Please Help Me

I'm Olivia Montoya. I'm Italian and German. My dad's family came to America in the 1800s from Venice and have been here ever since. My dad owns a watch store five minutes away from one very amazing amusement park. Not a lot of people need watches, so my family doesn't do so well.

My best friend is Annie Winslow. Her dad owns the candy store a few stores down. Her dad has no trouble with business.

The morning when the Star Ship Banner Ride opened at the big amusement park down the street, I walked over to Annie's house to pick up her and her older sister Sam. Me. Winslow was outside in his garden.

"Hello, Olivia," Mr. Winslow said.

Mr. Winslow opened the door for me. I ran upstairs to

the second floor, where the apartment was. "Annie?" I called.

"In the kitchen," The familiar voice said.

I walked over to Annie's modern kitchen. They can afford upgrades, unlike us. Dad says that back then, the candy stores didn't do too well. Now, obese people love them, so they are more popular.

Annie was eating cereal. She was wearing sweats and a tee shirt. Her hair was tied in a bun. "Hey Olivia," she said between mouthfuls.

I helped myself to my own bowl of cereal. I am practically such a member of Annie's family that I don't even have to ask for food here. It's the same with Annie at my house.

"So," Annie said, "it's Saturday. Yippee."

Saturday has got to be our least favorite day of the week because of all the tourists going to the amusement park.

"Yay." I said, sighing.

"Hey twerp, you better have saved some cereal for me," I heard Sam from the living room. Sam is sixteen and very moody.

Annie rolled her eyes. "I did."

"Good," Sam said. "Morning Olivia."

"Morning." I whispered. Even though I've known Sam since forever, I'm still kind of scared of her.

"Let's get moving!" Mrs. Winslow said, walking into the kitchen. "If we wanna ride that new ride then we have to get on line now."

Annie rolled her eyes. "It's like six fifteen, Mom, the park doesn't even open for the hotel guests until eight."

"The other kids are already on line for the Star Spangled Banner!" Mrs. Winslow argued. Since we live so close to the amusement park, us kids that live down the street are allowed to get in and on line earlier than others.

"Mom " Annie said, "It's the Star Ship Banner...it's a dark, indoor roller coaster that's the supposed to be..."

"I know, I know, the Mayflower traveling to America. I can't believe it's finally opening day for it...are you girls excited?"

"Yes, ma'am," Annie, Sam and I all chorused.

Mrs. Winslow smiled. "Now, hurry off and go to the Mayflower Ship Banner or whatever it's called!"

We all laughed and ran out the door. We picked up Sam's best friend sown the street on the way. Her best friend is Renee Glad. Renee is sixteen, but will be seventeen in two days.

Renee actually has an apartment on the island.

Renee comes down the wood steps to the ground where we are waiting for her.

"Let's get a move on," Renee said.

Us amusement park brats had been waiting years for this ride, and already were out of the que space, even though the park hadn't even opened yet.

"Move it, squirt," Sam said, shoving me aside. Renee gave me a bad look.

I sighed. Sometimes Sam and Renee were so annoying.

A blonde haired lady that had a name tag that said, "Ashley: Tallahassee, Florida" came by and said, "How many?"

"Four," I answered. Sam and Renee rolled their eyes.

The lady looked scared for a minute and then smiled again. "Fine; you'll be with this mother and daughter in front of you. You will be on the seventeenth official ride of the Star Ship Banner!"

Even Sam and Renee couldn't help cheering. We were so excited.

"Wait," Annie said to us four. "If we're only the 17th ride on, then why are we out of the que section inside? Shouldn't the que section be bigger than that?"

We looked around. Annie had a point.

"Maybe they don't think it will be crowded besides today andd made it a short line area..." Sam suggested.

"Why wouldn't it be crowded though? Isn't it supposed to be better than Exploration Alpine?" I asked.

"Why on earth wouldn't it be crowded after today?" Renee thought out loud.

"Not crowded...never crowded..." Annie and I mumbled.

We finally reached the gate around eight thirty, after thirty minutes of the actual park being open.

The people on the eighth ride of the day I knew very well. They were amusement park brats, obviously, and they said they loved it.

"It takes you upside down and around...oh, Olivia it is lovely! At the middle, after the drop where it sprays water at you, you see a light, it's supposed to be the Sun, and you do a lemon twist and then you do mountain loads and drops and flip flops and there is one loop right before you get to the "wave" towards the end. Oh my, guys, you'll love it!" my friend Katrina said to me after she got off the ride.

The queue was so boring. It was She lived in Main Street too. Her father owned a candy store, figures.

The Star Ship Banner's queue line was just bare walls. That's it. Annie and I played thumb war to pass time.

We finally saw the car that would hold us and the mother and daughter that were to go on with us. We also knew them: Beth Jewels and Kay Jewels. I've babysat Kay once. She's sweet and she's six. Beth is also nice.

Annie sat on the outside seat (the right side) and I sat on the inside (the left). The car was almost identical to Exploration Alpine at our amusement park, except this one had only three rows instead of a lot of rows of two.

We pulled down the safety restraints and Annie and I smiled at Sam and Renee, who were in front of us. Behind us were Beth and Kay Jewels.

The safety restraints were REALLY tight. Annie felt it too, because she said, "God, these are tight. If I tried I would never be able to get out!"

I laughed and so did she. "Well there's a loop in this ride. Maybe the Creativeneers were trying to make sure we were extra safe." The Creativeneers were what the engineers were called at this amusement park.

We both shrugged. We laughed as our car went into the black tunnel.