The next morning, Caelyn was out the door before me—as usual—but on that day her punctuality was an especially good thing. I actually peeked out the window to make sure she drove away. Sneaking around was really making me paranoid. But that day was the first time I'd ever cut an entire day of school before. I'd hardly ever missed a day during the entire three years I'd been attending high school. I didn't doubt that my forged excuse would escape any scrutiny by the school secretary.
At present, I considered a more important worry. What to wear? I was determined that Ron wouldn't see any more of my childishly-patterned pajamas. Funny how I'd never seen them in that light until that night…
I threw open the doors to my little closet and combed through the shirt options. Jeans would be a necessity for an amusement park, but since dresses made up the larger part of my wardrobe, my choices for what went over them was a bit limited. I thought of raiding Caelyn's closet for a moment but came across my favorite shirt just in time—a long-sleeved light sweater. The sleeves and top half were smooth, but below the empire waist, accented by a black ribbon that tied around the back, the sweater had a slightly raised texture like a basket-weave. The garment was an unusual cherry-red color with three golden, star-shaped buttons in a line at the topmost part of the shirt. There was an almost medieval look to the top that I loved.
I threw on a pair of black jeans—to accentuate the ribbon in the middle—socks and my sneakers and ran to the bathroom to put my face and hair in order. My lashes received a light coating of mascara to make my eyes pop just a bit, and I added a bit of cherry-colored lip gloss to my heart-shaped mouth to match the sweater. I was just finishing a light coating of hairspray to tame my oddly-thickening curls into place when the doorbell rang. I squealed softly in anticipation, surprising myself, and ran downstairs, pausing a moment to make it seem as though I was opening the door calmly.
He probably didn't miss my sharp intake of breath, though, as I took in his image, my eyes widening. The sun was behind his head, a halo of light. That placed his face in shadow; his eyes appeared darker, more mysterious. They sparkled as if he was just as excited about our outing as I felt.
"Hi," I finally managed in a breathy voice.
"Hi!" The boisterous tone didn't come from my brown-eyed angel. I finally noticed that Shane stood off to his right, something I'd been completely unaware of until he'd spoken.
"Shane?"
"The one and only! Surprise!"
I was surprised. And a bit disappointed. Maybe Ron had brought his friend along because he didn't want to be alone with me…or give me the wrong idea.
Though I tried to hide my displeasure, the distress must have broken through in some part of my expression.
"Is it a problem if I come along?" Shane asked, suddenly less enthusiastic.
"Well…it's not only him," Ron admitted, looking a bit guilty then. "He brought Merina along too."
Oh! A double date. That was much better than just Shane coming alone. Ron and I were a couple again instead of a part of an unbalanced threesome. Not that I would have really minded. Shane was too much fun to be around. I'd really only been worried about the fact that Ron might not have wanted me to think of the day as a date…which I realized I'd already been doing.
"Of course not, Shane." I perked right up, smiling at both of them. "The day wouldn't be the same without you!"
He grinned back at me, his eyes alight, but Ron still looked a bit troubled. I couldn't explain my former reluctance without revealing just how terrified I was of him rejecting me. I'd dealt with ridicule and avoidance for so long that I came to expect such treatment as an unavoidable eventuality.
But would he think I was being a snob to his friend? "I was just afraid you'd sit with Ron on the big coasters and leave me to be terrified all alone,�� I added, hopeful it would be explanation enough. Realization dawned in Ron's eyes then, filling me with a strange happiness to know he understood me so easily.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure we get plenty of alone time," he promised, making my heart race at the implications. He captured one of my hands; his own feeling almost too warm around my own.
"Wow! Maura, your skin is like ice today!" I tried to reclaim my hand then, but he refused to let me go. "It's okay." He picked up the other one. "It feels good. It's already getting hot this morning."
His words reminded me of what would happen if I stood out in the sun too much. I glanced up at the sky, hoping for even a trace of cloud, but my gaze came up empty. The sky was nothing but blue and yellow. Nothing to hide the glare floated there at all. I hadn't thought about such a possible complication until that moment.
That time, I kept the worry to myself, burying my misgivings beneath a smile borne of looking at the softness emanating from Ron's stare. Somehow, I would avoid getting sick. I couldn't let any of them find out about that facet of my weirdness.
As I ran to get my tiny black purse—at the park, lighter would definitely be better—I thought of all the shady places that existed at Kennywood. I'd been there nearly every summer of my existence, and Caelyn was a master at keeping me out of the sun.
As we walked to his car, he noted, "I love that sweater on you, but don't you think it's a tad too warm outside for it?"
