Here's Lily, the hyper queen dragging me to the line. "Sophia! Let's go! No cowards allowed here!" She pulled me so hard as if she'd whisper to the whole world that I was scared of rides if I didn't get on. Unbelievable!
Meanwhile, the five kings? They were just laughing at me! Zed was smirking like he was thinking, "Well I thought you were brave? What now tutor?" Then there's Enzo practically rolling on the floor with laughter. Theo? Posing in front of the camera with a grin like he wasn't scared at all. And of course, he's usual serious act... but with a slight smile. They were all having so much fun, huh?
Here we go! We got on the ride the harness clicked into place and suddenly all my prayers came flooding back! "Lord if this is it! I'm so sorry for all my sins!" I prayed hard for myself, "I can do this," but at that moment I just wanted to teleport home.
"Woooo! Sophiaaa!" Lily screamed as the ride lifted up. Oh no! Here goes... let's leave it all up to Batman!
"Kyaaah...."
And then... I was screaming like crazy! They were screaming out of excitement, I was screaming for my life!(huhu!)
They were still laughing at my face when the first ride ended!
You know that feeling when your hair looks like it got caught in a mix of an electric fan and a storm? That's how I looked. Lily? Of course, she still looked fresh even after all that screaming while I looked like I'd just survived an exorcism! I give them poker face.
Then... here we go again! We got on another one! This time it was the Anchor's Away. "Oh... easy..." Zed said while smirking.
Easy? It may have looked harmless but when the swinging started it felt like we were tossed across the world! Save me!
As the swing went higher I could hear the laughter of this handsome squad. Theo was even waving to people yelling, "Woooo! Feels chill!" Enzo looked at me and asked, "Sophia are you okay? You look like you've been shaking since earlier!"
Was I okay? Oh, maybe they could see my soul leaving my body while I was begging for the ride to end! Matthias as usual looked cool but I swear he could tell I was about to faint! I felt conscious again!
"No backing out Sophia!" Lily yelled, clinging to me like she had endless energy to celebrate.
Oh... it was terrifying! But of course, Sophia the Brave panicked internally but kept calm on the outside! I nearly lost my voice from screaming! Them? Fresh as ever! Meanwhile, I looked like I got lost in the rollercoaster of life!
New ride again! Disk-O-Magic? What kind of magic was that? It sounded fun but deep inside I was praying for a fresh start.
Outside I looked cool but the truth was it felt like my whole being was spinning in my stomach!
We got on and as we sat down, I thought of Chimay. Oh... Chimay, if you were here you'd be screaming while I'd be laughing at you! But now? I'm the one who looks close to going nuts here!
The ride started and let me tell you it was like being spun around in a giant washing machine!
"Wheee!" Theo shouted like he was the superhero and I was the sidekick doing a solo flight. Lily? She looked like a cheerleading contestant who never runs out of energy. And me? I clung to the seat as if my life depended on centrifugal force! Oh God! This is crazy, Lily is Crazy!
But of course amidst all these life-threatening moments, I had plenty of stories in mind to tell Chimay. Chimay... you'd be so jealous! Imagine me here with the kings of this handsomes and Lily as my personal cheerleader while back home we'd only get on the rickety Ferris wheel at the fair that was practically falling apart.
But hold on, focus! Because as the ride spun around I felt like my soul was falling out. But despite all this, "Survivor Sophia" still held on! After all I'd have tons of stories for Chimay after this day.
Finally, the ride ended... at last! And when I stepped off I felt like I'd been deep-fried golden brown and dizzy. But there she goes again... Lily is yelling, "Next ride!!!"?
Lily. Of course. No! No! No! Please....
Air-Race? I felt like racing out of Enchanted Kingdom! But Lily there she was again, in full energy mode. I really had no escape especially when the four kings joined in and high-fived her. Would you believe it? They'd all ganged up on me!
We got on the Air-Race and that's when I realized this wasn't just for fun. It was life-risking! Imagine spinning around while being flipped upside down. What is this... aerobics in the air? But of course... again Sophia the Brave! I held on tight battling fear and laughter inside.
