My eyes snap open, and over to the alarm clock on the nightstand. 7:34. The Darien lake sun slips through the closed hotel room curtains. We are on the last stop of our Warped tour. We head out for karang in one week after this. I’m so excited that our last venue is near an amusement park.

I slip out of bed, being careful not to wake Ashley, and grab my bikini and my phone. You up yet?! I text CC. I slip into my bikini, and put some shorts and a tank top on over it. Yes I’m up, are you ready to go?? I pick up my already packed “park” bag, leave a note for Ashley, and head down to the main lobby.

CC is already waiting for me when the elevator door pings open. A childish grin spreads across my face,a dn I sprint over to him. “Are you ready to go?” he asks. CC bounces on his feet and it is so cute.

“Yes! I can’t wait!” I squeal.

“Then let’s go!” CC grabs my hand, and we run out to his rental car.

--------

“Woah, look at those water slides!” CC and I are waiting in the ticket line. All of the parents are looking at us funny because we are grown adults that are acting like their children. Whatever, we’ve been planning this for weeks, we’re going to have fun regardless of their strange looks.

Once we got our tickets,we headed straight for the roller coasters. I ditched my bag by a lounge chair, and applied sunscreen as quickly as possible. “Hehe, sucks to be a ginger doesn’t it,” CC teases.

“Shut up or I’ll take your soul right here in front of all these children,” we step into the Motocoaster line. The motocoaster is a rollercoaster where the cars are motorcycles. It doesn’t flip upside down, and it’s mostly for eight year old kids; or adults who are afraid of rollercoasters.

We file onto the cars, get buckled into the lap belts, and wait for the ride to start. A lot of kids are getting on, and I’m starting to feel ashamed of my roller coaster fear. A nineteen year old girl afraid of roller coasters? That’s super pitiful.

The ride jolts to life,a dn a small squeal escapes my lips. “You’re not scared already are you?” CC laughs. I shake my head no, but I want to shake my head yes. My friend gives my knee a reassuring squeeze just as the coaster tilts to the side.

“Oh my god!” I cry. I don’t want to die! There’s probably a rusty spring somewhere just waiting to break.

CC breaks into riotous laughter. “You’re so cute Tum.”

“Shut up, I’m not cute.” The ride continues in sheer, bumpy terror. CC never stops laughing at me even after we exited the satanic machine.

“Come on, let’s get rid of your fear,” CC places a hand on the small of my back, and guids me over to the only ride I don’t want to go on: The Slingshot.

“Oh no, CC please no,” I dig my heals into the ground, but he pushes me from behind to the moderately short line. The ride shoots up and the riders scream bloody murder. “Oh my god CC I’m not going on that, no way.”

“Yes way,” CC says with a devilish grin on his face. “I’ll buy you a whole case of red bull after we leave.”

The mention of my favorite drink makes me start to reconsider. I drink so much of it so i can stay energized enough to work. It also tastes really good. “Make it two cases and it’s a deal.”

“Done, now let’s go!” We get in line just as the two riders exit the ride. Their buns are a mess, and their breathing is fast. Their frames shake with laughter.

“I don’t want to do this, you can keep your red bull,” I try to push past him, but his strong body blocks me.

“You’re going to be fine Tum,” CC pulls me into a friendly hug. It’s meant to be reassuring, but it’s really not. I’m fighting the urge to kick him in the knee and run. It would be so easy, and I know CC wouldn’t be too angry with me if I do. But I need to get over my childish fears.

About ten minutes pass before we find ourselves strapped into the death machine. Each step closer to the ride made me feel like a prisoner on death row. The ride-jock lowers the safety harness like he’s giving me my lethal injection. “You’re going to be fine,” he flashes me a beautiful smile. “The inspectors just came by this morning. Nothing is out of the ordinary,” his ginger hair flops around the edges of his ball cap as he walks away.

I find myself closing my eyes, and trying to meditate. I focus on feeling the tension in my shoulders ease. I ignore the impending doom that is soon to follow. CC says something along the lines of “You’re going to be fine,” but I ignore him. A restful contentment washes over my body. I can do this. The jockey yells out a countdown, and I’m shot off into the air.

“Holy fuck!” I scream. Air rushes past my ears in a screaming whir. I can’t fight the ecstatic smile that want to take over my face, so I beam like an idiot. “Whoo!” I cry. I’ve never felt so alive. None of my commitments and none of the pressures in my life are present in my mind. It's like I’ve found freedom in the sky, an I never want to come down.

Notes

Sorry it's shitty. I just can't seem to get into writing mode. I'm sorry.