Through to You by Lauren Barnholdt Page A

do it with one throw.”
    â€œYeah, I know how the game works,” Penn says.
    The kid shrugs and hands Penn a baseball.
    Penn squints at the pyramid of milk bottles, draws his throwing arm back, and lets loose. The ball hits right in the middle of the stack, and the bottle on top immediately clatters onto the wooden floor. The bottom right one falls next. And the last bottle totters for a second while we all stand there holding our breath. It balances on its edge, about to fall over, and then at the last second rights itself.
    â€œOooh,” the carnie says, snapping his fingers. “So close. I told ya you should’ve gotten those other balls.”
    Penn doesn’t say anything. He smiles at the kid, but I can tell he’s not really amused.
    â€œThat’s okay,” I say, trying to defuse the situation. “No big deal. I really don’t have any place to put a giant unicorn anyway.” It’s true. I’ve always thought stuffed animals were kind of stupid, even when I was at an age when stuffed animals were appropriate. I was never the kind of kid who had tons of them on her bed or anything like that. And besides, my room is a mess on its best day.
    â€œGive me another ball,” Penn says, pulling out a fresh dollar. He slams it down onto the wooden railing instead of handing it to the kid, almost like he’s making some kind of statement.
    The kid looks at the dollar doubtfully. “You sure you don’t want to do the five for three this time?”
    â€œI’m sure,” Penn says.
    The kid sighs like he’s seen this all before, and then takes the money.
    I figure Penn will take more time to set up his shot, but it’s the opposite. It’s like his body switches into autopilot, and he doesn’t even think or aim or anything. He just throws the ball. A second later all three bottles go toppling to the ground.
    I didn’t realize I was so invested in what was about to happen, until I hear myself shout out, “Yes!”
    Penn turns around and grins, then picks me up and twirls me around. His arms around my waist make me feel tiny, and the fact that he’s picking me up like it’s nothing is sexy.
    Before he sets me down, he kisses me quickly on the lips. It’s not as intense as it was when he kissed me at the park, but somehow it’s better. He’s doing it here, in public, where everyone can see. Not that anyone we know is at the field days. Everyone’s in school. But still.
    â€œWhat stuffed animal do you want?” the carny asks Penn.
    Penn turns and looks at me, and I glance up at the prizes. There’s a huge teddy bear that’s pretty cute, and a medium-size spotted dog with floppy ears. “I’ll take the dog,” I say.
    The carny reaches up with this hook thing, pulls the dog down, and then hands it to me. I know I said I didn’t want it, but suddenly I’ve never been so excited to have a stuffed animal in my life. I stroke its fur, wondering if it would be taking it too far to give my new dog a name. I always wanted a dog named Gizmo.
    â€œI’ve never seen anyone win on their second try,” the carnysays to Penn. “Or even the third or fourth. You play ball?”
    I expect Penn to stiffen like he does whenever anyone brings up baseball, but instead he just shrugs. “Used to.”
    The carny nods, and then suddenly his eyes light up with recognition. “Hey, I know you,” he says. “You’re Penn Mattingly!” A second later his excited expression turns to one of regret. “Dude, sorry about your arm. I think it’s fucked up that Duke would just drop you like that. I’ll bet if you hadn’t gotten hurt, you would have gone pro.”
    â€œYeah, maybe,” Penn says, but he’s already turning and walking away.
    I run to catch up with him, trying not to drop my stuffed dog. It’s not like it has a handle or anything, so I’ve got my