My attempt at an Angelick argument in this chapter. Please leave your comments at the bottom and thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited or subscribed. Your support means the world.

"Paddy, my boy," Alex Jane said joyously clapping his young son on the shoulder. "That was a terrific show. Well done! The marks are in your pocket and I've sold you three private appointments tonight. You'd be amazed at what these suckers are payin'."
"That's great, Dad," Patrick said taking a gulp of water. He didn't really want to know how much the suckers were paying as he knew he wouldn't see much of it after his father used most of it to cover gambling debts and the rest on more gambling and booze. Patrick felt a misplaced sense of responsibility however since it was the gambling problem that funded his show and kept them in the business in the beginning.

Patrick had managed to gather some savings for himself from the piddly percentage his father gave him after each show and the not so rare tip he was given.
"How is our other investment going?" Alex asked filing through the bundles of notes they'd received from entry. Patrick wasn't stupid. He knew what his father meant and had suspected it since his father started uncharacteristically given a damn about his personal life. Those suspicions were confirmed a few nights ago when he heard his father bragging to his poker buddies about how his son was getting in with the carnival princess and their futures would be set for life. He had wanted to punch his father's lights out for saying such things – as if Patrick gave a damn about what family Angela came from. She could have come from a family of the poorest beggars without a penny or title to her name and he still would think she was the most gracious angel to ever walk the Earth.

"If you're talking about Angela, she's fine," he replied tersely. "Speaking of actually, I'm going to need to take her birthday off in a couple of weeks. It's December so it will be dead anyway."
"I'm sure we can work something out for that," Alex said thoughtfully.
"And if you're conspiring anything, you may as well forget it," Patrick continued, fixing up his shirt. "She's just my friend."
"Ah, for now, Paddy, for now," Alex told him. "But just you wait, it won't be long and she'll be wrapped around your little finger – just like every mark."

Patrick exhaled loudly and physically bit his tongue so he didn't retort angrily at his father. The only reason he hadn't punched his father's lights out was that he knew he could use this to his advantage since his father wouldn't object to him wasting any time with Angela. The show had always come first but now Patrick and his father could agree that perhaps there was something more important – even if it was for completely different reasons.

"On that subject, don't keep the customers waiting! Make sure you lay on the charm thick tonight – make them feel special like I told you. Those debts won't pay themselves and you aint getting any cheaper to keep around."
"Yes, Dad," Patrick sighed and left the tent.

000

Patrick pocketed $52.70 to add to his savings, which in hindsight of how much they probably made tonight was laughable but was definitely a good amount for him for one night. He just wished that he could find a better way to make that money. The private readings were a good idea some time ago, now a majority of the clients were either wanting him to channel dead family members, ask about cheating husbands or buying into his father's pitch of 'come see the amazingly handsome boy wonder who can tell your future and you can feel him up and make out with him afterward for a small fee'. It was horrendous, he knew but what else was there to do? His only other option was to stand up to his father and probably leave. Not an option since cutting his heart out and throwing it over his shoulder on the midway as he left seemed like a less painful choice than leaving Angela and never seeing her again. Just to linger in her life, even if she was unreachable, was worth any measure of pain or inconvenience, in retrospect.

He wouldn't be able to see her for a while since she was in Jack's magic show tonight which happened after Patrick's performance in the big top across the carnival.
"Jack has a show and I'm being his assistant. He's reluctant though. He never likes me doing it. I don't think I'm distracting enough," she sighed as she told him this morning, chewing her lip as they wandered through the midway.
The magician's assistant's purpose was to be beautiful and charming and distract the audience to take the attention off the magician for portions of time. Patrick knew the reason Jack was reluctant to use Angela was she was a little too distracting and a little too charming. Jack was an amazing performer but Patrick had to be honest, when he went to see the show and Angela was his assistant, he was so mesmerised by her on stage he couldn't pay attention to the flashy sleight of hand tricks.