Lily... it's your fault if after this i won't recognize myself anymore! I'm going crazy! She's was thoroughly enjoying herself, mission accomplished after dragging me along.
Theo was waving like a celebrity in the air! And Enzo was practically vlogging while we spun! I told myself, "My beloved life, are you leaving me now?"
After the ride I felt like my soul was left somewhere up high. But Lily still wasn't done, she suggested the "Extreme Tower Ride"! I was about to lose it.
"Lily, are you trying to make me throw up my guts with all these inversions?" I asked but of course her response was just, "You got this, Sophia! You only get one chance like this!"
And Zed and the gang? They were in. Who was I to say no, right? I will look like a killjoy here. So there we went. I truly felt like this was the endgame. The Extreme Tower was so high that as we climbed, it felt like a countdown to judgment day!
Finally... we dropped! I screaming for my life all the way down! Lily? Just laughing! And Matthias always the serious one? He was smiling too but stayed as cool as ever. Me? My eyes were shut tight muttering silent prayers.
But hey... it finally ended! And here I am, survivor! Lily? She winked as if nothing had happened.
I should've known, Lily was scarier to go with than the rides themselves! I promise I don't wanna come here again with her.
After those life-threatening rides we finally rested at a food stall. I thought I'd finally regain some dignity and respect but nope! The entire royal entourage kept laughing at me! They joked that I was the lost Disney princess but in reality, just getting carried away on every ride!
"Princess Sophia, what's this? Looks like you'll need your own knight just to survive the rides!" Theo teased as he bit into a slice of pizza. I swear I almost wanted to bury him in pepperoni. And Enzo, of course just had to chime in, "Next time don't pretend to be so brave!"
"Hey!" I defended, "I'm not pretending! It's just natural to stay refined and elegant when facing life-threatening situations! I just don't want to scream without class!" But of course, they still wouldn't stop laughing.
Then Sebastian chimed in, "Wow Sophia, maybe we need to take you to our training camp to make you as brave as us!" Training camp? Me? What are they planning to turn me into a warrior princess? Haha! Crazy!
Mattias just smiled and whispered, "I'm impressed Sophia. I didn't expect you'd make it to the Extreme Tower ride." Was that a compliment? But in the end he laughed along with the rest of the bullies! I just give them poker face.
And Lily, who I thought was on my side joined in with them too! "Sophia... let's go again next week okay? I heard the lines are even longer on weekends!"
Really, Lily? Are you serious?
So while they laughed I just pouted. I was officially their designated Disney princess and their group's laughingstock!
But no way was I going home feeling defeated! I needed to enjoy myself too... so I headed over to the kiddie rides Boulderville Express, Bumbling Boulders, Dino Soar Us, and all the fun rides for kids. I was in my element... finally healing my inner child!
While they were off conquering roller coasters, there I was happily spinning around on the Dodgem and Fun Kart. You'd think I was a toddler experiencing the fair for the first time. "Go Sophia!" cheered Lily, vlogging my every kiddie ride.
I even had an instant audience Zed and the royal squad watching me while they waited in line for the extreme rides and there I was solo on the kiddie train. "Sophia... you're so brave there, huh!" yelled Enzo pretending to be serious but clearly teasing me.
As I enjoyed the Dino Soar Us, Sebastian waved over, "Sophia you really fit those dinosaur rides total ancient vibes!" Ancient huh?! "And you guys look like a fossil exhibit!" I shot back still circling around in the fun kart.
And Theo who couldn't resist teasing said, "Okay... Sophia, next week you'll level up with the kiddie bumper cars!" Oh... I was tempted to squish him, but honestly this day was pure laughter.
And despite all their teasing, I was happy. Inner child? Totally healed, and with a live audience too!
When I got home I felt like I'd just been through a storm completely exhausted like I'd been crushed by ten carabaos!
I collapsed onto the bed, no intro, no outro just lights out! I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep straight away because the mattress was so soft, it felt like I was lying on the clouds of some fairy kingdom.
"Ah, Sophia… the princess life is sweet, even if you're just the nanny!" I muttered to myself as I kept my eyes shut.