I was used to covering up. "Oh, it's thin, really. And I'll just make sure to keep out of the sun." Perfect.
Merina was a quiet girl. Her heart-shaped, pixyish face was pale and framed by shoulder-length, straight black-brown hair. Her eyes were a peculiar shade of hazel-green of an impenetrable depth. They were wide and round, giving her the appearance of exaggerated innocence. I noticed in the rear view mirror that they flicked often to the boy in the backseat beside her. She was obviously enamored with Shane completely.
Her shyness had him teasing and joking the whole ride to the park, trying to draw her out of her shell. Clearly, he liked her very much too.
Ron and Shane bought the tickets, so strongly opposed to either me or Merina paying that they wouldn't even let us accompany them to the ticket booths—like they thought we might try something sneaky.
Once inside, Ron and I asked at the same time, "So, what do you guys wanna do first?" We looked at each other and grinned.
"Two words… Roller. Coaster," Shane replied, his eyes shining in anticipation.
I was hoping he would say that. "Which one?" I asked.
"Well…that depends…wooden or steel? Indoor or outdoor? Single coaster or racing coasters?"
"Too many choices," Ron shot back at him. "Let's just ride the one we come to first."
Shane shrugged. "Works for me." He took off at an animated pace, dragging Merina behind. He started to sing "Roller coaster���of love…roller coaster…" He swung her hand in rhythm to the Red Hot Chili Pepper's words.
I laughed as we started after them, Ron taking my hand as well.
I noticed that Shane took a route around the park which would lead us to the Phantom's Revenge coaster first. Oh well, we might as well start big. The huge looping coaster's second hill dropped more than 200 feet, the coaster reaching a speed of 85 mph. That first drop always made me feel like my stomach had leapt into my throat…but I loved every minute. I just hoped we wouldn't have to stand out in the sun too long while waiting in line.
Luck was not with me in that regard. The line was long, and not very much of it was under cover. I nervously licked my lips as I looked at the snaking rows of people waiting to ride. Of course, Ron instantly picked up on my trepidation. He seemed so 'aware' of me at times; I found his acuity mind-boggling.
"Everything okay?" He whispered the words, using the opportunity to brush his lips against my ear in a way I didn't believe to be accidental. Goosebumps scurried over me everywhere.
"Sure." My tone wasn't completely confident, and I could tell by his uneasy expression that he'd caught the sound in my voice.
At the moment, there was nothing I wanted more than to not get sick in front of my sweet, extremely-good-looking companion. We stood in the line for fifteen minutes, the sun relentlessly beating down on me. I was envious of all the people around me who looked like they were soaking the rays up, enjoying every fragment of light the massive star poured down upon us.
I was beginning to feel the first tinge of nausea. Slight, like being spun around too fast, but a definite warning of unpleasant things to come. I wrestled over which was worse, running off to stand under a nearby tree—but retaining the breakfast digesting in my stomach—or puking—quite possibly on Ron in the tightly packed line—and making a complete spectacle of myself. I chose the less embarrassing…but embarrassing, still, nonetheless…option and pulled my hand free of Ron's. Mine was still so chilly; his palm was left unsweaty, even in the summer-like heat.
"Maura?" he questioned.
"I think I'm going to go stand under that tree…if you don't mind." I could feel the heat creep into my cheeks. "The sun is just so strong today."
"Are you okay? I knew you weren't feeling good. Your skin is so cold; are you coming down with something? Do you want to go home?" His words were escaping in a worried rush.
"No, no!" I saw the panic in Shane's eyes. "I just…don't do well in the sun," I admitted, dropping my head and the volume of my voice.
He seemed to catch on quickly to the humiliation I was feeling. He immediately let the subject drop. But he insisted on going with me, explaining to the people behind us in line that I didn't feel well so that we could reclaim our place behind Shane and Merina once they reached the covered rows at the station. We moved over into the shade and down along the line of trees off to the side, as our friends moved along inside the metal dividers, advancing their progress at a turtle's pace.
"Thank you," I whispered to Ron, once we were out of the sun. I was overjoyed he hadn't pressed the issue. The only questions he asked while we were waiting were of the safe variety. What was my favorite food, color, anime…those types of things. And of course, I had plenty of questions for him too. I'd never had time waiting for something wonderful go so fast…or become filled with so much fun.
"What's your favorite color?" I asked.
"Green…I like trees. Hey, do you like hiking?"
"Sure," I lied, then corrected. "Well, I'm sure I would like it if I went." He laughed his easy laugh.
"I'll have to take you before you go." He looked away for a minute. I heard him take in a sharp breath, and then he turned back to me. "But let's not talk about that anymore today."
"Okay," I agreed, feeling as melancholy as he looked.