Patrick flicked the lights off in his dressing room when a pair of hands covered his eyes mischievously. "Guess who?"
He smiled widely that she had gotten off early and spun around eagerly, arms wrapping around her waist, which was a little curvier than he remembered it though she was probably in a stiff and fitted costume. Cherry lips crushed against his, eagerly and forcefully and he knew immediately that something was wrong and stepped back.

"Eleanor?" he gasped as he looked at the girl. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Hey boy wonder," she smiled curling one of her hair feathers around her finger. "I heard Leslie bitching about how she's bored of you and I didn't see you sneak off with a local like you usually do, so I thought you would be up to reminiscing about old times."
She leaned in again and he caught her wrists, holding her back. "Elea, that was one time. And it was over a year ago."

He'd slept with a lot of girls – sort of his coping mechanism for dealing with the clients his father found. Girls who came with the carnival and local girls. Eleanor had been a one night drunken stand sometime ago. She'd had her eye on Patrick for months and took her chance one night which Patrick knew was a mistake. He thought he wouldn't have to see her again when her family left the circuit last year but Jonathan gave her a job few months ago when she returned by herself. Patrick didn't know the story there but he wasn't entirely desperate to find out.

Eleanor giggled and brushed his shoulder lightly. "Come on, Paddy, I've missed you."
She pushed him so he fell backwards onto his dressing table and she started unzipping his pants.
"Elea! No!" he protested. "You and Angela are friends."
"So? It's not like you're going steady with her."
"No, but still…" Patrick said sliding all the way back so his back was against the mirror in an attempt to get away from her wandering hands.

"Patrick," she sighed and tossed her curly hair behind her shoulders as she removed her shirt and straddled Patrick's lap. "Angela is a nice girl and a good friend. But to make it here, you've got to be more than that. You're with the show or you're not. There's no sitting on the fence. I'm sorry to say it but she's more of a mark than a carnie. That's what everyone says. You're from different planets. And besides…if you think little miss innocent is holding out waiting for you, you're wrong."
"What are you talking about?" Patrick asked, momentarily relinquishing his struggle.
Eleanor's brown eyes went bright with the relish of revealing fresh gossip.
"Aaron just dumped his girlfriend for Angela and they're going out on a date. I just saw them outside the big top talking about it. I think they're going to a dinner at a place called Belle on the weekend?"

Patrick felt his whole body tense under Eleanor's with this new piece of information and for a moment, he swore he could literally rip Aaron in half. He knew he couldn't stop Angela from dating when he was too cowardly to tell her how he felt. If Angela found a man that deserved her more than Patrick did, Patrick would even pretend to be happy for her and honestly wish her all the happiness and love in the world and spend the rest of his life absolutely heartbroken. But Aaron? No. He would kill the bastard before he touched a single hair on her head.

"I've got to go," Patrick said trying to shift Eleanor off him and reclaim his pants but she gripped his shoulders and pushed him back against his mirror.
"Patrick, you need to stop doing this to yourself. She isn't for you."
"Eleanor, I'm not kidding around with you. I'm sorry but it was one night and I was drunk and I can barely remember it. You had a boyfriend at the time, I recall. It was a mistake, Eleanor. You need to let me go."

Her usually bright and chirpy eyes turned malicious.
"I'll…I'll tell Angela about us," she whispered her voice shaking only slightly.
"What?"
"I'll tell Angela what happened between us," she repeated, more confidently now. "I've seen you with her. If she asked you about it, you couldn't even lie to her."
"That's ridiculous," Patrick chuckled darkly. Why did he always have to sleep around with the pathetic ones?
"Is it? I overheard Samantha asking Pete if he knew of any good hotels in Kansas for you to take Angela to on her birthday night. It's much more romantic than the patch of grass we found but I guess it's nice given it's her first time. So I would take a stab at saying that there's at least something going on and she wouldn't be thrilled that you'd slept with her other best friend and not told her about it. And something's telling me that you don't want anything to jeopardise your chances of losing her."
Patrick glared at her and knew that he had no choice.
She smiled at him and started to kiss his neck leaving trails of cherry lip gloss as she did so. "You always make the right choice. I know you wouldn't put poor Angela through more heartbreak. She's already been through so much..."

