According to Plan

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.

The prompts: This story must contain the words: county fair, prize, lemonade

According to Plan

Time after time, stack after stack, metal milk bottles went flying into the net. Twelve- year-old Stuart Funke was like a machine as he fired the ball, collected the bottles and re-stacked them for another round. 

He had been practicing for more than a week and tonight was the payoff. Tonight was the county fair and he intended to win a very particular prize. All of his friends would be there, riding rides, eating cotton candy and emulating the older teen crowd in the “hanging out and being cool” department. 

The time finally came and Stuart was looking good. His jeans were torn in just the right places. His shirt had some rebellious yet non-offensive design that he felt reflected his inwardly sensitive side that girls were drawn to.

Excitement was in the air as the pod of adolescents was shepherded around the fairgrounds by watchful moms. In the mix was Stuart, nonchalantly tending to a lemonade-flavored cone as he navigated his way through the group of sticky-faced, cotton candy holders. 

Eventually, everything fell into place. They were at the arcade and he was next to Suzie. As they shuffled over to the Milk Bottle contest, he casually turned to her and said, “Suzie, how about if I try to win a stuffed bear for you.”

Smiling shyly, “Oh Stuart, do you really think you can win?”

He confidently picked up the ball, feeling the familiarity of the seam in his hand. He could feel her eyes on him. It was now or never.

Three pitches later, it was all over and Suzie held up the bear for everyone to see. 

As the group moved along to the next contest, she slipped her hand quietly into his. The flush that went through Stuart was a prize beyond measure.