"When's your birthday?" I asked to distract him. I hated to see sadness in his face.
"September ninth. And let's see; yours is June twenty-fourth?"
How did he know? All I could do was stare at him open-mouthed in shock.
"Hey! You two had better get over here!" Shane yelled to us.
Shane and his girl had reached the boarding station—which was gloriously covered. Quickly, we slipped back in line behind them, given that the others waiting in line around us were so forgiving. I was still pondering the mystery behind how he'd known my birthdate. We'd only been speaking to each other a few weeks, and I was sure I'd never revealed that bit of information to him.
"Are you ready for this?" Ron asked, excitement in his eyes. Then, he looked worried again. "Are you sure you're up to it? You feeling okay?"
I rolled my eyes at him, trying to distract him from his worry. "Are you going to ask me that before we get on every ride today?"
"Just making sure." He took my hand again. He must have thought I still felt cold, because he rubbed mine between both of his like he was trying to warm mine up. I smiled at his caring gesture. Just standing beside him made me feel warm.
Shane was fairly bouncing with excitement when we were next to be loaded into the coaster cars. I thought he was going to drag Merina off her feet before they crossed the short distance to their seats. Ron led me over, considerably more gently, holding my hand while I stepped down into the car. I felt the first twinges of nervous elation when our shoulder bars were clicked into place.
"You nervous at all?" I wondered if he had some uncanny ability to read my mind that he was keeping from me.
"Nope," I lied. "You?"
"In a good way," he responded, laughing a little. I decided right there his laugh was my favorite sound in the world. "But despite what you say, I think you are a little scared. So, I'll just hold your hand for you."
"You're my white knight," I responded, loving the way it felt when his fingers intertwined with mine.
It had been a couple of years since Caelyn had brought me, so the second drop—the big one—seemed to make my heart stop for a few seconds. Ron and I were both laughing wildly as our coaster shot up from under the tracks of the wooden coaster beside it—a great effect. When we'd dropped down the biggest hill, the path under the other coaster gave the illusion, for a moment, that riders were doomed to crash into the interlacing wooden support struts.
"That was GREAT," Shane exploded when we were climbing back onto the platform back at the station. Merina looked a little pale. Her legs shook once she was upright again. Shane snickered and hugged her close. Watching their easy intimacy made me hug Ron to me, almost unconsciously. I didn't even realize I'd put my arm about his waist until I was squeezing him against my side. He beamed at me... Of course, I blushed in response.
We seemed to be getting closer, whether I wanted that to happen or not.
The rest of the day was just as much fun…mostly. I did end up getting sick somewhere between our 'drive' on the Turnpike and the walk through Noah's Ark. At that point, I didn't know if the culprit had been the rides or all the junk food we'd consumed. As much as I didn't want to admit it, the culprit was probably the sun. Ron and I were munching on a funnel cake—after the cotton candy and gravy-covered fries we'd eaten earlier—sitting on a bench out in the open. I'd felt hot and queasy, but had told myself the twinge was nothing and tried to ignore its assault, desperately wishing to be normal if only for one day. Once it was too late, I realized the mistake I'd made. I ran, humiliated, for the nearest bathroom.
When I'd finally emerged, even paler than usual and sweating, Ron was waiting worriedly right outside. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine," I promised.
"You really get sick when you're out in the sun?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Yeah, make me feel worse about it!" was what I felt like shouting at him but settled for just, "Yeah." I bit my tongue to keep from saying any more. I felt irrationally angry but fought to control my temper.
He took me into his arms in a rush, surprising me and melting away my irritation. "It's okay, Maura. It must be really hard to put up with that."
I'd been expecting him to treat me like the freak I knew I was or make fun of me, and that was his reaction? He was just too sweet…too understanding. And I was leaving him behind in less than a month.
"I think we should get you home," he said softly. He was running a hand over my back, comfortingly, atop of my hair.
I didn't want the day to be over. I wanted to have a fun day, like any other normal teenage girl. "No!" I blurted out, with more violence than I'd wished to leak into my voice. "I don't want to go yet." I knew how excited Shane was, too, and would've really hated to ruin the day for him and Merina. Though she might actually thank me—he'd dragged her off to the Phantom's Revenge again.
Ron pulled back to look at me disapprovingly. But I was formulating a plan. "I know! I just need to get inside and cool down for a while. We can go on the haunted house ride, and then the Exterminator!" I didn't wait for an answer, boldly snatching up his hand to drag him toward my goal, robbing him of the opportunity to dissuade me from my brilliant plan.
"Maura…you want to go on more rides after being sick?"