000

Still seething with hatred for himself at what he'd done, he parked his car a little out of the way of Jack's tent and got out and stood against it, watching the families spill out joyously. The reason he was still in this shit place came out soon after looking absolutely beautiful in a sequined blue (very short) dress. It shimmered like liquid cerulean. It was getting ridiculous. He saw her every day. His heart needed to stop having a spaz attack every time he laid eyes on her. It was unhealthy.

Patrick tried not to laugh as she walked straight past him. She was too concentrated on walking in the ridiculous strappy heels that Jack had supplied. They kept sinking into the muddy grass and she had trouble walking in socks so it was an interesting adventure.

"Patrick," she gasped, her hand going to her heart as he gently grabbed her arm so she didn't break her ankle.
He meant to apologise for startling her but when he looked at her he no longer had control over his words. The halter neck dress exposed the porcelain skin of her shoulders and her hair was piled up on top of her head with dark tendrils gently framing her face. Make up was never really her domain but she had applied a small bit of sophisticated eye makeup and red lipstick that made her look older than usual.
"You look beautiful," he said breathlessly which she took for mocking.
She smirked and punched his shoulder lightly. "Very funny, mister."

Patrick sighed unhappily and slammed his car door a little harder than usual. He wished she could take him seriously sometimes. This contributed to the terrible mood he was in from Aaron and Eleanor which she could somehow sense and the car ride was very quiet. He had taken them on the road that looped right around the field that the carnival was on. It was the longest route by far. His knuckles were white from gripping the wheel and his expression was furious. She absent-mindedly fiddled with a loose lock of hair and kept glancing at him through her long eyelashes. When this didn't work, she tried sighing loudly several times.

"AHH!," she huffed eventually, slamming her hands down on her thighs and unbuckled her seatbelt so she could turn and face him. "WHAT is the matter?!"
"Nothing," he said bitterly, not taking his eyes on the road. "Please put your seatbelt back on."

"Are you angry with me?"
"No," he whispered softly. "Please put your seatbelt back on, Angel."
"Has someone done something to you?!" Angela demanded. "I'll beat them senseless if they have."
"With what, Angel? You're rippling strength?" he replied even more bitterly aware of how defenceless she was.

"I don't know, you could always give me that stick that's up your ass and I could use that?" she retorted with a hair pin between her lips. She shook out her long curly hair from its graceful presentation and mussed it up with her fingers until it was comfortably unruly again. He could feel his mouth become dry and his chest tighten at this simple motion but pushed it back down.

What Aaron had said to him the other day cut into his heart like a cold knife. What could he offer Angela? She was so clever, beautiful, pure, talented and forgiving. He was a cheating, womanising good for nothing carnie with no future. His hands tightened on the wheel and his knuckles turned white.

"Please put your seatbelt back on, Evangeline."
He could feel the heat literally rolling off her in waves as she made a show of putting on her seatbelt huffily. She crossed her arms and scowled for a small while before she really looked at him and how tortured his expression had become.

"Patrick?" she said quietly, all hint of frustration gone.

He slammed on the brakes (mindful her seatbelt was on) and sat stationary for a moment while she stayed silent. His life was hopelessly wrapped around this girl. He would've ditched this place years ago if she hadn't been here. Why did she choose him over anyone else to make love to her? It made no sense. His life was a dangerous poisonous vine to her delicate flower.

"DAMMIT ANGELA!" he yelled and hit his steering wheel with his palm. She hated crying and she wouldn't do it in front of him but she was looking out the window refusing to show him her face so he couldn't tell how much he had upset her.

She turned around angrily, her hair smacking his face as it swished when she unbuckle her seat belt, all rage had been reinstated. Angela's heel got tangled up in the seatbelt and she toppled out of the car headfirst. Patrick hurriedly jumped out of his side to see if she was okay and help her up.
"No!" she yelled at him, holding him back with one arm and using the other hand to pull up the top of her dress to keep herself decent as she clumsily stood up. "DON'T YOU DARE BE A GENTLEMAN NOW! YOU…YOU…STUPID BOY!"

