No Aliens Allowed

- Thirteen -

Allen decided that he loved roller coasters after we'd gone on the spinning tea cups. See, the awesome thing about our carnival was that it was just outside of the amusement park, which we'd bought tickets to and rushed in after we'd ridden all the rides and eaten a ton of crap. Catelin had gotten her face painted, I'd gone apple bobbing and Allen had formulated his way around the trickery in each game and had dumped the five billion stuffed animals in Eason's car. I'd bet that the people who ran these games hadn't expected Allen to come up, stare at the game and the people playing it before getting his money's worth in one shot.

So now we were waiting in line for Colossus -- the fastest, biggest and longest coaster in the park. It had an eighty-degree drop, four corkscrew spins and so many loop-the-loops that I lost count the first time I'd been on it.

Allen was practically glowing with excitement, a smug grin on his face (he'd managed to identify what this "strange, warm trembling his chest and stomach" was). Catelin was leaning up against Ben, who still looked amazed, like he couldn't believe he was this lucky to have her attention.

I swear, if he tried anything, I'd be after his ass. No questions asked.

For example, Catelin dated this player-asshole-type named Daniel once -- he was hot, for sure, but a terrible person -- and Daniel cheated on her with not one, not two, and not even three girls, but four. Four of them. So I specifically hunted him down and practically reduced him to a puddle of tears and I felt so proud after that and invited all five heartbroken girls over to my house and they ate all the ice cream and we-

I felt someone take an angry breath next to me.

Penn.

I turned my head to look at him, and there he was, standing behind me with the same anger in his eyes and a scowl on his face and his arms tightly crossed over his Motorhead t-shirt. But I stepped closer, meeting his eyes. Only I could see the guilt there, hidden deep down under all the other baggage Penn carried. He was a tough guy through and through, his interior just as blackened and hard as the outside of him. But he was human and had acted like an asshole and he knew it.

It made me less angry at him to know he was at least a little sorry.

"Are you done?" I asked, crossing my arms. "Can I approach you without you making out with some girl or giving yourself cancer?"

Penn scowled deeper. "Shut up."

"Wow, very eloquent. I appreciate the apology," I said sarcastically, snorting.

He just looked at me, and I could tell that he was trying not to smile because he scowled harder, his brows furrowing over his eyes.

I waited, a smug grin plastered on my face.

"Fine," Penn grumbled reluctantly. "You win."

I did a little victory dance.

"Shut up," Penn said. "And stop smiling like that. I know I'm an asshole. Thank you. Goodbye."

"Oh, don't be such a killjoy," I said.

"Joy was dead long before I came around," he said darkly, still not appreciating my awesome dance moves. The line moved up. I could see the coaster and the people rushing on to get seats next to their friends.

"Well at least I'm happy enough for both of us!" I said brightly, throwing my arms up in the air. "Woo! We're going on a roller coaster!"

"What are you doing?" Allen asked, turning around. "Are you quite well? Are you having a seizure?"

"Don't," I sang, clapping my hands, "insult my dance mooooooves!"

"She's just crazy," Penn said. "Don't mind her."