High School is a Carnival
Fan Fic
The lights shine brightly at the Degrassi carnival, but all is not well. Fiona sits in the tent amidst the tubes and compacts, desperately dabbing at her face with a cosmetic brush.
"Fi! Sweetie, you can cake that on as much as you want to, but it's not going away," Chantay calls from the rack of spangled outfits along the side of the tent.
"I know," Fiona replies quietly. She stares at herself, the bruise around her eye blossoming blue to purple to green, like the colors of her favorite flower. The iris. Chantay and Anya always make fun of Fiona for the bouquet of irises she keeps by her vanity, but they remind her of her childhood, of New York, of Declan.
"You're thinking about him, aren't you," Chantay says, breaking Fiona's concentration.
"No," Fiona protests. "I was just thinking about tonight."
"Good. You better not screw it up tonight."
Chantay and Fiona look up to see the imposing figure of Holly J in her redcoat and top hat. She stands impatiently at the doorway.
"C'mon, ladies, tonight's show had better be good." She walks out, hearing the snarky whispers from the girls behind her.
More than anyone, Holly J understands the importance of tonight. It's not just about Degrassi. It is so much more than that.
Holly J walks the midway, past the sideshow where K.C. and Jenna argue, and waves to Anya with her snakes. Dear Anya, her oldest friend.
"You think we'll get a crowd tonight?" Anya calls to Holly J.
"We'd better," Holly J grumbles. Anya wraps her snake around her shoulders like a shawl, and kicks the moss at her feet.
"So... uh...have you seen Sav around?"
"I think he's a little tied up right now, An," Holly J replies. "I wouldn't worry about him."
"Oh. Well, it's no big deal. I was just hoping..."
"You were hoping for what?"
"Oh, nevermind. It isn't important," Anya says quickly. Sheepishly. Holly J looks at her and Anya shrinks under her gaze. Holly J turns and continues down the midway. The worry gnaws at her. Something is going to happen tonight. Something new, something unexpected. A loud pound shakes her from her troubling thoughts. Riley is practicing his Strongman routine and a small crowd of the carnies and crew forms around him.
"HJ! Hey!" he calls out jovially.
"Riley."
"Oh, man, tonight's gonna be a blast. You'll see. I've rigged it so I'm the only one who can hit the bell!" He proudly leans against the hammer in his hand. Holly J smiles at him.
"Whatever it takes," she grins.
They share a laugh and she continues past the kissing booth where Alli adjusts her hair and pops a breathmind and over to the dunk tank, which stands empty.
"Dave? Dave, where the hell are you?"
Dave emerges from behind the tank, shaken.
"Why aren't you on the platform?" Holly J barks.
"No way. N-no. Not me," Dave sputters.
"Why the hell not?"
"I have a bad feeling about tonight. Please, HJ, not me tonight." Holly J rolls her eyes.
"Fine. Go find Connor and tell him he's on tonight."
"I don't think he's gonna do it. He was freaking out by the tent before."
"It's you or him, pal. Your choice. But I want one of you on that damned platform in 5 minutes."
"Okay, okay," Dave says, backing up. He turns and runs to the tent, stumbling over a bale of hay beside the tank.
She gulps; she's not the only one with the heebie jeebies tonight. She makes her way to Clare's tent, a dark corner past the hall of mirrors. She pauses briefly, deciding whether she'd rather the mirrors or Clare inform her of what is in store for tonight. She decides on her soothsayer.
Clare sits by her tarot cards, the pack she found in her locker. You can still make out a faded label on the card box taht says "Property of T. MacGreggor." She looks up when Holly J enters, and puckers her lips in a perturbance.
Holly J sits at the chair opposite Clare and leans back.
"'Sup, Clare, my dear."
"Holly J," Clare grits out her reply.
"Aw, don't be sore about Declan."
"You didn't have to embarrass me," Clare says to the cards.
"Clare, what have I told you? Look me in the face when you want to talk about Delcan."
Clare looks up and holds Holly J's gaze for only a moment before she looks away.
"What's going on tonight? It's like there's a bad wind coming."
Clare scrutinizes the cards for a moment before she shuffles and places them in intricate patterns across her small table. She doesn't react at first, but then can't hide her surprise and then fear.
"That good, eh?"
"It's going to be a doozy."
"See, what does that even mean?" Holly J laughs, her tension beginning to ease for the first time all night. Clare shifts uncomfortably in her chair. "Ah, the hell with it. The show must go on, right?"
Holly J gets up to leave, as Clare turns over a card, a pair of lovers staring back up at her. She can swear the girl looks a little like her. Or Holly J, she can never tell. But the boy doesn't even resemble Declan with his dark hair.
Chantay approaches Holly J and links arms with her.
"I think we're ready, hon," she says.
"Oh, I agree," Holly J replies. "Let's get it started."
She walks up to the gate by the midway where the crowd has gathered. She adjusts her hat and lapels and clears her throat.
"Ladies and Gentlemen... Boys and Girls... come one, come all, and come on inside!"
to be continued...