"You're the one that wanted to sleep with the stupid boy! Or have you switched to delegating that task to Aaron since you're dating now?" Patrick snapped resentfully.
Angela took a moment to hold her hair back from her face with her hands so she could see him through the wind. "Aaron O'leary? Are you shitting me right now?"
She didn't swear often so he knew she was properly pissed off.

"I heard he asked you out. You're going to Belle or something on the weekend?"
"Not that it's any of your damned business, but he did ask me out," Angela told him lividly. "And if you knew anything about your alleged best friend instead of believing the local gossip you would know that I said no."
"You did?" Patrick said his heart inflating like a balloon and it felt like he would float away.
"AND I TOLD HIM TO GO TO HELL, YOU IMBECILBE! NOT BELLE!"
"Oh, Eleanor told me…"
"Eleanor, really?!" Angela put on her fakest adoring smile and sweetly sarcastic voice as she planted her hand on her hip. "You mean Eleanor the biggest gossip in the circuit who has the biggest most vomit worthy crush on Patrick Jane and won't stop going on about 'how this one time we made love in a field and it was absolutely magical'. Like sleeping with you is actually difficult. Of course everything she tells you is completely and utterly true! Since you believe every word that comes out of her precious mouth rather than knowing a single damned thing about me, maybe you should go climbing into her window in the middle of the night!"

She turned around to leave and Patrick stood there absolutely stunned.
"You knew?" Patrick said quietly. The girls must've had bionic ears because they were far away from each other now and she turned around.
"Of course I knew! I'm a Ruskin, it's my job to know. Not to mention, Patrick, I'm a girl. I find out everything!"
"And…and that's…okay with you? You don't hate me for it?"
"OF COURSE I DON'T HATE YOU, YOU LUNATIC! YOU'RE MY BESTFRIEND AND YOU'RE WONDERFUL AND I LOVE YOU AND THAT WON'T CHANGE NO MATTER WHAT SILLY THING YOU DO! I COULD SEE THE DARKEST SIDE OF YOU AND I STILL WOULDN'T HATE YOU NO MATTER WHAT! YOU…YOU…"

Angela couldn't seem to find a fitting insult that did him justice so instead yelled angrily, her hair was flying everywhere like Medusa at this point, and turned away to stomp back to the carnival by herself. Her exit would have achieved the sassy result she was aiming for if it weren't for the death traps Jack had strapped on to her feet. Patrick watched helplessly as her ankle rolled again and she stumbled. Cursing blue murder as she did it, she leaned against a tree and angrily tore them off her ankles, lobbing them at Patrick for good measure before storming off.

Patrick stood there absolutely dumbfounded by what had just happened. That woman would be the death of him.

"That's some pretty little thing you've got there," a voice said behind him. "I like the fiery ones."
He turned around and received a solid thwack to the chest sending him sprawling backwards to the ground. Three shadows stood above him and one of them gave him a good solid kick to the ribs and he cried out in surprise.

"You Alex Jane's kid?" one of the men said.
He was too winded to answer and they took that as confirmation.
"Tell your Dad to pay his debts by the end of the week or you're both dead."
One of the men went to hit his face but the leader grabbed his wrist. "Not his face. That's the money-maker."
He was dizzy with the pain in his ribs and his chest and was unable to move.
A man leaned down and pulled his head up by his collar. "Tell your dad he has til Friday."
And with that he smacked Patrick's head against the floor. The pain was so intense, it rang in his ears and he heard the three men speed off nearby. The dark sky and trees went into a dizzy swirl around him as he felt warm liquid trickle around his ear and began the lose consciousness.

Patrick mustered all his remaining energy to turn his head and saw one of her shoes lying next to him. He lifted his hand up weakly to let the blue strap wrap around his finger. Even though, he knew he was going to be sporting the most horrific of all headaches tomorrow, if someone found him at all, he smiled to himself and let the blackness take him. Because she told him she loved him.

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