone didn’t win.
Children’s
happy
shrieks.
The whirl of the Ferris wheel.

I sniffed the air and the smells of popcorn and funnel cake flooded me. Underneath that scent
was those
of the petting zoo, not necessarily pleasant, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Caeden and I spent the evening strolling around and stopping to play various games. Caeden always won. I was going to have a nice collection of stuffed animals. I’d never had that before. I smiled at the thought of my bed covered in various stuffed creatures. Caeden ended up buying a bag to put them all in.

“I’m hungry,” he announced.

I rolled my eyes. Caeden was
always
hungry.

“Lead the way,” I said.

We weaved through the crowd and
he stopped in front of one of the various food stands scattered around. This one was selling mini burgers. He ordered a dozen, a mountain dew, and a diet coke for me.

The girl working there handed him a paper bag full of burgers while she looked him up and down. I waited for her to flick her tongue out and lick her lips. I might just rip it off.

Caeden handed her a wad of cash and took my hand. “Soph,” he said warningly. “Control yourself. Your eyes are flashing.”
             

Oh Jesus! I squished my eyes closed and took a deep breath before I opened them.

“Better?” I looked at Caeden.

“You’re good,” he led me to another table like the one we had sat at earlier.

He pulled out a burger and handed it to me. “This will be the best thing you’ve ever eaten.”

I gave him a, ‘yeah right’, look and took a bite.

“
Ohmigod
,” I moaned in ecstasy. “You’re right. This is delicious.”

“I told ya so,” he said and bit into his own burger.

I grabbed a second.

“So good,” I said.

Caeden chuckled and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

We finished eating and Caeden rolled up the paper bag and tossed it into the trashcan over my head.
“Score!”

Just then his phone beeped. He pulled it out of his back pocket and scanned the text. “It’s Bryce, he says to meet by the car. They’re ready to go home.”

“Can you drive?” I asked, shuddering at the thought of Bryce driving.

“Do you really think Bryce is going to let me drive Stella Jr.?”

“Gag him if you have to!”

Caeden laughed. “Oh Sophie. Don’t you think if he was easy to gag I would’ve done that a long time ago?”

I laughed as we strolled along. “That’s true.”

As we were about to leave I saw a cart with balloons. “Ooh! Caeden! Balloons!”

He smirked. “You want one?”

“Yes!”

He chuckled. “Most girls want jewelry. Instead you want a balloon. How did I get to lucky? Which color do you want?”

“That one,” I pointed to a pale blue one.

The gray haired man running the balloon cart seemed to find Caeden and me very amusing.

“Mommy! Mommy!” A little kid behind me shrieked. “I want one! Boon! Boon!”

“No,” she said, from the tone of her voice I could tell she was exhausted.

“Boon! Boon!” the little girl cried as the mom picked her up and balanced her on her hip.

I looked over at Caeden and saw him holding two balloons. He grinned. “What? I heard someone else wanted a balloon and I just can’t resist a damsel in distress.”

I took my balloon from him and kissed him. “I love you.”

“Love you too, babe,” he grinned.

“I think your damsel’s getting away,” I nodded towards the thinning parking lot.

“Crap,” Caeden said.

I trailed behind him as he jogged to catch up with the mom.

“Ma’am!” he called. “Excuse me,” he said when she turned, “I just overheard your daughter asking for a balloon so… here,” he thrust the balloon into the little girls tiny hand. “I hope pink’s okay?”

The mom smiled and was so overcome by the gesture that I feared she’d cry. She pushed her blond bangs out of her eyes. “Pink’s great,” she said. “Thank you, that was really sweet and you certainly didn’t need to do that. Say thank you
Lexie
,” she prompted the child.

“Tank you,” she said.

Caeden smiled at the little girl. Her hair was super curly and pale blond. She was dressed in a pink and green flowered dress and was probably the cutest thing I had ever seen. “Can I have a high-five?” he stuck his hand out.

The little girl smiled, her teeth white a spaced apart. She smacked her tiny hand against Caeden’s large one. My stomach lurched with some unknown emotion.

“Thank you, again,” the mom said.

