“Hey. Got some good music?” Thad asked, pointing to the iPod.
“Um. Depends on how you define good,” I replied.
He giggled, turning in my direction to peek through the exposed side of his shades. He reached out for one of the headphones hanging from the upper part of my left leg, and my heart pulsated violently as I scrolled through music to find something not too trancey, but still me. I wasn’t sure if he’d like my taste in music.
I scooted down a little further after finding an album that I thought perfectly represented me:Seven Years: 1998–2005.
“Who is this?” he whispered, extending his arm behind him to rest his head.
“It’s ATB. Is it okay?”
He nodded.
I had unintentionally shifted myself closer to him when I repositioned. So close that the little hairs on our upper arms could nearly kiss.
We settled there, motionless for nearly the entire album as we admired the distant passing birds in the sky above. Not a word escaped our mouths. I was content with never leaving this place, and I hoped he felt the same. He shifted his body, coming even closer to me, the warm skin of his upper arm pressing up against mine. I don’t know if it was intentional, but I wouldn’t have minded if it were.
Is this what it feels like to belong?
SATURDAY 07 JUNE 2008
6
ROLLER COASTER
Thad had to take me back. My mom called as we neared the last few songs of the album, demanding that I come home and watch my brothers while she and my grandma ran a few errands.
“Tomorrow?” His voice cracked as he pulled up to my curb.
“I work late tomorrow. I’m sorry.” I was sorry. For the first time in my life, I wanted to be around a guy.
“Saturday then?”
“How about Sunday?” I suggested. “I’m going to Cedar Point with my friend Dana and a couple other people on Saturday. We planned it like forever ago.”
“Yeah. Sunday then.” He smirked.
Luckily, I was able to avoid my sister for the rest of the day after our time on Belle Isle. But Friday worried me. She and I had breakfast together in the morning before I finished my chores and left for work, which made me feel uneasy since she gave methe eyeseveral times as we passed each other. I knew she saw me get into Thad’s car. And she knew I saw her. I suspected she was waiting for the right moment to bring it up. She loved me, but like a true little sister, she was preparing to catch me off guard. She would bombard me when she had the upper hand. That’s what little sisters do. They’re much more clever than little brothers.
Saturday morning came and I was fairly excited. Dana texted me early to make sure I was awake. She would pick up Samantha and Kayla first before coming to grab me, giving me time to get ready and not have to rush myself. We needed to get a head start and arrive at the park before they opened in order to get on the good coasters first. It was supposed to be a beautiful day out, which we knew would mean hours-long lines for each ride.
Of all my friends, or at least the people who sat with me during lunch, Samantha and Kayla were the only ones Dana and I actually hung out with outside of school. Though not very often on my part. The two of them were technically best friends in their own right, and they balanced each other out perfectly. Samantha got hot-headed at times and was often short-tempered, and sometimes fought with Dana. But it was warranted most of the time. Dana didn’t like Samantha’s boyfriend and went out of her way to make it known.
Kayla was the chill one of the group, the most levelheaded of us all, and one of the kindest people you’d ever meet. It probably helped that her parents had a lot of money and that she didn’t really need to worry much about life. At least that’s how it seemed.
The amusement park, Cedar Point, was about a two-hour drive on a light traffic morning. Giving us plenty of time to plan out a strategy for the day while Dana flew down I-75.
“First things first,” Dana announced from the driver’s seat, checking the rearview mirror. “The Millennium Force.”
Samantha threw her arms up. “Dana, but that’s on the other side of the park. We could hit up like two really good rides before getting there.”
“Why don’t we do one before the Millennium Force,” said Kayla as she flipped a page in the book she was reading. “Like the Top Thrill Dragster?”
Along with being the most levelheaded, she was also an insane bookworm. And I mean that as a sincere compliment. I’d almost never seen her without a book in hand. Once, in sixth grade, she read all of the Lord of the Rings books in less than a week. We went as friends to senior prom. Sadly, that night didn’t turn out as planned.I’m sorry for that, Kayla.
“I think we should do that,” I whispered to Dana. Obviously, I was going to agree with Kayla.
Dana rolled her eyes and shrugged, giving in to our plan.