thank you so much to Jessica for the covor
*
"Oh God," Jill whined. "OhGodohGodohGodohGOD!" she screamed as the roller coaster reached the top of the first hill and started its ninety-foot free fall. Her entire body felt weightless for a moment and then her stomach was suddenly thrown in the other direction as the coaster started its dive down the back side of the hill. As she reached out and desperately clutched Rory's hand, she could hear his laugh distinctly over the other riders' screams. Gravity kicked in hard, pulling her entire body down and to the rear as the coaster reached the bottom of its plunge before launching up another hill.
How had he convinced her to do this?
They plunged into darkness for a few seconds as they went through a tunnel. Within seconds the rickety wooden roller coaster pulled them up and down again, crests endlessly alternating with dips. A minute later and the ride slowed, the coaster pulling into the station so the next group of unsuspecting rides could have their turn in hell.
Jill was shaking slightly as Rory helped her out of the car, still chuckling to himself. He wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her make her way safely down the stairs and to the wide avenue in front of the ride.
"That was hardly fair, you know," he laughed out once they had sat down on a wide concrete bench overlooking the coaster's entrance. Of course it was on the same stupid bench that they had been sitting on when he had talked her into trying out the stupid roller coaster in the first place. Stupid, her brain threw at her one more time for good measure.
"What in the hell are you talking about?" Jill stammered out. She was still shaking, her body having trouble processing all of the adrenaline that had flooded her system.
Rory tugged at her waist until she was leaning against him, then put his arms around her until the tremors stopped. Satisfied that she was calming, he leaned his head down to her neck to whisper in her ear. "You about gave me a hard-on before we went down that first hill, screaming like you were coming."
Jill couldn't help but laugh, warm relief flooding through her at finally being back on the ground. She turned her head and gave Rory a swift kiss on the cheek, despite her thoughts on public displays of affection. "I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not. That's what you get for dragging me on that thing in the first place!"
"Drag?" he chuckled back, skimming the back of his hand up and down her bare arm. "You went willingly, beautiful."
"Only because you lied to me! You should try it, the fear is half the fun!" she parroted his earlier words back to him. "It's not half the fun! Fear is just that, fear! It's your mind being completely and entirely logical about not walking on to a death trap! There's a reason why I had never been on a roller coaster before today!"
"Are you telling me you didn't enjoy yourself?" Rory prompted after her rant.
The question actually pulled Jill up short, making her pause to think for a moment. "I don't know; I was too busy being terrified."
His responding laugh seemed to echo around them. Jill couldn't help but smile a little. Maybe she would try it again sometime. But definitely not today.
Rory watched her while he continued to hold her close. After several seconds he sighed and planted a quick kiss on the top of her head, his own thoughts seemingly echoing hers. "Okay, no more roller coasters today. There's more to Elitch Gardens than that, you know." And at those words, he pulled her off the bench to follow him.
Now that she had survived the trial by roller coaster, Jill found that she could actually enjoy the rest of the amusement park. Before, it seemed that her vision would do nothing but zoom in on the torturous rides and the poor trapped passengers plummeting to what should have been their deaths. Now she could appreciate the arcades, the old-time fair games and the rides not requiring every drop of her adrenaline.
