“So, when did you meet this new boyfriend of yours?” Kenzie asked as the two drove to Rodeo-Go-Go.
“A few weeks ago. I wanted to tell you, but...”
“Yeah, I know, you wanted to spare my feelings. I get it. But I’m still happy for you.”
“Thanks. And I think you’ll like him.”
“I’ll be keeping my eyes open. Does he live in Sunset Valley?”
“No, actually he was visiting from Bridgeport. That got me really excited, so I started asking him a lot of questions, and one thing led to another. And no, before you ask, I haven’t slept with him.”
Kenzie couldn’t restrain a chortle. She didn’t think of her friend as a floozy, but it was still good to know that she didn’t dive right into bed with this new guy.
“How did you know he was from Bridgeport? How in the world did you even run into him?”
“It was a total freak accident. We bumped into each other at the grocery store, and let me tell you, he is downright hot. I almost melted right there. I told him I haven’t seen him around before and he said he was visiting. I asked from where and he said Bridgeport. So I…”
“You started flirting.”
“I didn’t really flirt, I just asked him questions. You told me about Bridgeport and I’d like to go there someday, so I just told him that was cool and I wouldn’t mind seeing it someday. He said he was just passing through and that he’s on some quest to explore places he’s never been.”
“He must have all the time in the world.”
“I don’t know about that, so I told him I could show him around Sunset Valley. It’s the least I could do considering I crashed right into him.”
“Are you sure that was an accident?”
“I swear! It’s not my fault he was so cute that I sort of leaned in toward him and stepped on something he bought.”
“Jill, you’re hopeless.”
The two girls laughed together, and before long, they reached Rodeo-Go-Go. The place had an appropriate western theme to it, with a large cowboy hat sign outside and some decorative cactuses inside. It was no wonder that the place had its name – it was definitely like going to a rodeo. The mechanical bull nestled in the corner was the icing on the cake.
“So, what time does this show start?” Jillian wanted to know.
“It said five, so it should be pretty soon. Let’s get a table so we can have a good seat.”
“I just realized something.”
“What?”
“Uh…we’re both wearing dresses. How are we supposed to ride that mechanical bull wearing dresses?”
“Crap, I didn’t even think of that. Oh well, I didn’t plan to ride it anyway. And what, are you wearing a thong under there for your boyfriend?”
“Oh for crying out loud, you’re going to tease me about that forever, aren’t you?”
“No, maybe just for the next 20 years.”
Jillian looked heavenward before sitting down at a nearby table. Kenzie followed suit. There were a few other patrons in the small live show venue, and the two could see a pool table upstairs and a photo booth. Other people were pouring in, obviously in anticipation of the show starting soon. Kenzie watched as a few people tried the mechanical bull, and tried to hide bursting into loud guffaws when some of them failed.
“Pwned,” she giggled under her breath. Jillian turned to look and said, “Maybe I shouldn’t try that thing.”
Within a few minutes, an announcer came onto the small stage and announced that Elijah the Enigmatic would soon be performing. The stage was already set up with traditional magician equipment, and in a matter of minutes, the stage lights and effect machines turned on and Elijah took center stage.
Even though Kenzie was always more attuned to the logic behind things, she’d always been fascinated with magicians and their tricks of illusion. She didn’t know how every single trick in the book worked, so when she saw something new, she was always bedazzled. Elijah wasted no time in mystifying the audience. He started with simple things, like transforming a wand into flowers, releasing doves, and making random objects appear out of a hat.
After some heckling from spectators who wanted something other than kids’ party stuff, Elijah got serious. He approached an empty glass box and announced that he would bury himself alive inside it. The audience gasped in awe. Elijah opened the box, stepped inside, and closed the door behind him. Within seconds, the transparent box began filling with dirt. Elijah dramatically held his breath and beat on the glass, making people think he couldn’t escape.
Kenzie kept inadvertently leaning closer and closer to the stage, wondering how the magician would possibly get out. When the box was completely full of dirt, there was no trace of Elijah.
But then, suddenly, the door swung open, the dirt drained, and Elijah was standing next to the box of danger with a dirt replica of himself, a triumphant look on his face.
Kenzie squealed, along with several other onlookers, and even Jillian was impressed. She’d never understood the concept of how anyone could make their living essentially tricking people into thinking impossible things existed.
Elijah thanked the audience, and then he announced that he needed a volunteer. Jillian inched closer to Kenzie, away from the stage, which probably wasn’t the best thing to do since Kenzie’s hand shot up in the air and she began waving it around frantically, hoping to be picked for the magician’s next trick.