“No problem,” Caeden waved and returned to my side.

He wrapped his arm around me and kissed the top of my head.

“That was really sweet,” I said.

“What can I say? I’m a sweet guy.”

“The sweetest.”

Bryce and Charlotte were already in the car. Perry was tossed haphazardly in the back seat. I dropped the bag of stuffed animals that Caeden had won for me, on the floor, and held Perry in my lap. As Bryce drove, too fast down the road, the balloon threatened to fly from my hand. If it did, I was going to make Bryce turn around and buy me twelve more.

Bryce skidded the Jeep to a stop in front of Gram’s house. Luckily for his wallet my balloon hadn’t flown away.

Caeden grabbed Perry the Panda from my lap and the bag at my feet.

“How come you didn’t win me anything?” Charlotte asked Bryce.

Bryce looked at the smorgasbord of stuffed critters that Caeden had won for me. “Because babe,” he turned to her, “I don’t do clichés.”

Caeden looked at me and rolled his eyes. He held his hand out to help me down from the Jeep.

“Bye Bryce, Charlotte,” I waved.

Charlotte smiled. “I’m so glad you came with us Sophie.”

“Me too,” I smiled widely. “It was fun to get to do ‘town’ stuff.”

“Just wait for the parade!” she called over the roar of the Jeep as Bryce took off. That boy was going to get them killed if he kept driving like that.

The door to the house opened and Gram ushered us inside. “Don’t just stand outside like that,” she scolded. “The neighbors are
gonna
think ya’ll are up to no good. Especially with that delinquent brother of yours,” she pointed at Caeden. I think Gram thrived on poking fun at Bryce, whether he knew it or not.

I tied the balloon around the doorknob to my room and said, “We’re going to bed Gram.”

“Night,” she said, puttering into the kitchen. Her slippers made little scuffling sounds.

Caeden closed my bedroom door and said, “So how was your first carnival?”

I took my shoes off and tossed them in the closet. “Besides the whole Ferris wheel thing it was pretty great.”

Caeden winced. “Sorry about that,” he said as he pulled his shirt over his head.

“It’s not your fault,” I wiggled into some pajama pants and hid in my closet to change my shirt. I hated how embarrassed I was to be naked in front of Caeden. I mean, he knew what I looked like and I knew what he looked like without clothes, but it was still so
embarrassing
.

I pulled off my shirt and bra and yanked on a baggy shirt that I realized was Caeden’s and not mine. Oh, well.

I found Caeden lying on my bed with both the dogs. He was talking to them and petting Archie behind his ears.

It was like our own little family.

I sat down on the bed and unwound my braid. I grabbed my brush off the bedside table and ran it through the tangles.

“Let me do that,” Caeden said and put his hand over mine.

“You’re going to brush my hair?
” I looked over at him.

He blushed. “Yeah.”

“Okay,” I handed him the brush.
He scooted over to sit behind me
so that I was resting between his legs.

Caeden was careful not to pull my hair and made sure to get out every tangle.

My eyes quickly became heavy and I had to stifle a yawn.

He finished and put the brush back on the table. He lifted my hair of my neck and kissed the sensitive skin there. I shivered.

Caeden reached over and flicked the light off and wrapped me in his arms. I tucked my head under his neck. He kissed the top of my head and mumbled lowly under his breath, “I love you Sophie, so much, and I’ll never let anything happen to you ever again.”

“I spy
with my little eye
, Sophie the she-wolf!” yelled a voice behind me, signaling the howls to commence.

“Why on earth did you have to suggest that nickname to them?” I hissed under my breath to Caeden.

We were walking around downtown waiting for the parade to start. It was boiling hot outside and my shoulders were turning red. Now I knew why I had never attended a parade before. Plus, all the people served to make me feel claustrophobic. Apparently this town spent all year waiting for this one day. I guess that’s a small town for you.

One of the guys came up behind me
and squeezed my shoulders and then smacked a kiss on my cheek before darting away.

“Hands off my girl,” Caeden grinned.

“Ah, she-wolf’s got a body guard. We better run boys,” Shane said.

