"It's almost eleven," Liam replied, in an effort to be civil.

"Thanks."

"Road games, anyone?" Shane proposed.

Liam and Amy simultaneously groaned.

"We're going to play Picnic," Shane declared. "I want to go a picnic, and I've decided to bring you two along with me."

"Because this road trip has been so fun?" Amy's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Oh shush," Shane responded. "Alright, so we each have to bring items to the picnic. I'll bring prunes. Liam, what will you bring?"

"But I don't like prunes," Liam teased. "Uh, I'll bring a cake."

"Nope, I'm sorry you can't bring that to the picnic."

"Why? It's a cake."

"Amy," Shane ignored him and turned to her, "what will you bring to my picnic?"

"I don't know… ice?" she suggested.

"You may come to picnic."

"Hold up, she can bring ice to a picnic, yet you turn down me and my cake?" Liam frowned. "Are we going to eat ice?"

"Okay, well now you can bring a cake to my picnic," Shane mused.

"Can I also bring stripp-ed bacon?" Liam caught himself as he looked in his mirror back at Amy. Amy however, had been too busy figuring out the pattern of the game to notice Liam.

"No, you cannot," Shane spoke. "I'm uninviting you to my picnic."

"Can I bring Nestea?" Amy asked.

Shane's eyes lit up. "You know how to play."

"It was easy enough to figure out."

"You know what, I didn't want to come to this picnic anyways," Liam huffed.

"I'll bring Italian bread," Shane announced.

"And I'll lug charcoal to this picnic, for the hell of it," Amy concluded.

"What an inventive picnic," Shane grinned.

"Is somebody going to explain how this game works?" Liam interjected.

"It's a never-can-tell. You have to figure it out yourself."

Shane initiated a half-dozen other car games before they took Exit 30 off I-30 East for Six Flags Drive.

"Here we are," Liam said.

Liam directed his Mercedes through the entrance of Six Flags Over Texas with the guide of a parking lot attendant. Amy looked out the car window. In the field of faces walking towards the park gates, her attention was diverted by a couple of ten-year-old girls laughing along as they ran ahead of their parents. One had sunflower blonde hair, and her eyes sparkled as they traced the architecture of the Titan, the fastest and tallest roller coaster in Texas. The other girl had chestnut brown hair and a wild-child look to her. The two chased after one another, chattering with joy at the day that fell before them.

Amy smiled softly at the sight of them. Back when times were easy.

Liam parked his car. The three exited the vehicle and found themselves bathing in the Texan heat.

"Whatever happened to Pablo?" Liam suddenly asked Shane.

"Why partake in celibacy when there are other gorgeous boys with hearts of gold?" Shane rationalized.

"What's the name of the Tinder boy?"

"Declan."

"What an aristocratic name," Amy noted.

"I hope he's as elegant as his online persona is," Shane divulged.

Soon enough, Liam, Shane and Amy found themselves checking-in at the turnstiles. None of them carried a bag or purse of any sort, being of the more simple nature.

They walked past the two little girls that Amy had seen earlier, who were now in a line to buy ice cream cones. Amy stared at them once more, and pictures of Karma swirled in her mind. Flashbacks of the past ten years blurred like a moving zoetrope. Karma's laugh echoed with each surfacing memory, from the day little Karma gave up peanut butter to their grade school bus rides to their first day at Hester High together. How does ten years boil down to nothing at all?

Liam followed Amy's line of sight to the two children, who each held a vanilla ice cream cone in hand now, and a look of concern shadowed his face as a realization dawned upon him. Amy's kiwi green eyes welled with tears, and so she hid them with her MK sunglasses.

Shane had been too busy IMing Declan to notice the current situation.

"Guys, guys," Shane beamed, "Declan wants to meet at the Sky Screamer."

"How about you and Amy run along," Liam suggested. "I forgot my wallet in the car. I'll text you."

He walked back towards the park gates. Shane looked to Amy.

"Well, I guess that means he won't feel like a fifth wheel on our double date."

"Who is Declan's sister anyways?"

"Her name is Brandy. She's heading off to North Carolina in the fall on a soccer scholarship. Scored 2200 on the SATs. Very much into literature. And very, very hot."

"Sounds intimidating."

"You'll have a good time. C'mon, let's go," Shane said quickly.