Elijah skimmed the crowd, looking for the best person to be his subject. He looked right at Jillian, but she turned her head and moved farther away from the stage, so he knew she had no interest. Rather than cause a scene with an unwilling victim, he looked at Kenzie, who was sitting right next to her. Elijah smiled and pointed to her. Kenzie almost fell out of her chair in an excited attempt to get up and get on the stage.
“Hello, miss,” Elijah said. “Thanks for volunteering. What’s your name?”
“Kenzie.”
“Well, Kenzie, I hope you don’t regret your decision to be a volunteer. Because I’m going to stab you.”
Kenzie’s eyes went wide as the magician winked at her. He then led her to a second box, this one not transparent, and instructed her to get inside. She obliged and realized before he made the announcement that he would be performing the swords of destiny trick.
Elijah closed the door and Kenzie was surrounded in darkness. She couldn’t quite remember how this trick worked, but she hoped she wouldn’t be too fat to suck in her stomach if one of the swords got too close to it.
But she needn’t have worried. The swords came through the appropriate holes in the box, but they didn’t touch her. They jutted out the other side in the same manner, missing Kenzie by inches. She found out why – there was a very small alcove in the box for her to stand in, but it was invisible to the naked eye. The box was slightly larger than it appeared, so the swords just stabbed through what the audience thought was there. They didn’t realize Kenzie was perfectly safe, standing in a hidden area further back in the box of mystery.
Elijah tapped on the box and told Kenzie to move around to prove she was still inside. She did, and the box almost tipped over, much to her dismay. She could hear the audience cheering and gasping. Elijah then took the swords out and opened the door. Kenzie stepped out and dramatically flung her hand to her chest as though she’d been in great peril and suffering, then waved to the crowd to prove that she was all right.
Jillian’s eyes were wide, and that made her chuckle. She made her way back to her seat and had to keep assuring Jillian that she was fine, but she wasn’t going to spoil the trick, at least not in the vicinity of so many other observers.
Elijah then announced that his grand finale would be levitating himself right off the stage. Kenzie hadn’t seen that done before, as it was very difficult. She’d seen Elijah up close, and he hadn’t had any small strings attached to him, and obviously the stage floor couldn’t rise up.
So when Elijah successfully defied gravity, she cheered madly, and began clapping like an excited seal when Elijah not only raised himself off the ground but also began slowly rotating in the air.
Elijah slowly descended back down to the stage, and the crowd went wild when he thanked everyone and bowed. He then left the stage and sashayed into the bathroom.
“That was amazing!” Kenzie declared. “I’ve never seen a magician actually levitate before. That’s a very hard trick, and usually they end up failing.”
“Maybe he cheated.”
“I don’t know about that, but it was awesome. Thanks, Jill.”
“Why are you thanking me?”
“For bringing me here. I’m having a lot more fun than I thought I would. I seriously thought I’d be miserable the whole time, but it’s just the opposite.”
“Well, you’re welcome. You deserve to have some fun, and not just because your birthday’s coming.”
The two friends decided to explore the rest of the venue. They went upstairs and tried their hand at pool, but they didn’t have much luck. Some college-age guys came upstairs and indiscreetly sneered at them as they failed to sink anything other than the cue ball into the pockets.
Not wanting to deal with them, the two headed toward the photo booth. Kenzie inserted two coins and she and Jillian climbed inside. It was no easy feat getting the right poses, considering the camera kept moving at weird intervals and they were trying to get situated when it went off. Several of the pictures came out looking ridiculously funny. That put them in a silly mood, so they took more pictures, this time purposely making silly faces at the camera.
As they were debating what else to do, a loud uproar sounded from below. They looked over the railing and saw a girl with blondish hair riding the mechanical bull. She was riding it like a pro and the crowd was cheering her on.
“Wow, she’s really good,” Jillian said.
“Come on, let’s go watch her.”
After descending the stairs, the girl was still riding the bull. When it stopped, she stood on top of it and bowed to her adoring fans.
Kenzie and Jillian also clapped appropriately as the girl skittered toward a guy with slightly red hair and wrapped her arms around him. Surprisingly, from the back, the guy looked somewhat familiar to Kenzie.
“Hey, I think I know him,” she said to Jillian.
“Who?”
“The guy that girl’s hugging. I swear I’ve seen him before.”
When the guy turned around, Kenzie immediately knew why she recognized him. The freckles and hazel eyes were the dead giveaway. He noticed her, too. He awkwardly raised his hand in a friendly wave, and Jillian’s body stiffened to indicate that she also knew who he was.
When he grabbed the girl’s hand and approached Kenzie and Jillian, Kenzie wasn’t sure what to do. Her heart began hammering inside her chest and she was half tempted to run away. But her legs didn’t cooperate. It was like they were rooted to the ground.
So when her blast from the past reached her and Jillian, it was very awkward for her to say, “Hi, Austin.”
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