Pawnshops and Carousels

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Look at me updating on time! Did you guys like the flash back chapter? In this one we're gonna see how the carousel is faring and whether anyone will buy it. And we're gonna see some crowd favourites, like Rick. Don't forget to leave a review and I'll see you guys next Sunday.

Chapter 7

"Rick, I need you to push this," Seth says putting a musical carousel into my hands and then just lounging back and staring at me. I look at the music box in my hands surprised. This wasn't the kind of thing that Seth would buy so I'm confused as to what I'm looking at. Or why I have to be the one to sell it.

"Uh… what?"

"Look, I've got a bet going with my dad that I can't flip it, can you help me please?"

I assume that the bet was for Seth to sell it so he's probably cheating but I don't want to get in on it. So I just smile and take it from him. "Well I mean…sure… what am I asking for it?"

"Well she paid 150 and I said we could get at least a 50-dollar profit, so set the price for 200 but if you can get it higher that would great."

"Someone paid 150 for this? Who the hell did that, did they get fired?" I ask him as I turn the music box over in my hands and he looks away from me. There's a pink tinge to his ears and his jaw bone is pulsing away. I narrow my eyes at him now because this is suspicious and I can think of only one female in this store Seth would ride to the rescue to… or let get away with something like this. "You said a she bought it? Was it Sabrina?"

"Does it matter who bought it? Can you just do as I ask?"

"God, if this is the type of shit that girl buys you better keep her off the floor," I say with a slight scoff but I should have known better because Sabrina's always been a touchy subject where Seth was concerned.

"Okay. Firstly, I'm dealing with Sabrina and keeping her off of the floor. Alright? She didn't want to be there and neither do I want her there. Les made her. Let it go. Secondly. She likes carousels okay. She thought it was worth something, and as I've already said, we can probably get at least fifty dollar profit off of it. Everyone's allowed to make mistakes we should just be grateful that she didn't make a bigger one. Thirdly. I don't care who you are, but no one talks about her like that…"

"Why are you yelling at him?"

Oh, thank god. Saved by the crush.

Seth stops immediately, the color draining out of his face and goes completely silent. Sabrina turns to me with a narrowed look of distrust on her face. "What did you say about me?"

"I didn't say anything," I tell her because it's true. I didn't really. I just questioned her judgement.

"Why is he telling you not to talk about me like that?"

I glance to Seth who is lost to us both. She doesn't even see it. The look on his face is pure longing, he wants to do something, I don't know what but it's something. He hasn't taken his eyes off of her face and his hands are rooted deeply in his pockets. No doubt to stop himself from doing the something he so clearly wanted to do to Sabrina. Well, now that Seth's lost to the world I can tell Sabrina the truth, so I show her the carousel and say: "I questioned your judgement on this."

Anyone in the Gold Family would flip at the thought of someone second guessing one of their purchases or any of their decisions. But Sabrina isn't a part of the Gold family, so she doesn't look upset by my honesty instead her smile widens. "Oh yeah, I fucked up bad on that, but I couldn't resist," she says pulling the music box out of my hands and winding it up. "Just listen to that, how could I resist that?"

The song that's playing surprises me. It's a Nutcracker song, but not one of the more popular suites and that's really rare. "Whoa, the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy?" I say. "Yeah, I can work with that. This bumps the price up at least a hundred or more."

"Kay, so I have three hundred right now, can I have it?" she asks me and now I'm more confused then before. So, what? Did she buy it for herself? This was common with the Gold's but Sabrina wasn't a Gold, she passed up that chance when she threw that engagement ring right back at Seth's face after he cheated on her.

But her request gets Seth back in motion. "I told you, Sabrina, you're not buying the carousel."

"Aw come on Seth, it's so pretty and it plays one of my favourite suites. Even if I buy it, you'll still win your bet with your dad."

I sit back and watch the two of them argue. It's funny to see Seth try and negotiate with Sabrina and lose. Mainly because back when they were younger, she used to be out negotiated by him all the time. She seemed to be doing much better against him now… or Seth was so into her that he had lost his touch with her. He always did falter when pretty girls hit on him, but it was so much worse when it was Sabrina.

Seth must have realized that he was losing to her because he turns back to me and says: "Don't let her buy it. That's an order." He then turns back to her and snaps: "My office, now."

"Can't I listen to the rest of the song?"

"Sabrina."

"I'll be right there when it's done," she says with a smile and Seth seems reluctant go.

"Seth, Ashley, office now!" Les calls and now Seth is torn.

"Don't worry. I won't buy it, I'm just going to listen to the music," she says and he sighs and leaves her there being sure to shoot her one last glance before he ran off at his daddy's call.

I look back to Sabrina who is watching him go and I am very tempted to just tell her that Seth adores her and to put the boy out of his misery already. All she had to do was say: hey Seth, let's make out, and the boy would probably trip over his own feet to get to her. But I don't say that to her cause I know if I do, Seth would lose his mind.

Once he's gone Sabrina turns to me that smile back on her face. "Kay he's gone, seriously how much to buy this carousel."

Yeah, I'm not that stupid. I sell that to her and Seth will have my beard. And her big green eyes do nothing for me.

