𝐒𝐖𝐈𝐅𝐓 (X-Men ~ Peter Maximoff)

A Fair Lady

When Linda said that the fair was the biggest event of the year it hadn't been an understatement. Bright carnival lights lit up the area and live music played from an unseen source within the massive land occupied by the rides and stalls. Hundreds upon thousands of people were scattered throughout the place, many still queuing up for an entry ticket.

Jennifer, with her freshly punched ticket in hand, entered the temporary theme park, marvelling at the sheer size of the place from up close. Rides such as rollercoasters and bumper cars were occupied by a range of ages, from small children to middle aged parents. The older folks seemed to prefer the large Ferris wheel that spun slowly to show off the beauty of the entire town. The stalls however, seemed to have something for everyone, whether it be food, a challenge offering a prize, or a gift to give to someone.

Catching sight of her group of friends hovering near the outskirts of the fairground, Jennifer made her way over to them, weaving in and out of clusters of people. From her restricted view between people's heads, Jennifer could make out eight people standing by the fence. Mary, Ellie and Linda stood beside their boyfriends, while Rebecca and Gale were leaning against a fence, all talking together in a relaxed yet excited tone.

As Jennifer reached the group, the conversation stopped abruptly, every pair of eyes looking at her expectantly. The girls glanced around suspiciously as the guys gave her a brief nod and smile of acknowledgement before moving to talk between themselves, trying to stay away from any unnecessary drama and gossip, which Linda was about to start. "Where's lover boy?," she teased, a questioning smirk on her face.

Jennifer sighed, which was apparently all the information the group needed to hear.

Gale pushed herself upright. "He didn't ask you?"

With the small shake of her head, a series of groans broke out around the group – the boys included, knowing full well that they wouldn't hear the end of this. Only one person remained silent – Mary, who had a small grin on her face.

Jennifer didn't see why the group had such an obsession with Peter, they didn't even know who he was, and yet they seemed more heartbroken than her that he hadn't asked her to go with him to the fair. Jennifer actually didn't mind in the slightest, the two had hardly held a full conversation in the past few weeks due to studying and exhaustion. Besides, she was more than happy to hang out her friends.

Brushing everything aside, Jennifer readjusted her weight. "So, where first?"

Ellie grabbed Mathew's arm, seemingly forgetting about the previous interaction as she beamed at the group. "Let's start with the rides!"

Jennifer walked beside Gale and Rebecca as the couples took the lead. They all seemed so happy, and they were, truly. For the moment. "I'm worried about Linda," she whispered.

Gale nodded. "She's going to be so heartbroken."

"We tried to tell her, but she won't listen." Rebecca stopped in the queue for a rollercoaster before facing them. "The only thing we can do is be there for her when it falls apart."

Jennifer and Gale solemnly nodded in agreement. Linda's boyfriend, Mark, was perhaps the only person Jennifer had formed a truly negative view of. In the short time she had known him, Jennifer had seen how shallow Mark was, it seemed he cared more about his social status than he did the people it affected. Linda was too head over heels for him to notice anything being off, but when she finally allows herself to relax into the relationship? Everything would go south, and fast.

But right now? Linda was laughing her head off at something he had said, and they looked happy. Maybe he would change, stop being so vain and conceitful. But he couldn't do that if he didn't have time. So, despite knowing that the relationship wouldn't end well, the group of girls couldn't do anything except warn Linda about the type of person Mark was.