"I'm up almost forty bucks," Crystal said happily, patting her right hip pocket.

"I think I ended up with twenty. I didn't make all the high bets that you did." It was now dark out, the Midway lights all burning brightly for the fairgoers. "I'm getting hungry. Think there's anything healthy here?"

"Not unless you consider sausage and hot dogs healthy," Crystal teased, pointing in the direction of the food court, an offshoot where several tables and food carts were set in a semicircle. "Let's go see what they have up there."

Laura didn't trust anything with mayonnaise in it after a long hot day nor did she want anything deep fried. Crystal happily ordered herself a cheeseburger and chili fries along with another beer. Hoping it wasn't too oily, the writer settled on a piece of plain pizza and bottled water. She followed her roommate to a white plastic table. "Hold on," she said, setting her plate and water on a nearby table. "Let me wipe that down."

"Ah, what's a few crumbs," Crystal said, brushing her side off with the back of her hand.

"There's ketchup and something sticky there too," she said, using a squirt of her water to dampen a paper napkin. "It'll only take a minute." Laura wiped down the top and sides of the table before moving to her chair and making sure that received a good wiping as well. Crystal had already settled down and was halfway through her burger when Laura decided it was clean enough to put her food on.

"You worry about things too much," Crystal complained good-naturedly. "A dirty seat won't kill you. What are you going to do when you have to make a trip to one of the portable toilets? Squat?"

"Definitely." Laura shuddered visibly at the thought of having to use the smelly rest room. She dabbed the top of her cheese with a napkin, soaking up the excess oil. "How's the burger?"

"Good. You should try the chili fries. They're out of this world." The smile that had been present throughout the evening was still there between bites.

Laura smiled to herself and lifted the slice to her lips. She had no doubt that Crystal was having one of the best nights she'd had in a long time, if ever. Even having to breathe the second hand smoke as they played blackjack was worth it. Thinking of the money in her wallet, she smiled to realize that she was also enjoying herself more than usual. Crystal's enthusiasm was rubbing off on her, explaining why she spent over an hour gambling, something her Baptist father had viewed as a sin and strictly forbidden. The closest she'd come before was playing for chips with Jenny and the boys.

"Hey, you listening to me?" Crystal asked, snapping her out of her musings.

"Oh, sorry."

"I said you should try the chili fries." She pushed the plate across the table. "Come on, live dangerously."

"No, really. I don't think"

"I didn't think I could handle that pirate ship ride either but I did it. One fry won't kill you."

"Fine, just one." Laura poked the fork into the chili covered pile and took a bite. "Oh, that's spicy," she mumbled around the mouthful of food as she reached for the water.

"Yeah, that's what makes it so good," Crystal said. "Beer works better than water."

"I'll stick to the water, thanks," she replied, draining half her bottle in an attempt to cool down the inferno she felt on her tongue. "So what do you want to do after this?"

"We could go back to the tent." Crystal leaned back in her chair, resting her ankle on her opposite knee. "You wouldn't have a barrette in there would you?" she asked, pointing at the fanny pack.

"No but I thought I saw them somewhere." She sat up and looked around. "I think they were a prize in those crank machines." "Really?" Crystal ran her fingers through her shoulder length hair and shook it out. "I should have thought to bring one."

"Those games are a waste of money. It takes a miracle to win."

"Well, I've got a few bucks of theirs, I'm willing to give it a shot if it means keeping my hair off the back of my neck."

Laura passed over a napkin. "Better make sure you keep that cut clean."

"Thanks. It hasn't been hurting or anything and I forgot about it."

You haven't thought about any of those bad things today, have you? "Oh!" She opened her fanny pack. "You know what I have" Pushing things around, she finally located what she was looking for. "There it is." She pulled the black elastic band out and held it up for Crystal to see. "I wasn't thinking when you asked for a barrette. I've had this hairband with me the entire time."

The blonde pounced on the hairband. "Yes, perfect."

"You want help?"

"Naw, that's okay. I can get it." Twisting the band in half, Crystal gathered her hair and fastened it into a ponytail, allowing the cooling air to reach the back of her neck. "Oh, that's much better." She drained her beer and set the empty cup on top of her plate. "You ready?"

"Ready for what? You still haven't told me what you want to do next and don't even think of suggesting the tent again."

"Okay, how about another ride?"

"Sure." Laura stood and collected the trash from the table. "Which one?"

"How about the tea cups? Unless you get dizzy from spinning."

"Me? It's you I worry about. I don't want to see that cheeseburger again."

"Oh please," Crystal laughed. "After all the drinking I've done, I don't think an innocent ride on something like the tea cups will bother me."

"I don't know. I've seen you after one of those binges, remember?" Laura smiled at the way Crystal covered her face with her hands. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll be fine."

The tea cup ride was a group of twelve cup shaped cars that spun around on individual tracks attached to a larger surface that also rotated, creating speed and centrifugal force. In the middle of the 'tea cups' was a wheel that the passengers could use to help make themselves spin faster. Headrests helped protect the neck from the strain during the height of the ride. They were lucky enough to not have a large line waiting for the ride, allowing them to get a tea cup all to themselves. Sitting opposite each other, they waited impatiently for the ride to begin. Crystal kept the red stuffed bear wedged between her and the seat, not wanting it to fly out once the ride started. "You know," Laura began, "If we both start tugging on this like it was a steering wheel, I bet we can get it to start spinning.

"I'm game if you are," Crystal replied, putting her hands on the top of the wheel. Because they were opposite each other, Laura had to reach around her roommate's arms to put her hands where they belonged. "Clockwise or counter-clockwise?"

