Olivia and Maizie - Octobter 4, around midnight
The ride slowed to a stop, the seat rocking ever so slightly as its passengers disembarked, both laughing while they climbed down to solid ground. From their vantage point higher up on the wheel, Maizie watched the couple as they stumbled off, arms around each other. Nudging Liv with her elbow, Maizie motioned for her to pass over the jar of moonshine they were sharing. The alcohol had been flowing freely through the camp all night, but she hadn’t dared to try it until she was safely perched on the turning ferris wheel, where no one could possibly stop her. It was better than whiskey, in her opinion, or maybe she was just starting to get the hang of this drinking thing.
Taking a sip, Maizie handed the jar back to Liv again, and the two of them jostled slightly as the ride began to move once more. They’d arranged to stay on long past the usual single turn, the patch -- and see? just a few hours at the Dog Park and she was picking up the lingo already -- in charge of running the wheel gamely skipping over them each time he loaded new passengers on. It wasn’t a large ferris wheel or anything, but it still lifted them high enough to see out across the expanse of tents and RVs and trailers, strings of lights linking the differing shapes to each other.
“This is the best night,” Maizie announced, not for the first time, pushing back her hair as the wheel’s motion blew it into her face. “I so didn’t think something like this was ever going to happen again, but I’m really, really glad it did.” She glanced at Liv, smiling, and then squeezed her friend’s hand, which was already linked with her own. Maybe it was the turning motion of the wheel combined with the moonshine, but there was this weird feeling kind of like butterflies in her stomach. Or maybe, she thought, remembering the couple they'd seen getting of the ride, it wasn't that at all.
"And I'm really glad we're sharing it," she added impulsively. There was nothing odd about that confession on the surface, but Maizie blushed anyway, her cheeks warming despite the slight breeze from the turning wheel.