“Don’t worry, I’ll give you a head start,” joked Caeden.

“We don’t need a head start,” Evan said.

The rest of the guys fell in step with us.

“Are you excited for the parade, Sophie?” asked Cam.

I shrugged and struggled not to trip over something in the grass. “I’ve never been to one before so I guess so. It just seems like a lot of hype for nothing.”

Cam gasped. “You’re kidding? Apple Blossom is like the greatest thing ever.”

I laughed. “Sorry guys, it’s just not my thing.”

“You’re crazy,” Brody said. His gaze drifted away and focused on a pretty blonde. “I’ll see you guys later,” he waved half-heartedly.

The other guys snickered. “Poor Brody. When will he learn that
Em
is never
going to
go out with him?” Tyler asked.

“Never,” Kyle snorted.

“Do you and Caeden have seats for the parade?” asked Riley, tucking his long sandy hair behind his ear.

“Yeah,” I said. “In the bleachers. What about you guys?”

“Us too,” he said. “Guess you can’t be rid of us just yet she-wolf,” he winked.

I shook my head and decided to just ignore my teammates and enjoy my time with Caeden.

“Ooh,” I stopped in my tracks. “Is that cotton candy? I’ve never had cotton candy.”

“You’ve never had cotton candy?” a chorus of voices rang out.

“Um… no,” I blushed.

“Then you have not
lived
!” Evan cried.

Caeden steered us towards the booth. “Two cotton candies,” he told the girl and pulled out his wallet.

She swirled the magical fluffy confection around and around. She handed me a pink one and Caeden a blue one. “Thank you,” I told her with a smile.

Caeden nodded to a shady patch of grass underneath a huge oak tree.

“We’ll meet up with you guys later,” Riley said and they disappeared into the crowd.

I waved and plopped down in the grass beside Caeden. The shade made it feel ten degrees cooler so I was thankful. I crossed my legs underneath me, Indian style, and leaned against the thick wood trunk of the tree. The sun was bright and would’ve normally blinded me but my shifter eyes adjusted to the different shades of light. There was enough room for Caeden to lean against the tree too, so he sat behind me.

Our spot in front of the tree allowed us to look over at the huge high school that sat next to the parade route. It was a huge stately school with so many steps leading up to the doors it made me dizzy just to look at them. Its football field was located in the
front and several dads were currently using it to toss a football with their sons.

Caeden bumped my shoulder with his. “Earth to Sophie,” he waved his hand in front of my face.

“Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts.”

“Happens to all of us,” he smiled and his eyes crinkled in the corners, just the tiniest bit.

I pulled a chunk of fluffy cotton candy off of the stick and stuck it in my mouth. It felt like I had stuck a fluffy, sugary, ball into my mouth. As it dissolved the sugar coated my tongue like sand. It was very sweet. I took another bite.

“This is really good,” I said to Caeden.

He finished the last bit of his. Blue sugary fibers stuck to his fingers and he flicked them into his mouth, one by one, to lick it off.

I think I drooled a bit.

Caeden noticed
and grinned, his dimple flashing
.

Darn him, and his sexy grin. It was only making things worse.

I forced my attention back to my cotton candy and was tempted to give it to Caeden just to see him lick his fingers again.

Nah.

I grabbed another piece of fluff and shoved it into my mouth.

Caeden playfully flicked the ends of my hair.

“Why do you like to play with my hair?” I giggled when one of the strands touched my cheek.

“It’s soft,” he said and then broke out in a grin. “Why do you like my scruff?”

“I just do,” I rubbed his cheek. “Although this,” I flicked a piece of dark brown hair from his eye, “is getting way too long.”

Caeden pulled a baseball cap out of his pocket, shoved his hair out of his eyes, and stuck the cap on backwards. “Better?” he grinned.

“Not as good as a haircut,” I finished my last bite of cotton candy and smiled.

He grumbled, “I hate getting my hair cut.”
He fingered one of the curls escaping the confines of his hat.

“Do you
want
your hair down to your shoulders?”

