| Complete | REWRITING + ROUGH DRAFT | Riley Greene was all set for her summer vacation with her college boyfriend, Kevin. With her bags packed and passport ready, she was excited to go sight-seeing through Hawaii. All her plans came crashing down w...
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"Thanks for coming!" I said with a smile, pushing myself against Chris's chest to hug him. I invited him to Busch Gardens to tag along with the group. It was a friendly gesture.
I've always loved amusement parks, and seeing as how we were an odd number, why not invite Chris? He wrapped his arms around me and whispered how great I looked even though I dressed in a striped patterned lace cami with red, sheer high-rise shorts. Of course, I paired the outfit with a black belt and choker to make it more . . . me.
I smiled at his casual appearance. "So do you."
I reintroduced everyone to Chris again, but of course, Joey had to give him a funky look. Sam smiled. "Nice seeing you again. I'm so excited."
We walked into the park after showing our tickets. I immediately squealed, seeing all of the beautiful attractions this park had to offer: the insanely big roller coasters, the shows, and restaurants. Ohio has great amusement parks, but nothing like this.
"Dyl, will you be okay this time?" Sam asked her brother.
He laughed, pushing his hair into a man bun. "Not going to be a repeat of the last time. I faced my fears."
I choked on my words. "I didn't exactly face mine."
Chris nervously spoke, "You're scared of roller coasters?"
I nodded, but Joey couldn't wait to butt in. "Well, you can ride with me?"
Chris shot back. "Not necessary. That's why I'm here, right?" Chris tangled his large hand with mine. I swallowed and gripped onto his hand while avoiding Joey. My eyes followed the large amounts of people with big smiles on their faces like they weren't scared of possibly being thrown off a roller coaster. The loud screams and yells distracted me from the conversations between the group.
Sam tried getting to know Chris while her arm looped with her boyfriends. "So, Chris, what do you do?" She asked.
He cleared his throat, then replied, "I just passed my exam to become a firefighter."
Her eyes lit up, and I smiled. "That's impressive. You think you can help Cam pass the—"
Cameron lightly nudged Sam while the others laughed.
"Damn, Cam," Dylan added. "She's selling you out, Bro."
We trailed the park, figuring out what to do first. The boys were hungry, but we girls wanted to start enjoying the park first. Don't get me wrong; I love amusement parks for the thrill and excitement—having survived rides I'd been forced to go on—and always seem to come back. I never fancied heights and probably will never get used to them.
The summer heat crashed on my skin quickly as I pushed my sunglasses to cover my eyes. They were dark enough to hide what I was looking at—which I liked. We decided to play it safe and build me up to the scary machines. I didn't want to sit out and have Chris riding alone either. "You sure this one is okay?" Chris asked in a sweet tone.
