LOTF: Before and After

Phase 3: Chapter 26

"I'm tired of standing here" Sam Brooks groaned impatiently.

"We're wasting sunlight!" his brother Eric added, throwing his head back in a dramatic fashion.

"There's still hours left before the festival closes, we'll have plenty of time" Ralph insisted.

"How much longer are we gonna wait for him?" Eric pressured Ralph.

"He'll be here soon, okay? I don't want to go in until we're all here so nobody gets lost" Ralph continued to insist.

Sam sighed heavily and tossed his backpack to the ground, plopping himself down on top of it.

Ralph, Sam, and Eric were waiting at the entrance to the East Point Summer Festival gates. Every summer, the community turned the largest park within a fifty mile radius into a giant amusement style park. For two weeks in August, it became the hottest spot in all Northern Georgia.

A mere twenty two minutes after he was supposed to meet Ralph and the twins, Jack got off the bus in front of the festival gates. He saw the way Ralph's eyes lit up when he saw him, and internally cursed himself for not having the guts to tell Ralph the truth. But seconds later, that truth got off the bus behind Jack, following behind him.

"Sorry I'm late" Jack sighed, "We missed the first bus we were supposed to get on."

"That's alright, less time for bathroom breaks I guess" Sam decided, shrugging away the initial anger he'd felt towards Jack and his tardiness.

"Hey" Jack nodded his head once at Eric. "Long time, huh?"

"Feels like it" Eric agreed. "Today's gonna be fun, I promise. We've done this before, right Sam?"

"We came with our parents a couple years ago when we were like eight" Sam clarified, "it's real fun."

Jack, relieved that the air seemed to be clear between himself and the twins, turned to look at Ralph. He hadn't realized how drastically Ralph's expression had changed from when the boy first saw him get off the bus.

"How ya doin'?" Jack asked Ralph casually, in a tone he'd often talk to Roger or his detention buddies in.

Ralph raised his eyebrows as he looked around Jack at the curly headed brunette girl who stood just a little behind him.

"Oh, this is Emma" Jack snapped out of the stare he was giving Ralph, reaching back and taking the girl's hand to bring her forward a little.

"Cool, what's up?" Eric came up beside Ralph, sticking his hand out to Emma.

"Hi" she smiled shyly at the twin as she shook his clammy little hand.

"This is Eric... or Sam?" Jack guessed.

"Right the first time" Eric confirmed as he released the girl's hand. "That's Sam" he pointed back with his thumb at his brother who sat impatiently atop his backpack.

"And this is Ralph" Jack finished, directing the girl's attention at the brunette boy in front of them.

"Hey, I've heard a lot about you" she smiled widely as she stuck her hand out to Ralph.

"Likewise, y'know, except for the fact that you were coming here today" Ralph snarled in a sarcastic tone, one only Jack understood the bitterness behind. He didn't take Emma's hand.

"You said you asked them if I could join" Emma turned to Jack as she dropped her hand.

"Musta forgot" Jack shrugged awkwardly.

"Can we go in now or what?" Sam asked in the form of a tired, impatient whine.

"Yeah, let's do it" Jack agreed as he abandoned the circle, leaving Emma, Eric, and Ralph.