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When things slowed to a stop, my cheeks hurt from grinning.
“More,” I said with excitement.
Nigel and Landon laughed.
We queued up for the XScream next. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that one. It wasn’t a long track, but it would slide us back and forth, including nearly upside down over the city.
But I was here, the first ride was amazing, and I could do this.
As we waited for our turn, I watched the people before us rock back and forth. Each time the car lurched at an uneven speed, falling back, falling forward, my gut lurched with it.
I didn’t realize how tightly I was squeezing Nigel’s hand until he dipped his head near mine. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Of course.” I wasn’t nearly as certain as my words made me sound.
“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. This is about living dreams, not torturing yourself to prove you’re not afraid,” Nigel said.
This entire experience was also at least partly about yanking up my big girl panties and doing things I’d avoided all my life because I wasn’t supposed to or because they scared me. The fear came from different places in each case, and in this instant it was more obvious, but I needed to push past that. “I want to do this.”
Behind me, Landon pressed his lips to the crown of my head. “You’ve got this.”
I did. I totally did.Yeah. I was going to be fine.
The pep talks—internal and external—didn’t stop me from hesitating when we reached the front of the line. But I pushed another round of resolve through my veins and stepped onto the ride. Again, Nigel sat next to me. Landon was in the row behind us.
When the ride started, and we climbed the short distance to the top of the ramp slowly, anticipation churned inside. The motor rocked us back and forth on the track before the track tilted up at the nose and sent us sliding all the way back at high speed.
A scream tore from my throat, but it was all fun. Icoulddo this. This was incredible.
The nose of the ride tilted down, sending us flying forward, and jerking us to a stop, faces tilted out above the city, with us looking down at the lights below. As long as I didn’t think about how little there was holding us there, how much nothing there was between us and the hundreds of feet below, I could appreciate the beauty.
The car stuttered back, a loud grinding noise sounded, and we thunked forward hard. The fall was only a few inches, but it was enough to make bile rise in my throat.
I didn’t like this. I wanted off now. Fuck being brave and adventurous.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I need your attention please.” A voice came over the loudspeaker. “We’re having some motor difficulties with the XScream. It’s nothing to be alarmed about. We’ll have everything back online soon. Please remain calm and sit tight until then.”
“Motor difficulties? What does that mean?” I asked, even though no one in the ride would have any more information than I did.
Nigel squeezed my hand. “It means the ride will be a little longer than we thought.”
“Hey, free coaster time.” Landon’s cheer sounded too bright.
Was it because he was forcing it or because my terror was rapidly swelling to uncontrollable panic? I was tilted face down over Las Vegas. Still. In a car bound to a track with just a few short steel strips. A car that was meant to slide back and forth. A car that would probably break loose with too much momentum.
“Oh, God.” The exclamation fluttered past my lips. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, God damn it. Fuck.” I tried to keep my voice from squeaking out of control. The cursing was supposed to help. I saw it on MythBusters once. Or maybe that was just with pain. Was I better off swearing up a storm, or praying, to make it through the next several minutes?
What if nothing helped? What if we di—
“Hey.” Nigel’s quiet voice drilled through my rising panic, and he squeezed my hand harder. “Look at me.”
I couldn’t. I had to watch the ground. I had to know if it was getting closer. If we fell, I needed to see.
“Megan.” Nigel was more insistent this time. He gripped my chin and tugged my face toward him. “We’re going to be fine. I swear.”
Okay, but no. I didn’t buy it. “That’s not something you can promise.”
“We are. Do you know how I know?” Nigel’s confidence was unwavering.
