HOPELESS ROMANTIC

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“Wait for me guys” Maria screamed, earning her a few dirty looks from some of the people gathered around. They could glare all they wanted, but she didn’t really care as she’d spotted her friends just ahead.

Jane was quick to notice her and signaled Annabel to wait as Maria hurried to join them.

“Thank God you made it.” said a beaming Jane. They were a band of three friends since childhood, but Jane had always been the closest to Maria and perhaps the only one who would’ve openly expressed missing her absence.

Annabel loved her too, but Jane and Maria were the emotional ones in the group. They were tagged the HRs by Anna as they were always falling in and out of love all the time. Hopeless romantics indeed, Maria smiled as she remembered her real purpose for coming out.

'Yeah, It was my dad that needed some convincing” she replied. Maria exchanged hugs with both her friends as they proceeded to enjoy all that the evening had to offer.

It was the June fair held every year across the country, but Allenville being a small and not very rich town hadn’t been able to host one for many years. So it was with seriously high anticipation that almost everyone had waited for the day to arrive.

Everyone in school had talked about attending and somehow Maria had almost missed it, ALMOST. It had been a close thing as she’d gotten herself grounded for two weeks for staying late at a birthday party the week before. Fortunately, she’d always been able to successfully get her dad to overturn his punishments, he was a big softie for her lost puppy eyed look and this was one of those occasions where it worked.

Of course, there was a lot of fun to be had at the fair, but the real reason she wanted to be out today was because of Mason. She’d met Mason at the birthday party and they’d hit it off.

Mason was Annabel’s visiting cousin and the number one reason she’d gotten home late on that day, not that she would admit it to the face of both her teasing friends. Mason had asked if she would be at the fair and she’d given him an affirmative answer, which was why the punishment had been a close call.

They all walked for a while, only stopping once in a while to enjoy the various performances on display and sometimes greet friends from school. It was a lot of fun, but unlike her friends Maria wasn’t really interested in the fair, she was routinely scanning for any sign of Mason but the hot guy seemed like he didn’t want to be found.

Guys, they were never there when you needed them to show up. If she didn’t spot him on time, she just might swallow her pride and ask Annabel for his whereabouts. The matters of the heart needed sacrifices for it to wax stronger, even if the sacrifice would involve enduring another month of constant teasing from her friend Jane.

“Ahhhh” Maria sighed aloud, the things we ladies do for love.

“What was that?” Annabel asked

“Oh nothing, I was just thinking about a few stuff” she replied

“Would your thoughts coincidentally involve naughty things about a certain hot guy named Mason” a smiling Jane asked

'Nope, nothing about Anna’s hot cousin.” A few seconds later Maria added 'But I wouldn’t mind the location of the said hot cousin”

“I knew it” screamed Jane. 'You were only pretending you came all the way to see our pretty faces”

Apparently, they'd both known Masons location all along and she realized she’d been the subject of a bet as she watched money change hands between her friends. A glaring loser in the shape of Annabel reluctantly gave up his location and wished her all the bad luck in the world.

That was the one thing about Annabel, she acted tough all the time but if anyone dared to cross the path of Maria and Jane, then that person had to first go through Anna to get to them. She was like the mother hen of the group, trying to protect them from getting hurt all the time and even though she wasn’t big on emotional displays her actions were more than enough to make up for it.

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Mason was exactly where Annabel said he would be and it seemed like a few girls were already doing more than just admiring him. Unfortunately for them, he was acting as though they didn’t even exist and that singular act gave him even more points in her already swooning head.

Immediately he spotted her, his face lit up and Maria knew the feeling in her stomach wasn’t from the food she ate before leaving home. She was still wondering how anyone could look so effortlessly hot when he walked up to her.

“Hi Maria, you’re looking beautiful this evening”

“Hi Mason, you’re looking great as well”

They exchanged hugs as hand in hand they proceeded to enjoy the evening. Without looking back, Maria knew her audience must’ve been shooting her looks of pure venom. She didn’t mind the attention because this was a guy worth more than a few faceless enemies.

For the first time that evening, she was truly enjoying the display at the fair. They seemed to enjoy each other’s company as they talked about everything and anything.

'It’s been a lovely night Maria, it almost feels magical”

'I must admit Mason, you’re also great company to be around”

'I know something that would be both magical and great. Let’s go get our palms read, I spotted one of those people around earlier”

She felt it was perhaps a bit childish to do palm reading, but it was anything just to spend more time with him and she suspected it was perhaps the same for him.

They didn’t have to walk for long before they eventually found one, it was a woman who claimed she could see your future. They tried to enter the woman’s tent but she told them she only attended to one customer at a time and it was five dollars for each consultation.

Maria immediately lost whatever credibility she might’ve still had for the woman; it was quite obvious she was a fake. Armed with her belief she was ready to disbelieve whatever nonsense came out of the woman’s mouth.

Jason dropped five dollars on the table and proceeded to stand outside the tent as Maria sat down and stretched her hands forward. After holding her palm for a few seconds and muttering all sorts of nonsense, to Maria’s disbelief the woman eventually proclaimed BEWARE OF THE BLOND GUY IN GREEN, HE’S TROUBLE

This had to be a joke Maria thought as she looked behind her and standing there was Mason who had a blond hair, was a guy and putting on a very green shirt. This woman had to be the biggest fake of all fakes ever, Maria was almost laughing at the absurdity of the whole situation. Even a two-year old would’ve done a better job of lying.

It was five dollars wasted but they eventually laughed it off and proceeded to check out even more stuff at the fair. It was already late by the time they caught up with Annabel and Jane and Maria knew her parents didn’t like her coming home late. They all exchanged goodbyes as they separated to head to their various homes.

She didn’t need to know the future to realize there was trouble immediately she walked into the house. The look on her dad’s face said it all and no amount of lost puppy look would work this time.

'I hope you realize just how late you are young lady; anyways just know you’re grounded for another two weeks” her dad said
As she walked up the stairs to her room, Maria realized that both the times she’d gotten into trouble in the past week had involved Mason. Could that charlatan have been right all along.

Only time would tell, she thought. She was indeed a hopeless romantic.