Don't Be So Scared

[April Ericcson]

Adjusting the white flower in her hair, April waited for her cousin to catch up with her. As kiddie as it was, she loved Halloween, particularly the carnival. You'd think it'd be beyond cheesy, but it really wasn't. Besides, she was dressed up as Allie from The Notebook and was rather happy with her choice. It was her favorite romance novel and chick flick and people always said she looked like the girl who played her, so there was really no other choice.

Penny sighed as she adjusted the bun she had her red hair up in. She wasn't sure why, but she was extremely nervous. Glancing up at the roller coaster her cousin had chosen to stop at, she bit her lip. She wasn't afraid of roller coasters; she just wasn't used to them. She couldn't remember the last time her parents brought her to an amusement park, if they had ever done it at all.

Noticing her cousin's discomfort, April let out a sigh. "Pen, don't be so freaked out. Everything's going to be fine. It's just a ride. People are professionally trained to make them safe."

Penny smiled weakly, but was still worried. "Is this going to work with my wings?" she asked tentatively, deciding that she wouldn't win this if she tried to explain how she felt.

"Sure, they're flexible right?" April reached out a hand to bend them a little bit as if to make a point. "Although that probably would be a little uncomfortable..." Thinking for a minute, she picked up her tote bag. "Just take them off for now. You don't need them."

Penny gladly did so. At least now she would have the added discomfort of those wings. It was a shame though; they were so pretty.

[tmac]

Benny walked into the carnival, decked out in his vampire costume. He was supposed to be coming with Mimi, but they'd broken it off just a few days before. He'd even pondered not coming at all, but it seemed like a lot of fun. He hated going to these things alone, though, and tried to blend in with the crowds, looking for a familiar face, while trying not to focus too much on all the guys their with their girlfriends.

Making his way around, Benny noticed the roller coaster and headed toward it. God, he'd always loved those things! And this one looked a little rickety, which made it all the better. He didn't believe it was unsafe, but there was an added thrill in the creaking and groaning of an old coaster ride.

Standing in line behind a fairy and... he wasn't sure who the fairy was with, and looked at her curiously. What was that costume supposed to be? "April?" he asked, suddenly recognizing her, "Hey. How are you doing? And... who are you supposed to be?"

[April Ericcson]

"All right Pen. You're ready to go?" April asked once the wings were officially in her tote bag. She had a wide grin on her face. She'd have Penny loosen up if it was the last thing she did. Suddenly she heard a familiar voice greet her. There was Benny, decked out in a vampire costume. "Yep, that's me, in all my rare lipstick and nail polished glory." She frowned at his question. Ah well, she did sort of expect this, as annoying as it was. "Allie from The Notebook. You've heard of it right?"

Penny internally groaned. She really hoped this Benny guy wouldn't give April a reason to act condescending and well...like a know it all. She loved her cousin, but she acted like that when given the excuse to. She stood back, folding her hands behind her back as she watched the conversation.

[tmac]

Benny thought about it for a moment. The Notebook. It sounded vaguely familiar, but he was having trouble placing it. "Was that a... a movie or something?" he asked, "I think Mimi might have made me watch it, but I can't remember." And based on the way April was dressed, he had no doubt it was a chick flick, in which case he probably wouldn't remember it even if he had seen it.

Glancing back at the fairy, Benny smiled. "Hi Penny," he said, "Nice costume. I know what you are," he added with a wink. In fact, she looked great. The fairy costume really suited her.

[April Ericcson]

April fought back the urge to roll her eyes. Eh, she expected as much, really. Of course it was annoying, but she was going to try not to pull the "holier than thou" attitude tonight. "Book and movie," she corrected with a smirk. "One of my favorites actually, although I didn't really expect many people to get that." This time, she couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes.

Penny sighed at April's response. What was she thinking? April couldn't help be condescending to people who didn't recognize her costume, but at least she was much nicer about it than she expected. Penny was then distracted by Benny paying attention to her. "Oh, thanks," she responded with a smile. "Yours is pretty cool too." She liked being complimented, since it didn't happen very often back at home.

[tmac]

Benny smirked when April rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, it's not exactly my type of thing. Can't expect me to know everything about those kinds of movies... and books," he added, quickly, before he could be corrected again. "But you look nice, even if I'm still not sure exactly who you are," he said, voice carrying a hint of a tease.

"Thanks, Penny," Benny replied, smiling a little wider. He liked Penny, she was a sweet girl, but so quiet. "Have you been on this ride yet?" he asked, curiously, "It looks like a lot of fun."

[carson]

Carson was walking around the carnival in her gold dress, her blonde hair in ringlets and her gold and pink mask on her face. She was walking around alone cause she didn't know anyone and she had no one to hang out. She saw three people she saw from around school. They're probilly in Roger's classes. I think I've seen them before. She walked over to them and then looked at the roller coaster. It looked fun. "Excuse me." she said in her quiet voice, "Have you guys been on, yet?"

