Chapter 4

Thanks so much for reviewing guys!:) Please Review and Hope y'all Enjoy! HAPPY LATE NEW YEAR! I've been so busy, but I'm going to finish this story. I won't leave you hanging.

"Rachel, please just this once let me give you make over," Kori begged. "Please" she kneeled on both her knees while Rachel groaned.

"No, Kori," the purple haired beauty said. "I'm fine the way I am. And besides what's wrong with how I look now?"

"You look fine," Kori picked up her friend's defensive tone. "Nothing, Rachel, it's just"-Kori searched her mind for the right words to use, "It's just you need to mix it up a little a bit. I mean come on," Kori nudged Rachel to the closet that had mirror attached to it. "Look at yourself. You are going to a carnival in a black turtle neck and worn out combat boot.

"I think I look fine," Rachel said less interested in her friend proposal for a makeover.

"Well, what do you think Garfield will say when he sees you," Kori asked.

"I don't care!" Rachel yelled. "Hell, I didn't even want to go on this date anyway."

"Rachel, how about we make a deal," Kori asked.

"What kind of deal," Rachel asked with her back still turned to her friend.

A sneaky idea entered her mind. Dick was truly rubbing off on her, "How about if you let me give you a makeover and I promise I will never set you up on another date."

Rachel's amethyst colored eyes looked with her friend's emerald eyes. "You swear?"

Kori nodded 'yes.'

"I don't know about this," Rachel got up, but her friend spun around into the chair in front of the vanity.

"A promise is a promise," Kori grinned.

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Dick stood outside his car waiting patiently for his girlfriend.

"Here we are!" Kori shouted practically jumping into his arms. She was wearing a purple halter top and a denim skirt. Her long fiery colored hair was half up and half down.

"What took you long," Dick asked.

His girlfriend smiled and then turned to a woman who looked like Rachel, but this was odd to Dick. Rachel never wore pink. "Behold my masterpiece," Kori beamed with delight.

"How bad do I look?" Rachel said in a monotone manner. Dick was too stunned to form words.

"Not at all," Kori said. "Garfield is going to die when he sees you."

Rachel tugged at her hot pink floral dress. "Kori, maybe I should go change."

"No," Kori and Dick said in unison.

It had been ages since Rachel wore a dress since, that terrifying night. She still feared that if she made herself look beautiful by wearing dresses and make up, she would be targeted again. But she pushed those thoughts a side. Her self-defense classes were taking its toll on her. No matter how many times she tried to deny it she had to believe that whaat happened that night wasn't her fault.

"Rachel, you look very nice," Dick said understanding the woman's condition. His words seemed to calm the purple haired beauty as she gave him a curt nod.

In less than 30 minutes

The trio stepped out of the car marching toward the gates of the carnival. "Okay, so at 8:30 we'll meet at the entrance gate," Dick said ignoring the grins of the two women, who merely shook their heads. Typical Dick always making up a plan for everyone to follow; Kori giggled at the thought of Garfield joking once, 'that Dick wouldn't brush his teeth without a backup plan.'

"So are you excited?" the fiery haired woman asked her friend, who was still fidgeting with the floral printed dress.

"As I'll ever be," Rachel replied in a monotone.

"Hey, Rachel," Garfield called from the entrance gate with a huge smile on his face.

"Look how happy he is," Kori said nudging Rachel.

The handsome green skinned man sprinted up to her with the tickets in his hand, "Wow, Rachel, you look beautiful."

Rachel didn't meet his eyes when he complimented her instead she looked down finding the ground to be somewhat fascinating.

"Garfield, be sure to meet us back here by 8:30," Dick commanded earning a mock salute from Garfield.

Rachel had to admit this guy was funny, but she knew he would get bored with her eventually. She knew she wasn't worthy to be with a man after what happened to her. Most men were the same anyway, taking advantage of woman, just because their stronger.

'Rachel," Garfield said in a sing-song tone.

"Huh," snapping her from her thoughts.

"I asked you do you want some cotton candy?" he smiled. "It would match your dress."

"No," she answered. "I can get a different color of cotton candy, " he suggested. "I just assumed"-

"I said no," Rachel said in a stern voice. "It's fine I don't want anything."

