Seven

4.5

When Graham and I end up at the amusement park the next day, I'm actually really scared.  When I was younger, I came to one of these once before, but I've never actually gone on a roller coaster.  I guess I never really had the opportunity to, but now I've gone seventeen years without riding one and I'm afraid to.

"I really hope you don't throw up on me, at least," Graham says as we're waiting in line.  Against my liking, we're in line for a very tall and very fast looking roller coaster even with a loop.  You'd think that we'd start off small, but no.

"I don't think I'll throw up, but I could pass out," I respond.

"Try not to do that," He chuckles.  "I don't understand how you've never gone on a roller coaster before."

"Graham, I had no one to take me to these types of places.  I had never been to an amusement park like this until freshman year.  And then, I came with Myra who hates roller coasters, so we just ate food, played games, and went on shit like the ferris wheel.  I've never had the opportunity to try going on a roller coaster."

"Then how do you know you don't like it?" He suggests.

"I don't like the looks of it," I laugh.  "I don't know that I don't like it, but I'd guess."

"Well, I guess we'll find out, then.  If you're anything like me, then you'll love it."

Long story short, the next fifteen minutes of us waiting in line is filled with me being anxious and really not wanting to go on this ride.  But I don't say anything about not wanting to go on.

By the time we're actually on the ride with the weird shoulder thing going over my head, I'm mentally freaking out.  Once again, I don't say anything, but I am most definitely freaking out.

I don't even notice that I'm holding Graham's hand until he gives me a reassuring squeeze.  The worker says something over the microphone that I can't even comprehend, and then the ride begins to move.  I don't even know what's happening when all I can hear is creaking.

"Why is it creaking like that?" I ask.

"We're going up the hill," He replies.  "Just look to your left and you can see what's going on.  You don't have to look directly in front of you."

"I don't want to," I murmur.  Even though I don't want to, my head moves by itself and then I'm looking over the side.  My stomach drops.  We're so high up.  And this thing is still creaking very obnoxiously.  It can't be safe to have those two things combined.  "Holy fuck."

"You're fine," He tells me.  "Just try to enjoy it, we're almost to the top of the hill."

"I don't want to do this," I squeal.

"Mackenzie, it's too late."

"Fuck," I mumble.  "Oh my god, I can't.  Oh my god."

As I finish the last word, we go blazing down the hill and I feel like I'm going to die.  Then, it stops for a second and I realize we're going over another hill, but this time it's much faster and less creaky.  When I start breathing at a normal rate again, I realize that I was screaming.  This whole thing is making me so scared that I can't even tell what's happening around me.  When my stomach feels weird for a second, I shut my eyes tightly and then when I open them again, we're upside down.  We're fucking upside down.  And then we're right side up again.  Then, there's one hill.  And then, we finally come to a complete stop.

"That was crazy," I say as the chest bars list back up above our heads.

"Crazy good or crazy bad?" He asks.  

"A mix of both," I respond.  "I can't believe you just had me do that."

"You said that you've always wanted to ride one, so now you did," He smirks.  "Anything else that you want to do before we head on the road?"