I put my brightest smile in place before turning back to him. "You worry too much! I'm fine, feel much better now. I mean, what do you expect when you mix gravy and cotton candy?"
He really had no argument for that.
I added for good measure, "Come on! I'm so excited to try the new ride. I've never been on Ghostwood Estate before."
Shane must have caught up to us in time to hear where we were going. "Yeah, Bro, when the girls get scared, they can grab onto us for protection!" he boomed behind us.
Yes! I had an ally. Ron must've warmed to the picture his friend was formulating. "Hmmm, that is true." I didn't have to drag him after that.
The time inside the haunted house turned out to be just what I'd needed. The ride was cool and velvety-dark inside, and my stomach settled almost immediately. Shane was bubbling over with excitement because the ride involved the use of ghost guns, the premise being that the spirit-filled mansion had grown overpopulated, needing the help of riders to help clear out some of its more troublesome inhabitants.
Shane morphed into Rambo mode, shooting every target in sight, causing spooks to pop out at us from the darkness, Merina squealing with fright every time.
I jumped a little, now and then, but it took a lot more to frighten me than such typical, tame measures. Katie Parker was much more macabre than any of the ghouls on the ride.
"Aren't you scared?��� Ron asked at my ear, trying to be heard over Shane's enthusiastic battle cries. He sounded a little disappointed.
A grisly-looking skeleton erupted from one of the walls. I feigned being frightened and smashed myself against Ron's shoulder, burying my face in his shirt. I squealed loudly for effect…before grinning up at him a few moments later. "Is that better?"
Even in the gloom, I saw him roll his eyes, but he molded his arm into my side to crush me even closer to him. The cuddling throughout the remainder of the ride seriously interfered with his shooting ability, so it was no surprise Shane's shooting score was almost double what Ron ended up with.
"Ha! I kicked your butt!" Shane danced around us elated, nearly shoving his condemning finger right into Ron's face.
Ron shrugged slightly and hugged me against his side. "Eh… I'll take the tradeoff." Nothing could have wiped the dizzied smile from my face.
Ron made us ride again twice—Shane ecstatic, because he had the highest score every time except the last go around—determined to keep me out of the sun for as long as possible. We walked to The Exterminator next, Ron quietly smug after beating Shane by quite a large margin on our last ride. Shane made him swear to a rematch right after we disembarked, which meant Ron could keep me in the dark a little longer. Poor Merina.
But when I looked back at them, she wore a dreamy look on her face, and I realized she didn't care at all what we were doing as long as Shane was with her.
Ron kept us to the shadows as much as he could as we made our way to the indoor coaster. The set-up was perfect; even the line formed indoors…where the air was deliciously air-conditioned. The waiting area was part of the ride's effect, transforming the waiting area into part of the underground utility sewer where monstrous rats were rumored to lurk.
"You're feeling better now." It wasn't really a question Ron spoke casually into my ear, escaping our companions' notice.
"Oh, yeah. This is great. I've never had so much fun!" I allowed myself to hug him. Mine wasn't such a forbidden move. He was already standing so close to me, and it wasn't like there hadn't been contact between us all day. It seemed like once you moved past that first touch, all the ones that followed occurred naturally. Especially with him. Ron seemed to draw me to him, pulling me, as if by some gravitational force. The more I was close to him, the more I touched him, the stronger the pull seemed to become. Moving or not, I was disappointed in myself to discover I was far past the point of being able to resist any longer.
But as I held him here, oblivious to Shane, Merina and all the strangers around us, there was that nagging question I needed to discover the answer to. I knew I couldn't put the asking off any longer…if I wanted to retain my sanity.
We were almost the same height; he only had those three inches on me, so it wasn't a stretch for me to turn my head to whisper into his ear, "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
I took a deep breath and felt my heart rate increase. I shifted my feet, nervousness coursing through my body.
He inclined his head back to peer at me. "Is it that bad?"
Maybe... I flushed and tried again—unsuccessfully—to force the question from my mind into my mouth.
The warm smile again. "You can ask me anything, Maura."
I took another deep breath and asked in a rush, "Is there anyone else that you're, you know…like this with?"
He seemed confused by my question.
I knew I would have to make myself more clear. "Do you…" I gulped before continuing. "…have anyone else you like in the same way you like me?" I looked down after finishing, half horrified, half relieved to have finally spoken the words.
When he didn't answer, I forced myself to look up at him again. He still seemed to be confused but appeared to be mulling something over in his head. I hoped I wouldn't have to say anything further…because I didn't think I'd be capable of speaking again, my throat was so tightly constricted by anxiety.
In a moment, I understood where his thoughts had been treading. "Did I do something to make you think that?" he asked, scrutinizing my eyes.
