The sun had just started to dip behind the trees, casting golden streaks across the fairgrounds as the lights from the rides flickered on. Jake, 14, and his younger sister Esli, 13, wandered through the crowded fair without their older sisters Dilean and Dana for once. It was just the two of them this time—no rules, no hovering siblings, and no one to tell them not to blow all their money on funnel cake.

Jake had a corndog in one hand and a giant soda in the other, while Esli walked beside him, wearing a cropped hoodie, ripped jeans, and some butterfly clips in her hair. She looked around with wide eyes, practically vibrating with energy. “Jake, we have to go on that ride,” she said, pointing toward the spinning swings with a huge grin.

Jake raised an eyebrow. “You? On that? You’re scared of escalators.”

Esli shoved him lightly. “That was one time and I was like ten, shut up.”

They stood in line, teasing each other nonstop. Esli kept elbowing him anytime he tried to scare her about how high the ride would go. “If I throw up, I’m aiming for your face,” she warned.

Jake just laughed. “Fair. But if you scream louder than that little kid over there, I’m recording it.”

After the ride—where Esli did scream louder than the little kid—they made their way over to the food stands. Esli begged Jake to split fried Oreos with her, and he caved when she made that fake pouty face she always used to get her way.

While they sat on a bench eating, they watched fireworks start to pop off in the sky.

“This is fun,” Esli said, licking powdered sugar off her fingers.

Jake nodded, tossing a piece of Oreo in his mouth. “Yeah. Honestly? Glad it’s just us. Dana would’ve dragged us to every makeup booth and Dilean would’ve tried to make us ride the Ferris wheel six times in a row.”

Esli grinned. “We should do this more. Just us.”

Jake smirked. “Only if you stop screaming like a banshee.”

“No promises.”