Page 62 of Home of the Brave

“Yes, ma’am," I saluted and went to my bathroom to brush my hair into a high ponytail and apply sunscreen. I wasn’t going to put any more effort in since I wasn’t going to be on camera today and would be back here soon enough.

The one good thing about packing for this tournament was that it didn’t take much thought. I simply grabbed all my red, white, and blue clothing, so I grabbed a white skirt and a blue tank top that were the first two things I saw in the drawer.

Once I had changed and had my sunglasses and phone in hand, I waved to the door. “Let’s go.”

She beamed. “Okay, but first you need to turn around.”

“Why?” I asked while obeying.

“I got us matching ribbons,” she explained as she lifted my hair.

I caught our reflections in the mirror out of the corner of my eye. She was tying a red and white star ribbon around my ponytail.

“Perfect,” she smiled and pulled a second one out of her pocket and tied it like a headband. She glanced in the mirror and nodded. “We’re ready.”

“Okay,” I took a steadying breath as we left and headed down the hall. It wasn’t like I was unpatriotic or not a fan of parades. I just had to readjust my expectations for the day. I didn’t want to be a downer and ruin her experiences, so as we rode the elevator to the lobby, I rolled my shoulders and accepted the press pass she handed me.

“Iced coffee and a funnel cake.”

She laughed. “I knew I had it the first time.”

It was five.

I was sunburnt, full of sugar and fried foods, and suffering from motion sickness.

Normal rollercoasters and rides at amusement parks never bothered me, but there was something about these jerky rides that made my stomach roil. Maybe it was wondering about the safety measures, or the lack of.

But I was done with spinning or flipping or accelerating for the rest of the day.

In fact, “I think I’m done.”

“No,” Cambrie whined. Her cheeks had fireworks painted on them, matching my own, and her ribbon had been replaced with a light-up star headband that bobbed around as she spoke. “We still need to see the state exhibits.”

“You said the petting zoo was the last thing,” I whined back.

“Please,” she begged, while waving a mini flag someone had handed her a few hours ago. “This is once in a lifetime.”

“This is lasting a lifetime,” my shoulders sagged. “I’m tired and my feet hurt, and my stomach is still deciding whether or not it’s going to rebel.”

“But each state designed its own room. There’s music and displays and––”

“I’m so proud of them, but Cambrie, my friend, I’m done.”

“But the fireworks,” she pouted.

“Are in another four hours!”

“That will breeze by,” she waved off my concern and pointed to the main stage. “We can go listen to the band for a little while.”

“Maybe if you let me go take a break, I’ll come back and watch the fireworks with you.” When had this turned into a hostage negotiation?

She sighed. “If you really have to.”

“We’ve been out here forever already. I only agreed to the parade.”

She looked down at her feet. “It’s just that this is a hard day for me.”

“What?”