"Counter."

"Okay." It started slow and required a bit of huffing and puffing but soon they had a steady rhythm going and the tea cup spun in a circle, making everything they looked at a blur of light and color. With a jerking motion, the ride began. The speed that they were able to create on their own was no match to what the ride generated. In less than a minute they were whipping around in circles, the force causing Crystal to lose her grip on the wheel. She let her head lean back against the padded headrest and giggled. Laura stopped trying to keep up with the spinning wheel and relaxed as well, closing her eyes and feeling the spinning motion with her body.

"This would be cool stoned," Crystal said without thought. "I mean well"

Eyes still closed, Laura smiled. "I know what you mean."

"It's fun this way too, it's just different that way."

"I'm sure it is," she said, opening her eyes and reaching for the wheel. "Let's see if we can make this go faster." Putting her hands in position, she casually followed the current speed while waiting for Crystal to reach in and help. Together they began letting the wheel slide between the fingers until it started to slow down. Working together as if team, they jerked the wheel, sending the tea cup into another fast spin. Their hands constantly tangled, sending both into fits of laughter. Both were smiling and giggling like schoolgirls, no explanation or talk necessary. "Faster," Laura urged.

"Yeah, faster!" Crystal readily agreed, picking up the speed of her pulls on the wheel. At one point both had to lean back and close their eyes, the ride and their own speed making everything spin at an incredible rate.

"Oh man, this might be too fast," Crystal moaned, resting her hand on her belly.

Oh no, don't you dare get sick on this ride. Scooting across the seat, Laura moved next to her. "Does it hurt or do you feel nauseous?" "It hurts."

"I have an idea." Reaching between Crystal and the seat, she used her fingers to rhythmically thump the younger woman's back. "Try to burp." A quick spin sent her back against the seat but it also did the trick. Crystal let out a very unladylike belch.

"Sorry."

"That's okay. It's probably from all that beer." Feeling the ride slowing down, Laura slid back over to her side of the seat. "Speaking of which," Crystal said, straightening up in her seat. "We'd better find the potties after this."

"Good idea," she agreed, feeling her own bladder protest. When the ride came to a stop she chivalrously held the wheel with her hands to keep the cup from moving while Crystal picked up the stuffed bear and stepped out. The attendant held the car for Laura, freely looking up and down her body. There was a great temptation to make a comment to greasy attendant but she chose against it, wanting to get away from the body odor wafting at her as soon as possible.

Crystal was waiting for her outside of the ride area. "I think they're up here," she said, referring to the portable toilets. They walked further away from the rides and game booths, soon coming upon a slight incline where they made out the silhouette of the toilets. As they approached, the sound of men laughing nearby reached them. Laura looked over and saw the dim outlines of tents and campers of the carnival workers. Whether it was the lack of light or fear that made Crystal move closer to her, she wasn't sure. "Um, do you want to take turns standing guard for each other?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah that would be a good idea," Crystal answered quietly, her eyes looking around in the darkness for any movement. Deciding that her second guess was the reason for the sudden physical closeness, Laura was glad her friend accepted her offer. After smelling the faint odor of pot and something she couldn't identify, she wasn't sure she wanted to be alone out here either.

The trip fortunately went without incident, both women doing what they had to do and they were quickly on their way back to the heart of the fair. Just before they reached the Midway, Crystal reached out and put her hand on Laura's forearm, stopping her. "Um" The nearby floodlight gave little illumination in that particular area, barely enough for her to see Crystal's face. "Um" the blonde tried again. "Thanks for back there. I know you did it for me." She looked around, still nervous of the shadows in the dark. "Hey" She reached out, catching the stripper's chin and tilting her face so their eyes met. "I know it's got to be scary for you out there in the dark."

Crystal nodded and began slowly walking back to the fair, Laura quickly falling into step beside her. "But I'm having fun," the young woman said firmly. "I'm not going to let that scare me." She gave Laura a playful nudge. "Come on, let's go find a game where I can kick your ass and win you a prize." Crystal held the teddy bear up to show her. "Maybe I can even win one bigger than this one."

Laura held back her initial protests. Surely she could find room in her bedroom for a stuffed animal if Crystal wanted to win her one so bad. "Sure, sounds like fun. Let's go see what which game has the best prizes."

While searching for the biggest teddy bears, they stopped for Crystal to buy another beer and bottled water. While waiting, Laura let her eyes wander around, taking in the sights and sounds of the annual fair. People of all ages were about, from little children being carried by their parents to elderly couples using canes and trying hard to avoid being run over by the rambunctious teens. Brilliant twinkling caught her eye and Laura moved closer to the source.

Perfect, she thought when she saw the brightly painted sign. The crystal game. What had drawn her attention were the snowflake shaped crystals dangling from thin plastic string. They were the perfect size for dangling off her rear view mirror and it had been something Laura thought about buying before but never had gotten around to it. She looked at the game, trying to figure out the trick to winning. Unfortunately there wasn't really any easy way to win. A large flat table sat in the middle of the booth. Several muffin pans were pressed together, each cup a different color. The square area was roped off and a less than fully inflated ball was used. The winners were those that had their money down on the color that the ball landed on. Laura quickly did the math. There were many brown squares, followed by green, yellow, red and black. Only one silver cup was visible and that was the one that the ball had to land on in order to win a crystal. Otherwise the winner won a gift corresponding with the winning color. No wonder they're real crystal and not fake plastic, she thought to herself as she turned away from the booth. She took only one step before finding herself face to face with Crystal.