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Patricia Stanton.
She was the mean girl in junior high, and unfortunately, I was her target.
She made my life a living hell. Not a single day passed where I didn't feel like complete garbage. She and her friends would stuff jars of pickles into my locker, and sometimes they'd dump gross food—or worse, leftovers—all over my bag. I was a joke to everyone at school, and Patty made sure I knew it. She made sure it was engraved in me.
Not until senior high came. She was a completely different person.
She was kinder and gentler, and she and her friends started hanging out with mine. Life couldn't have been better. But as time went on, I started developing feelings for her.
𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘯. 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩.
𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨.
It was around eight at night when Patty started getting ready for the town fair with her friends. Having moved out of her parents' house a few years back, she now lived in the same neighborhood as her entire friend group.
She brushed her hair with gentle strokes before applying her makeup. Once done, she dressed in a lace ruffle bow top paired with a matching lace miniskirt.
After finishing her preparations, she turned off the lights, closed her bedroom door, and headed downstairs. She grabbed her house keys, stepped outside, locked the front door, and stood on her front porch.
Not long after, a car pulled up in front of Patty's house. The driver's side door swung open and someone stepped out. It was Lilly.
She was wearing a polo under a leather jacket paired with baggy pants—unknowingly matching Patty's vibe. Lilly walked around to the passenger side just as Patty approached her, a soft smile on her face.
“You actually got here on time. That's a miracle,” Patty said.
Lilly scoffed softly, a wide, ear-to-ear smile breaking across her face as she held the door open. “Just get in, Patty.”
Once both of them were inside, Lilly pulled onto the road and turned on the radio. A familiar song began to play.
Forever by The Little Dippers.
Patty smiled softly; a night like this paired with a song like that was exactly what she needed. Lilly stole glances at her every few seconds, a quiet smile tucked into the corner of her lips.
When Patty finally noticed, she turned toward her with a gentle laugh.“Is there something on my face? You keep looking at me.”
“No, no,”Lilly murmured, keeping her eyes fixed on the road ahead. Her knuckles turned white from gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly. “You just... look really pretty tonight.”
Patty scoffed, letting out a soft chuckle.
“Why? Is there something wrong with what I said?” Lilly asked, her smile widening.
“Nothing at all. I'm just glad you finally admitted you find me pretty,” Patty said, leaning back against the seat and turning her head to watch the world blur past her window.
“I've always found you pretty.”
“What did you say, Lils?”Patty asked, turning back to look at her.
“Nothing—don't mind it,” Lilly said, clearing her throat. She kept her eyes glued to the road, doing everything she could to avoid Patty's gaze. Patty shrugged it off and looked at the window again.
A few minutes of silence stretched between them, filled only by the quiet hum of the radio.
Before long, Lilly pulled into a parking lot and cut the engine. She jumped out of the car and trotted over to the passenger side, opening the door for Patty with a gentle smile.
They made their way inside and met up with Marge, Rich, Rhonda, Elaine, Will, and Ronnie. The group was finally complete.
As they set off together through the fairgrounds, Patty fell into step alongside Elaine and Rhonda, while Lilly hung back to walk with Will.
“You drove here with Patty, huh? That's a bold move,”Will said, keeping pace with Lilly behind the rest of the group.
“Yeah. I even complimented her in the car,”Lilly said proudly.
Will chuckled softly, his eyes scanning the colorful fairground stalls lining the walkway.“So, when are you actually planning on confessing?”
Lilly scoffed, shaking her head.“No way in hell, Will. I don't think I'll ever have the courage to do that.”Then they both laughed softly.
Suddenly, Will stopped dead in his tracks, forcing Lilly to halt beside him.
“Hold on—I'm gonna go buy something real quick. Wait for me here,”Will said, turning around and jogging back toward a stall they had just passed.
Lilly sighed and sat down on a nearby bench. As she waited, a strange display at the stall directly in front of her caught her eye.
— 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 —
𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴! 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘖𝘕𝘌 𝘞𝘐𝘚𝘏
She stood up and walked over to investigate. Looking around, she noticed no one was running the stall. In fact, people were actively avoiding it.
Lilly turned and scanned the passing crowd. Hardly anyone even glanced at the booth. They probably assumed it was just some random crap—a total waste of time. Or maybe they simply walked past because the counter was abandoned.
That was Lilly's assumption, too. Yet, despite herself, she reached out and picked one up. Since there was no clerk around to charge her, she slipped the object into her leather jacket pocket without paying.
She turned back and settled onto the bench just as Will jogged up to her with his hand on his back.
“What'd you end up getting?”Lilly asked as she stood up. Will proudly held up a massive, oversized teddy bear.“This,”He said with a grin—clearly meant for Ronnie.
Lilly couldn't help but chuckle as they set off together into the bustling crowd to hunt down the rest of the group.
By 10 PM, the crowds at the town fair had dwindled to a scatter of stragglers. The group strolled toward the exit, their tired laughter echoing through the cool air. A few of them were noticeably tipsy.
This time, Lilly walked side by side with Patty. Unlike Lilly, Patty had taken a few too many drinks with Rhonda and Marge as Lilly, Will and Rich stayed with them, while Elaine and Ronnie had spent the night riding every attraction until they were completely spent.
On the outside, Patty seemed fine, but beneath her calm composure, her head was spinning and her stomach churned with every step.
Once they reached the parking lot, Lilly headed toward her car with Patty following closely behind, ready to take her home for the night.
As they settled inside the car, Patty immediately slumped against the passenger door, completely drained. Lilly started the engine and pulled out onto the quiet road.
“I wanna throw up,”Patty mumbled, her voice thick with sleep and alcohol. She pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the window, fighting to stay awake.
Lilly chuckled softly, stealing a gentle glance at her.“If you need to, there's a box of small trash bags under your seat.”
Patty just nodded weakly, her eyes fluttering shut as she drifted off.
When Patty woke up, Lilly was gently tapping her shoulder. They were parked right in front of Patty's house.
Sitting up, Patty rubbed her eyes and unlatched the car door.“Thanks for the ride, Lils. Good night,”She murmured, shutting the door behind her and taking a few sluggish steps toward her front porch.
“Good night, Patty,”Lilly called out with a soft smile.
She was just about to shift into drive when Patty suddenly halted in her tracks. Turning around slowly, Patty walked straight back to Lilly's open window.
“𝘓𝘪𝘭𝘴... 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦?”
The words hit Lilly like a physical blow, knocking the breath straight out of her chest. Was I that obvious? Did I give myself away?
Panic seized her. Instead of owning up to the truth, Lilly gave a slight, dismissive shake of her head.
“Not at all, Patty. Go inside and get some sleep,”She said, staring down at her lap to avoid Patty's gaze.“...Okay then,” Patty whispered. She turned around once more, her shoulders slumping as she finally made her way into the house.
Suddenly, Lilly remembered the object she'd swiped from the fairground stall. Reaching into her leather jacket, she pulled out the One Wish Willow box and held it tightly in both hands.
She turned it over, scanning the faint markings on the back before flipping it back around to open it. Inside rested a strangely carved, twisting candle.
Driven by a wave of raw frustration, embarrassment, and desperation, Lilly didn't bother to think it through. She held the small object tightly, her chest heaving, and spoke her wish aloud into the dark, quiet car.
“𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥.”
𝙎𝙣𝙖𝙥.
A sudden, sharp crack echoed through the stillness of the cabin—like a dry branch snapping underfoot or a contract sealing itself in the dark.
She had no idea what she'd just unleashed, but the quiet air inside the car suddenly felt heavy, suffocating, and terrifyingly wrong.
𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯.