HOW I LOST YOU

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Author’s Note: Wow! I had quite a holiday break– thanks for your patience!! In this chapter we see a little more of what's going on with Kya and James. It's not pretty....

So excited that my next book 16 THINGS I THOUGHT WERE TRUE is coming out March 4, 2014!!

Copyright © 2013 by Janet Gurtler

Chapter Twenty-Two

My heart fluttered with happiness and I put my hands in the air and twirled in a circle, even though Kya and James were dragging their feet a couple of steps behind me. The soothing scent of fresh lavender filled Main Street even more than usual. The smell lightened my mood and contributed to my dancing despite the growliness of my two best friends.

They couldn’t ruin this for me today. My date with Levi had been wonderful, with lots of kisses to make up for lost time. I’d stayed up late dreaming of more.

The Lavender Festival was one of my absolute favorite things about summer in Tadita. Yes, it was hokey and old-fashioned. There were no fancy electronics or rides or games or flashy displays. But there was food and flowers and I loved every inch of it. Even the weather was cooperating with sunshine and no rain or dark clouds in sight.

As part of the festivities, almost everyone wore purple somewhere on their body. Even James wore a purple T-shirt. Kya had a purple boa wrapped around her neck and both of us wore awful purple feather earrings I bought us a few years ago. I rocked a pair of purple shorts that did absolutely nothing for my skin tone, but I didn’t care.

Vendors were set up all over streets closed off to traffic. Jewelry. Crafts. And of course there were flowers. Flower displays everywhere. We passed a cotton candy vendor with no lineup and I stopped and bought the biggest bag of purple cotton candy they had. I ripped off a hunk and shoved it in Kya’s mouth until she laughed, getting it all over her face and hands. James dug his hand in the bag and came out with half the spun sugar, smiling like a little boy.

“My kryptonite,” he said happily.

The sugar rushed to our brains and my grumpy friends loosened up a little.

“Look!” I yelled.

At the end of the street, there was a contest going on and a parade of dogs on leashes were wearing costumes and trotting in a circle with their owners. Some of the owners wore matching outfits. I spotted a Chihuahua dressed as Yoda. And a wiener dog bride.

“Ahhhh.” Even Kya laughed and pointed out her favorites. We howled when a huge sheep dog dressed as Princess Leia rounded up her back to take a gigantic poop in front of the judges. And then a dog dressed as Shrek mounted Yoda, and the little boy holding the leash yelled at the top of his lungs. The three of us cracked up again.

“So,” I said to Kya. “We’re going to set James up with Chantelle. They will totally love each other. And get married and have babies.”

Kya glanced at James. “Hmm. Maybe.”

I giggled. “Look how red you are, James. Chantelle can’t wait to meet you. I am so stoked.”

“Come on. Let’s go to the barns to see the horses,” Kya said with a skip in her step. Her favorite part of the fair was horses wearing beautiful floral bouquets. Most of the horse owners offered free rides down Main Street.

The barns were past the Recreation Center where one of the ice skating areas was cleared to the concrete floor and used to display fair entries. We hadn’t gone inside, but I knew from memory that rows and rows of tables would be set out, lined with entries for contests like best pie or best LEGO creation. Some would have ribbons on them. In eighth grade, I’d won the prize for my homemade flower planter and still had the cherry red ribbon pinned to the bulletin board in my room.