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When I pulled her against me to get both our faces in the frame, the close proximity of her body against mine got my heart pounding as if I’d just plunged down the deepest drop on the rollercoaster. Every time I touched her or even looked at her, that same excitement lit up inside of me. It was such a strange emotion, but I couldn’t say I was opposed to it.
After we got our shot and sent it to Iris, it was our turn to board. We went in and stood at the side of the track, and of course, I managed to get us right up to the front car.
“The front? No way! That’s the scariest place!” she argued.
“Sitting in the front means no one can puke on you,” I pointed out as I pushed her toward the front car.
She pursed her lips, then tipped her head. “Okay, valid point. But I may very well puke on everyone behind us.”
I laughed. “Their problem, not ours. But do try not to puke. You puke, I puke.”
“No promises.”
I took her hand as she stepped into the front car, and she held it like a vice grip as they closed us in. Not that I minded, though. Finding reasons to hold Ivy’s hand was becoming my new life goal. From crashing planes to roller coasters, it seemed I was hellbent on having an excuse to feel her small fingers encased in mine just because her life was in danger.
“If I die, I’m coming back as a ghost and haunting you for the rest of your days. I’m serious. I’ll be bumping and creaking into the night for the rest of your life. Chains and all.”
“Well, if you die, chances are I die too. So, we’ll just meet back here as ghosts, and then we can ride rollercoasters together all day without any fear of dying. Since, you know, we’ll already be dead. Winning!”
She leveled me with a glare. “Not helping the fear.”
Sucking the air through my teeth, I cringed. “I mean, rollercoasters are perfectly safe, and you have nothing to fear.”
Before she could change her mind and jump out, the rollercoaster started forward. Her grip on my hand tightened, and it caused my heart to race faster.
“Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God,” she panted out faster and faster as we climbed to the top. “I changed my mind. I want off. Let me off. This is crazy. This is stupid. What the hell is wrong with me? Did I kill all my brain cells getting so drunk? Hit my head on the bumpy touch down? Why in the hell am I doing this?”
“Hey,” I soothed, squeezing her hand tight. “This is the first step in finding the courage to live the life you want. You can do this. I’m right here with you.”
When we reached the top, she looked at me instead of the bottomless drop looming below us. We locked eyes as we crawled over the peak. I saw the fear rising in them, but I also saw excitement dancing in them too.
“Here we go,” I whispered as I grinned.
Ivy broke our eye contact and looked down just as we inched over the edge. Her bloodcurdling scream ripped through me as we plummeted down, and I joined her with my own exuberant shouts. The wind whipped through our hair as we careened down the steep drop, and even though I would normally want to stare in front of me to experience the incredible sights of the roller coaster ride, my gaze remained glued to Ivy.
The terror on her face faltered as we plunged around to the next turn, and soon a smile erupted and lit her up brighter than the sun on the hottest Caribbean day. She looked positively illuminated as we twirled and twisted along at breakneck speeds.
“This is amazing!” she screamed, her attention turning to me as she grinned so wide that I worried her face may split.
“Yes!” I shouted back. “This is awesome!”
“Whoo!” she cheered, turning back to the front, lifting her arms in the air, and dragging my hand up with her.
My heart nearly exploded seeing her so wild and free. So uninhibited and brave. It was one of those moments I knew I’d never forget. One of those stories I’d be telling someday years from now when I was old and grey. One of those magical moments I strived to fill my life with.
We cheered and screamed over each drop and around each turn. Her laughter joined with the screaming wind as we whizzed around the ride, and I wished it would go on forever. Just me and Ivy, holding hands and screaming our way through the rest of our lives. With how happy I felt in the moment, I would have been just fine to pause my life right here and stay put forever. But eventually, even though I tried to will it not to, the ride came to a stop.
As we pulled into the loading zone, Ivy turned to face me. Her windblown hair framed her windburned face, and her eyes flickered with a new life that burned brighter than I could have imagined.
“Well? You glad you went?” I asked as the bar snapped open.
Ivy grinned so wide it nearly split her face. “Yes! So much yes! I want to go again and again and again!”
As she sat smiling back at me, I slid a hand across my mouth to catch the laughter bubbling up from deep inside my belly.
“What?” she asked, tipping her disheveled head. “What’s so funny?”
I couldn’t contain my laughter as I pointed to her mouth. “You have a bug in your teeth.”