"No!" I answered, I knew, too quickly.
"Well, you might think I'm being silly," he replied, his face very serious, "but I just have this feeling that you—and only you—could ever be the one for me."
"Oh." My chest was tight. The feeling was a convoluted mixture of pure joy and crippling despair. How could you remain someone's one and only if you were thousands of miles away from them?
"That's good," I breathed a second later. But I could tell he saw the sadness in my expression, because his eyes mirrored their own back to me.
Luckily, at that moment, we came up to the cars, our turn to board. I turned away to wipe at the moisture in my eyes, not wanting to add to the gloomy emotion I'd seen reflected back in his stare.
That ride was not as calm as the haunted mansion's had been. The coaster was of the wild mouse variety. Although there weren't any huge hills ending in steep drops, the cars moved in a crazed, winding way with a lot of jerks and sudden turns, making Merina shriek in protest. I was still dwelling on the conversation Ron and I had just had, so I wasn't properly enjoying the twists and turns of the ride. I glanced sideways to find him absorbed in thought as well. I nudged him in the ribs to lighten the mood, and he smiled, but his response seemed too automatic.
We rode the coaster twice more, and by the end of the third ride, we were both smiling and laughing again. The ride's craziness of the coaster's motion made maintaining a solemn attitude nearly impossible.
Afterward, of course, Ron dragged me back to Ghostwood Estate. By the time we'd ridden three more times—Shane becoming less enthusiastic with the shooting competition, given the growing monotony of the ride—I'd remained, mostly, indoors for almost two hours.
As we came off the last ride, I gave a big sigh of relief. Pittsburgh was ringed by the Appalachian Mountains, and the scant cloud cover that had begun to converge when we were coming back from the Exterminator currently formed a thick, dark mass covering the sky.
"Awww, man." Shane scowled up at the sky. "Looks like it's gonna rain."
But I smiled. No more getting sick for me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ron studying me, a look on his face like he was trying to figure out a math problem. He touched his hand to the top of mine, not exactly taking it. I started to feel very uncomfortable under his scrutiny.
I looked at Shane. "Hey, if you want to take in the rest of the coasters, we'd better hurry." I looked at Ron and faked nonchalance. "What time is it anyway?" I asked.
"Almost two." He looked as surprised as I felt. Time really did fly when you were having fun.
"Ack! I'll have to go in about an hour if I'm going to have dinner ready when Mom gets home!"
Ron bargained, "How about we make it two, and I'll 'come over' with pizza."
"But I'm grounded…or I'm supposed to be."
"Well, I'm not taking you anywhere. And your mom can't blame you if I just show up." He looked very impressed with himself.
"Hmmm, that's true." I didn't mull his plan over very long. "Okay, deal! Now, let's go." I slipped my hand around his and dragged him along to follow Shane, who was already several feet ahead of us.
First, we were lead to the Jack Rabbit, and then the Thunderbolt, both wooden coasters, both enormously fun. Next, we moved on to The Racer. I had no trouble standing in line-ups then and even chatted—nervously at first—with Merina. She was a sweet girl, very shy and practical. The way she spoke to me reminded me of the way I interacted with others, very tentative at first, gradually building confidence as the conversation progressed. I looked her over but could see nothing about her that would invite ridicule from others. I wondered why she was so timid. I knew my own reasons too well.
She and Shane were in the same geometry class, and she'd met him when he'd offered to tutor her after they'd gotten back their last test.
"I failed so badly!" She blushed when she admitted that and even more so when Shane teased her.
"It's only because you had other things to concentrate on." He indicated himself.
"Yeah, you're ugly enough to distract anyone," Ron remarked.
"Hey!" The pair moved away from me and Merina so they could grapple with each other as much as was possible in the cramped space allotted to us in line.
"Oh boy…" I sighed, grinning and rolling my eyes. Merina laughed, and I then had someone else to miss.
We ended up riding the racing coasters three times, as Ron was sufficiently humiliated by Shane's bragging to call for a rematch, and the second ride had resulted in a tie. Our team came in first the third try, but when Shane started to demand another try, Merina was the one who came to my defense.
"Come on now, Shane, it's time to go! You don't want to get Maura in any trouble do you?"
He appraised me with narrowed eyes. "I have borne witness to your mother's wrath and do not wish to call that down upon you…I guess."
"Thank you," I answered, laughing. Shane was just too funny. "I'm really sorry I have to be the one to make everyone leave early, though."
Ron's arm came around my shoulders. "I'm starting to get sick, myself. I've had enough of being tossed around for today."
I smiled up at him but knew mine was no match for the warmth his held.