With that said she strutted off to lean on against a pillar. Garfield scratched his and pondered to himself about what he could have said that made her upset. "Tell you what how about I take you on my favorite ride," he said with an enthusiastic grin. "Come on I know you want to know," he gently began to pull on her arm to lead her to a ride known as the 'Tea Cups.'

"You can't be serious," Rachel stated.

"I'm dead serious tone," Garfield said in a tone matching hers. "Come on, Rae," he said.

"Rachel," she corrected.

"Come on, Rachel," he said allowing her to get into the tea cup first a he slide into the cup as well. "Wanna know why I liked this ride?" he asked.

Rachel didn't ask, but that didn't stop the man from telling her, "When I was 10 my parents died, I was so upset that I ran away and came here. I had to find an escape, you know what I mean," he said looking at the woman who appeared to be actually listening him. "I had to escape from the pain. I rode this ride 40 times that day. This ride made me feel like how I felt on the inside. It was like I was just sitting here while the world around me was spinning and there was nothing I could do to stop it. But you know I learned something. This ride is like life it goes by fast, but it eventually slows down. And when life slows down it gives you a chance to look at from new eyes."

Rachel mentally took in everything what the man had said, but before she could say something in return, the ride began. She involuntary closed her eyes and grasped the center piece, little did she know so did Garfield. The woman felt the cup spinning faster and faster, she commented, "Wow! This ride sure goes fast!" When she opened her eyes she noticed that he was spinning the center piece making the cup go twice as fast the other cup, "Garfield!" she playfully scolded. "No!"

"What's wrong, Rae, getting dizzy," he smiled taking in her smile as she tried to make him stop spinning the cup. When the tea cup came to a stop, she and the man stumbled out of the cup leaning on each other trying to keep their balance. It was then Rachel realized how handsome this man truly was up close. Garfield felt her eyes on him and decided to stare back at her. The second his emerald eyes met hers she blushed and looked away. He mentally scolded himself for causing her to pull away from him, but he quickly recovered when she gave him a small smile, "So where to next?"

Garfield had never seen this woman look so content. At the office all she did was sigh and say nothing with that same look of sadness on her face, but her she seemed happy. He swore he heard her giggle when her bumper car hit his, he swore she wanted to laugh when he appeared obese in the House of Mirrors, he swore she grabbed his arms when she got scared on the roller coaster ride….And last but not least-

"Not bad, young man," the elderly man praised Garfield for his skills in making five baskets in a row, "Go ahead and pick a prize."

The green skinned man smiled and asked Rachel what she wanted, which she did pointing at a green little monkey stuffed animal. When he handed her the stuffed animal- he swore she almost kissed his cheek.

The last ride of the night was the Ferris wheel. "My favorite ride…that takes you close to the stars," he said. When the Ferris wheel took them to the very top, he turned to the woman beside him said, "I hope you had a great time."

"Thanks, I did," she said with a slight twinkle in her eye.

"I hope we can do this again," he said giving her a genuine smile.

"Really?" she asked.

"Don't you," he asked her.

"Yeah," she said giving him a small smile, "But I just thought…never mind."

"Rae, I would really like to do this again," he said. "Because I'd really like to get to know you."

"Garfield," she sighed.

"I mean it, Rae," he said taking her hand in his a gesture that would have alarmed her, but instead soothed her.

"Rae," she lightly chuckled. "If you're going to keep calling me Rae, I guess I'm going to have to calling you Gar."

"Gar," he grinned. "I like it's better than Grass Stains."

Garfield hated it when Victor called him that.

"So, Rae," he smiled.

"And Gar," she smiled back.

The sound of fireworks shooting into the night sky earned their attention. They gazed up at the in awe at the variety of colors that covered the sky. It was then Rachel became aware of how close their bodies were. She looked up at him taking in his body heat. Garfield looked down at her and slowly started to inch his face closer to hers. When his lips touched hers it felt scary, but then wonderful. His kiss wasn't rough or forceful. In fact it almost made her want more.

"Gar, I would definitely like to do this again," she said as the Ferris wheel brought them closer to the ground.

Sorry I took so long! Please Review!;) I promise to keep writing!