“Screw you man, you’re just jealous coz you’re not getting any!” Drew shouts, flipping him the bird.
“I’m getting plenty, asshole, just ask your mom!” Everyone bursts out laughing except for Drew, who looks like he wants to kill TJ, which just makes everyone laugh harder.
We head over to a ride called The Graviton, which is basically a huge barrel with angled padded panels lining the inside walls. The riders lean against them and the whole thing lifts into the air and spins ridiculously fast on a tilt. It removes the floor and the idiots inside are pinned with centrifugal force to the pads. I feel sick just looking at it.
Ethan narrows his gaze at me. “You look freaked out, I don’t think you should ride this thing. Maybe you should stand and hold our jackets and we’ll go on something a little steadier next.”
My mouth falls open and my jaw nearly hits the floor. What a douche!
“No, Mr. Go-on-something-a-bit-steadier, I’ll be fine on this thanks.”
The corners of his mouth lift as he tries to suppress a smile. “If you’re sure, Princess.”
“I’m sure,” I tell him, faking a confidence that I don’t at all feel. In fact I’m practically shitting myself as we board the ride and get into position. I’m trembling so much I think I’m gonna toss my cookies before the stupid ride even starts. Jackson, who’s positioned opposite me, looks like he’s thinking the same thing.
“Yo Blair, if you’re gonna hurl make sure you angle your face away from me,” he shouts, and everyone around us spins their head to see whether or not he’s joking. I grasp a hold of Ethan’s hand and squeeze until my knuckles turn white with the force of it.
“Jeez, Princess, that hurts,” Ethan says grinning like a freaking idiot. “Wishing you were standing holding our jackets now, huh?” He’s being playful but I want to punch him.
“Oh my god, oh my god, why am I on here?” I start chanting. He leans in and kisses my temple just as the ride begins with no freaking warning and the barrel starts to spin. It's not horrendously fast to begin with but it’s quickly picking up pace. The lights from the other rides all flash and blur together making me dizzy as the heavy rock music starts to kick in.
I suddenly have visions of red popsicles and it’s threatening to make me chuck as the wind whips my ponytail across my face. The speed picks up and the faster the ride spins, the more panicked I become that I’m about to lose it and throw up. I’m aware Ethan still has a hold of my hand and I’m pretty fucking glad since my feet no longer seem to be touching the ground and my face is being pressed to the side by the force. The ride finally comes to a stop after a few god-awful minutes and everyone’s laughing and saying how awesome it was. I’m still pinned to the wall and I’m pretty sure if I try and walk I’m just going to collapse because my legs have turned to Jell-O.
“You look like you really enjoyed that,” Ethan says as he pulls on my hand for me to follow him off the ride.
“Don’t ever let me get on another thing like this ever,” I say, pouting. “I don’t think I can feel my legs.”
He leans in and presses a quick kiss to the tip of my nose.
“You are pretty adorable when you try to act all tough,” he says and before I realize what’s happened, he’s thrown me on his back and starts walking down the ramp towards the others.
TJ and Jackson have just about OD’d on cotton candy, Drew looks pissed as he carries around a giant pink teddy bear the size of a seven-year-old, that Dannii insisted he won for her, and Brie and Case are walking ahead of us talking a million miles an hour. Ethan nudges me and tilts his chin in the direction of a ride that’s called The Grand Canyon.
“Wanna try It?” he asks, swinging our linked hands back and forth. It appears to be a roller coaster made to look like an old mining train.
“Nah, I’m good. You know, the Grand Canyon and Vegas are on Emily’s list. We talked about taking a road trip to the canyon before she died,” I tell him in a somber voice. “We’d just watched Thelma and Louise when she mentioned it, so it kinda put me off.” I smile bumping his shoulder.
“Didn’t they drive their Thunderbird over the edge at the end?” he asks, eyes wide.
“Yup, hence I didn’t jump at the chance to take a trip there after watching a film with my dying best friend about a pair of friends that drive over the edge because they feel like they have nothing left.”
“Shit,” he breathes out. “So you think she’d have wanted you to drive over the edge with her?” His eyebrows are drawn in, frowning.
I let out a chuckle and smile. “Nah…but I wasn’t about to find out.”
“How about I take you?” he asks.
“What, to go commit suicide?” I deadpan.
“No, freak!” He laughs. “If it’s on her list, let’s drive out and camp there. We could go for the weekend, we can drive to Vegas while we’re at it and then you can cross it off the list.”
“You’re serious?”