Who would have thought that a simple girl from the province would be daydreaming as if she were Princess Sophia the First? Today felt like Enchanted Kingdom on hard mode with me clueless on all those rides!
And this bed? Contributing to the fantasy... softer than cotton candy. It felt like little elves were whispering from underneath, "Sleep... Princess Sophia... tomorrow is a new chapter of your nanny life!"
Ahh... so this is what it feels like to be a pseudo-princess while still being "nanny on duty." Not quite the ideal life scenario but hey, at least my bed's been upgraded!
I was reaching peak Disney-princess-level dreaming... like Prince Charming would be up next. But then there was a knock on the door! I ignored it—"It's just Zed leave him be!"
But I was snapped back to reality when my inner voice screamed, "Hey! That's your boss! Remember, you're the nanny here!" Wow, my conscience is like an instant alarm clock as if it's saying, "Madam Valdez will not be happy if you slack off!"
Before I could react a baritone voice came from the other side of the door. It was Matthias.
"You're not locking your door?" he asked like he came straight out of a drama scene. Any remaining sleepiness vanished as I felt myself drift off in shock! I wanted to say, "How come your so handsome, hmm?".
I tried not to be flustered but come on! Who wouldn't be thrown off by a voice like that? I stood frozen and then Zed yelled from behind, "Hey! Wake up!"
Ahhh... turns out I was just imagining it... and I'm back to reality. The reality of being a nanny with no escape!
"Oh! Is it morning already?!" I practically fell out of bed jolted back to earth.
I rushed to the bathroom feeling like there was an apocalypse on the horizon. I needed to get breakfast ready and more importantly eat breakfast! Then I realized, "Oh no! I didn't eat dinner last night!"
My stomach was growling singing its own version of "Let It Go" from hunger. As I brushed my teeth I felt like my stomach was about to start a riot.
I went down to the kitchen still secretly fantasizing that maybe Prince Charming Matthias or even Enzo would surprise me by cooking but nope! I'm still the designated nanny.
"Sophia... focus! You're on hangry mode! Let's not pass out on duty!" I reminded myself as I fried eggs then noticed rice in the fridge. "Yes, rice is life!"
I was so ready to eat but of course I put on a little pretense while waiting for the eggs to cook. I couldn't resist I grabbed a leftover pandesal from the countertop! Starving but still trying to keep it classy?
Breakfast was ready just as Zed came down looking like the king of handsomeness but of course, he couldn't resist teasing me.
"Sophia, you sure eat a lot!" he said eyeing me like I was the breakfast buffet.
"Yes... I do, because I'm cooking all this for you!" I shot back with an eye roll.
Thank goodness no gang of Zed's minions interrupted! For once I felt a bit of peace like I was actually the queen of his kingdom!
"Looks like I'm the one running your little kingdom Zed!" I joked as I handed him a plate of scrambled eggs.
"Oh... would you rather be a full-time queen?" he teased back with a grin.
"Thanks but no thanks, Zed. I'm already the full-time nanny with no days off!" It's starting to feel like I'm not just watching over him but also babysitting his entire handsome squad!
We ate together but I wasn't going to lose in our little roasting session.
"Hey Zed, I'm surprised no one's reported to your mom that you haven't showered for three days!" I said laughing knowing it hit his weak spot.
He looked shocked then fired back, "Stop spreading that rumor! You're becoming the queen of gossip!"
But I just laughed harder and we ended up staring each other down both trying not to break into giggles.
The next day it was back to school. We were already in the elevator and as soon as the doors closed they suddenly opened... We saw Matthias coming in! I turned, "Huh? Where did he come from? And this early?"
The way he walked in with that slow-motion effect that seemed to follow him everywhere like there was a dramatic soundtrack playing just for him. But honestly, I was more flustered by his presence than the fact that the elevator closed behind us.
Then he spoke, "Morning."
He did a quick fist bump with Zed. I tried to act casual like I didn't notice his presence. Deadpan... I kept staring at the ceiling, the floor, the walls... anywhere but at him!