"Nice try. I'm not getting in the middle of this Reenie," I tell her and she sighs.

"Ugh, you used to be fun."

I watch her storm off and I sigh again. I thought it might be fun having her back in the store, at least just to watch Seth squirm but now that It was blowing up in my face it's not as much fun anymore.

Les: I'd be stupid to not have noticed what's happening. Seth watches Sabrina like a hawk. He doesn't want her on the floor because then she's not safe. He wants her at the desk outside his office so he knows where she is. His eyes rarely leave her, I'm having a hard time getting him out on the sale's floor to help negotiate for items because he wants to be in the back with Sabrina. And now that Sabrina is getting up from her desk to go visit that carousel every ten, fifteen minutes, I know it's only a matter of time before Seth ends up in my office.

Someone wants the music box.

I had my guys post it online and someone wants the music box. Willing to pay 450 for it.

Problem is. I don't want to sell it.

I have just spent the whole day watching Sabrina with that carousel. She wants that stupid thing. And I want to be the one to give it to her.

But I also don't want to lose this bet. I mean, I will if it means I can make her smile, but… you know… I'm super competitive. I don't really want to lose.

I watch as Sabrina gets up again and crosses across the office to go play with the carousel… again. God-damn it. That's it, I'm going to do it. Screw my pride, Sabrina's smile will be worth the blow to it.

I leave my office and go straight into my dads. I shut the door and then sit across from him. "I have a buyer for the music box, they're willing to give me four-fifty" I tell him and my dad smiles widely because it is good news. "But I have a problem."

"What's the problem?"

"Sabrina wants the carousel… bad…"

My dad just stares at me. "Okay… and?"

God he's going to make me spell it out. "Right. I forfeit the bet."

"What? Why?"

I throw down the two hundred I said I would get someone to pay for the music box and push it towards him. "Cause she wants it and I'm buying it for her."

My dad smiles. He smiles like he knew this was going to happen. He smiles like I just playing into his scheme. Which makes no sense because how would he know I was going to do this, I didn't even know I was going to do this.

He pushed the money back towards me. Shit he's going to make me pay 450. "Keep it. The bet's off."

"No, I'm throwing it purposely, take the money."

"Nope. You're doing something good, something nice for someone else. You think I haven't seen her with that stupid music box? The bet's off, you don't have to buy it."

"If I don't buy it, we don't make a profit."

"Her birthday's coming up soon, isn't it?"

"Yeah it's in August but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well… save it until then. It'll be a gift from us."

I reluctantly take the money he's offering me and stick it back in my pocket. He's got a point, it's a good idea and no one has to lose any money on the deal. I thank him and leave the office.

I'm going to have to wait for Sabrina to be distracted before I can steal that Carousel back from Rich. I want this to be a surprise.

I can't explain why but I love that music box. I love listening to it. I love the way the horses move, and they actually do go up and down, instead of just spinning round and round like a normal carousel. I love every bit of it, even the chips. Which is why I'm super excited that no one's gone near it even though Rich is walking around with it and showing it off.

It's almost the end of the day, which means I'll be giving Seth my money to take it home. But right now I just want to listen to the song one more time. Even though I said that five minutes ago.

I glance back at Seth who is on the phone and immediately leave my seat, despite him telling me not to a million times today, and rush back to Rich who is no longer carrying my music box.

I frown as I approach him and note that he actually looks quite afraid of me. "Uh… where's the carousel?"

"Seth took it," he tells me raising his hands in surrender and I leave him immediately. I storm back into the back office and then walk into Seth's office. I know the only reason he's taken it, it because I keep going over to it and he wants me to stop. He's scolded me every time he's found me over there.

His eyes find me immediately even though he's on the phone and he lifts a finger to tell me to wait. Unnecessary because I know better than to interrupt anyone while they're on the phone but I nod so he knows I understood the order and then shut the door as quietly as I can behind me.

I wait patiently for him to finish, fiddling with my fingers in a nervous fashion, a habit I've always had and still can't break. As soon as the phone call's done, he turns to me with a big sigh like he's preparing for a fight and asks: "What's up, Sabrina?"

"Where's the Carousel?"

"It was sold."

"What? How? No one's been up to see it. Rich would have told me."

"It sold online. 450 bucks. That's a 300-dollar profit, and I won my bet, high five," he says. I blankly give it to him not sure why it upsets me so much that it sold. I mean… it's just a music box. I guess because I had my heart set on it.

"Oh… that's… great."

"Yeah, and you can save that money for something great, like a new haircut or something."

"A new haircut?" I echo with a frown, unconsciously a hand has gone up to the ends of my hair as if I'd feel the hideous style he seems to be implying I have. "What's wrong with my hair?"

Seth falters. He blinks his eye as if he doesn't want to, or know how to answer that question. "Wha… uh… nothing?"

"Then why do I need new hair, Seth?" I ask crossing my arms over my chest as I glare to him. Seth just stares at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, trying to stutter out some kind of answer and failing miserably. "You're an asshole, Seth."

I storm away trying to hide the tears in my eyes. This is ridiculous it's just a stupid carousel… so why does it feel like I lost Seth all over again?