[April Ericcson]

April couldn't help but chuckle. Okay, okay, Benny was being funny, so it was all okay. "Point well taken," she responded grudgingly, but she winked toward him to show that she was kidding as well. He was a nice guy from what she could tell, so she supposed this wasn't a hill to die on. "Well thanks. I didn't put on lipstick to be teased, after all."

Penny couldn't help but chuckle at Benny and April's exchange. All right, so everything was all right. "You're welcome. And nope. April was just about to get me there, hence why I took off my wings." Suddenly she heard someone come over. Turning around, she noticed a girl that she had seen around, since they were in the same grade.

April tilted her head. Why did this girl look so familiar? She couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Nope. We're just about to. Have I seen you before? You look familiar."

[tmac]

Benny grinned at April, glad he hadn't offended her with his teasing, then turned his attention to Penny. "You're not nervous, are you?" he asked, sensing that she wasn't terribly happy to be going on the ride, "It's perfectly safe, you don't need to worry," he assured her.

Turning to face the newcomer, Benny smiled, "Hello, masked mystery girl," he greeted her.

[carson]

Carson smiled. "Hello." she said to Benny. She remembered his name but didn't say anything. She then turned to April and said, "Maybe around school....or in another life....You do look familar....Wait...Do you know my brother, Roger?" She smiled lightly, "Would you mind if I joined you?"

((Sorry it's short-ish. Couldn't really think of what to say...))

[April Ericcson]

Penny blinked at Benny's question and bit her lip. "Just a little...I've never really been on a roller coaster before," she explained with a weak smile. Most people found it absolutely crazy, but her parents were more likely to take her to a fancy restaurant for some business dinner than to an amusement park with rides of any kind. "But I'll be fine. Thanks for caring though." Her smile widened.

April smiled toward the girl. She was so shy, it was sort of sweet. Maybe she and Penny would get along. Sure, Penny was insecure, but it was very hard to get her to shut up once you got her going. It might do her some good. Besides, April wanted Penny to have as many friends as possible. After all, she couldn't be around forever to cheer her up, as much as she would like to be.

When Carson asked her if she knew Roger, her smile widened. "Oh, I definitely know him." She had to fight off blushing. "I'm sort of seeing him." Realization dawned on her. "Ohh, right. You're his sister. I'm April, nice to finally meet you." She unfortunately couldn't remember if she was Raelyn or Carson.

[carson]

Carson smiled. "You're his girlfriend?" she asked, "I knew you looked familar. I'm Carson, his youngest sister. It's nice to finally meet you too, April." she laughed lightly. Why Roger hadn't introduced them already was beyond her. She then turned to Benny. "You're Benny, right? I've heard Roger mention you." she said.

[eric]

Benny smiled when Carson introduced herself. He didn't know her well, only through Roger, and Roger didn't often speak of his sisters to Benny. He was surprised, though, that April didn't seem to know Carson, but he supposed that was none of his business. "Yeah, that's me," he told her.

Looking up at the roller coaster, Benny sighed and turned back to Penny. "Has this line even moved since you've been here?" he asked, anxious to get on the ride.

[Roger Davis]

Roger couldn't believe what he was wearing, it took him hours to actually decide what his costume should be. He hoped that April would like it. He looked around to try to spot April and he finally did. Walking to her, he saw Penny, Benny and Carson. And then he saw April, her beauty just took his breath away. "Wow April, you look so astonishing...once again," He said, remembering the dance, "Oh hey Penny, Carson and Benny."

[Penny Mezzello]

Penny tilted her head toward the girl who was apparently Roger's sister. She had seen her around a few times, but Carson was even quieter than she was. At least Penny was only quiet when she had nothing to say. She waved toward Carson with a wide smile. She was always up for making new friends, particularly if she hadn't met them at one of those stupid parties that her parents set up. Most of those kids were total snobs.

She glanced back toward Benny at his question, biting her lip slightly. "About half an inch per ten minutes. If you're an impatient person, this isn't going to be fun." She let out a sigh. This ride had better be pretty good if it was taking this long.

April smiled down at Carson. "Yeah, I can't believe we hadn't met until now." After all, she and Roger had been a couple since Homecoming and she only now met just one of his little sisters. It made no sense really. Then again, she supposed that they were busy. She glanced toward the everlasting line and let out an aggravated sigh. This would take a while.

Upon hearing Roger's voice, April let out a squeal before practically jumping around to look at him. Her heart skipped a beat. "As do you, Your Highness," she responded jokingly. She wrapped her arms around him with a wide grin on her face. The girl was practically giddy at the moment; holidays that were brushed off as "kids' holidays" had a tendency to do that to her and the fact that her boyfriend looked even more gorgeous than usual helped. She kissed him. "Glad you could make it baby."