Day 4

"I'm starving."

"Okay, okay." Leroy holds up his hands. "I know better than to deny the hungry beast."

We stop at a vendor stand and order funnel cakes over the loud humming of its generator, and then eat them as we walk through the crowds.

"You have powdered sugar on your nose," Leroy announces.

"Shut up, no I don't."

"Wanna bet?"

I dodge as he reaches for my face, swiping at my nose. I punch him in the shoulder, but I still laugh.

He stares down at his fingers for a moment, frozen, his face falling. His smile just melts away.

"What's the matter? Did you lose?" I tease.

"Yeah," he says after a moment. Then he rolls his eyes and wipes his hand on his pants. "Let's go. We still have so much to see. Two days might not be enough."

As he turns away, I open my mouth to remind him that he owes me five dollars—the amount that's always at stake whenever one of us says "wanna bet?"

But I stop when I see the white smudge on the back pocket of his black jeans.