“No,” he said. Finally, “I’ll get it cut.”
Caeden picked up a piece of grass and tore it to pieces. It sprinkled to the ground like flakes of confetti.
He glanced around at the thickening crowd. “The
parade’s starting
soon. We
better get our seats,” he stood and offered me a hand. I took it and he hauled me up and into my arms. He kissed me quickly and let go, a grin plastered on his face. “This Apple Blossom is already
way
better than last year.”

“Why?”

“You’re here,” he grinned.

I felt my knees turn to jelly. I never thought I’d be one of those girls who swooned over their boyfriend but Caeden was completely, and undeniably, swoon-worthy.

Bleachers are this way,” he nodded in their direction, as if I hadn’t noticed them.

We weaved our way through the thick crowd. I think the whole town had turned out for this. There were even people that were very obviously tourists, as they snapped pictures of the old buildings. I didn’t know who would want to visit this place. To me, it seemed like the smallest, most boring town ever. But I had lived pretty much everywhere, so I guess I just didn’t appreciate it.

People began to line the streets and I wanted to scream at them, ‘it’s
just
a parade’, but I didn’t think they’d appreciate that.

Caeden and climbed onto the top seats of the bleachers, as luck would have it, next to my teammates. The pack was supposed to be sitting with us but they were still M.I.A.

“She-wolf!” cried Cam.

I rolled my eyes. “Are you guys going to yell that every single time you see me?”

They looked at one another and nodded. “Yeah, pretty much,” Shane said.

I saw that Brody was back with them and obviously deflated. Poor guy. I don’t think whatever-her-name-was is worth his time. He’s a nice guy and could do way better.

Evan leaned towards Caeden. “Do you know who the Grand Marshall is this year?”

Caeden shrugged. “I’ve got no clue.”

“I hope it’s some hot chick,” Kyle said, “last year they had
freakin
’ Mario Lopez. All the girls were like, ‘Aw, look at his dimples!’”

I laughed. “Caeden’s dimples are the only ones I want to look at,” I poked his cheek.

“Ick,” Tyler gagged, “ya’ll make me sick.”

I stuck my tongue out at him and turned to Caeden. “Mister, you better not be checking out some hot chick on a parade float,” I poked his chest.

“It’s usually a car not a float,” he grinned.

“Same difference!” I threw my hands in the air.

“What are you two arguing over?” Chris asked as she a Bentley decided to grace
us
with their presence. They were both rumpled so I figured they’d caught a quick make out session somewhere.

Chris slid onto the bleachers beside me and I said to her, “I told Caeden that if this Grand Marshall person was a hot girl, he couldn’t look.”

Chris laughed. “You know Caeden only has eyes for you.” She turned to Bentley, “But same goes to you, anyway, no looking.”

Bentley laughed and shook his head, rubbing the side of his face.

“Anyone know where Bryce and Charlotte are?” Caeden asked.

“Uh-” Logan said as he sat down, “I saw them over there.” He pointed to several stands setup with various odds and ends things to buy.

“Oh that can’t be good,” Caeden shook his head.

“Why?” I asked.

Caeden smiled. “Bryce is probably the only sixteen year old boy who still needs a parental chaperone at these things. Lord only knows what he might blow his money on.” He shuddered.

The parade was seconds from starting when Bryce and Charlotte showed up. Charlotte had a purple Asian umbrella fanned around her shoulders and Bryce’s face was painted up to resemble—a wolf.

Caeden let out a sigh of relief beside me.

I gave him a questioning look.

“This year is mild,” he explained. “Last year he was covered in henna tattoos and fake piercings. He nearly gave mom a heart attack.”

“He’d give me one too,” I laughed.

“I don’t know how any of us have survived Bryce,” Caeden chuckled. “He’s definitely one of a kind.”

Kyle tapped Caeden’s shoulder. “Isn’t your little brother the one who sang the
Fergie
song at the top of his lungs during that assembly last year.”

Caeden buried his face in his hands. “That’s the one.”

Shane snickered. “I watched that on
youtube
.”

“He did a dance too,” Tyler said, and began to, I guess, mimic it. The other guys joined in and they began to sing the lyrics to
Glamorous.