How Could This Be Real?

106. Ready To Fly?

I didn't get a chance to ask Ash what the deal was with him and Squid on our way to the theme park because we went in separate cars, but once we were all parked and had started walking, I made sure to walk next to him. When David got distracted, I leaned over to Ash and asked him what was going on, but he just brushed it off quickly, saying that it wasn't his place to tell me and that I shouldn't be talking to him because he didn't want to set David off again.

I was about to press him more, but then David turned around and met my eyes, unable to hide a frown about the fact that I was next to Ash. I sighed and walked over to him, letting him take me under his arm as we continued walking. I couldn't help but notice him glance over his shoulder, his eyes full of protective determination, I assumed as a warning to Ash.

A few minutes later, we all had our tickets and were standing just inside the entrance, everyone taking in the sights of the crazy roller coasters, the sounds of screaming children, and the smells of every fried food you could imagine.

"Wow, I haven't been to one of these in years," Netty said, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand as she looked around.

"I know, right!" Amy said excitedly, jittery like a little kid on a sugar high. "Isn't it great?!"

"It's something all right," I murmured to myself, my eyes slowly scanning our surroundings and up a tall tower ride, my stomach churning just at the thought of dropping from that height. I brushed aside my uneasiness as best I could and tried to feed off the group's excited energy. I wanted to have a good time today and just forget about what happened earlier. "So, what are we doing first?" I wondered.

"CORKSCREW ROLLER COASTER!" Ash and James yelled simultaneously, high-fiving with ridiculous grins on their faces.

"Um, yeah, no thanks," Sqaishey said. She was standing next to Stamps, his arm around her waist, and I couldn't help smiling at the sight. They were just so cute together and this was one of the only times I'd seen them so open about their relationship, or at least in public. "You guys can go on all the crazy rides you want later, but I think we should do a few as a group first."

"I agree," Stampy said with a nod. "You two might be crazy enough to start with the wildest ride you can think of, but the rest of us need to work our way up to something like that." He glanced around at the group, "Or at least, that's what I'm assuming from what I heard earlier."

"Well of course you agree," James said to Stamps. "She's trained you to agree with anything she says."

He frowned, "That is not true, I can think for myself perfectly well."

He rolled his eyes and mumbled something to himself before looking to David, the other girls, and myself. "Come on guys, you wanna go on the roller coaster, right?"

We all exchanged glances before politely declining, but the message was clear: No way.

"Uuuuugggggghhhhh you're all so boooorrrrrriiinnggggg," he drawled, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

Squid shrugged, his arm still securely around my shoulders, but I didn't really mind anymore. "Hey, you dragged us all here, so you have to let us have some control over what we're doing. You can't just deem yourself a dictator and make all the decisions."

"But-"

"Mate, it's six against two, just give up already," Ash told him, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

He turned his head to him, his eyebrows raised in surprise. He obviously wasn't expecting his partner-in-crime to abandon his stance because of the group's request, but he soon sighed and said reluctantly, "Fine, we can go on your little kiddy rides, but we are going on the corkscrew before we leave today."