Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

DANIEL

I'm glad she figured out what she wants to do, but it just so happens to be one of my greatest fears. I hate heights. Anytime I've ever been more than a few feet off the ground, my skin crawls and all I can do is picture myself falling. But if Margo wants to go on a roller coaster, then that's what we're going to do.

She grabs my arm, eyes big, as we wait for the bus. "I've always wanted to try one of the roller coasters that go upside down. They look like so much fun."

I can't imagine anything more horrific, but I'm not going to tell her no. This is happening whether I like it or not. "It'll be great," I say, trying to convince myself.

Her eyebrows meet in the middle. "You don't seem like the type of person who goes to fairs."

She looks directly at me, waiting for my reply. I like her attention, but I don't know how to handle it. Before, when I didn't like her being around, it was easier. I could run. I could push her away. But now, it's frightening how badly I want to touch her again. I want to hold her hand. Stroke her cheek. Brush her bangs out of her eyes. Anything that would let me be closer to her.

I don't know how to say it, though. I'm afraid of scaring her away, so I keep my hands to myself, in my pockets and safely out of reach.

The bus turns the corner and comes down the road. I clear my throat, nodding toward it. "I'll go wherever you go."

Her gaze flickers away, and her ears turn pink.

The bus stops in front of us, and we walk up the steps. Margo takes a window seat and focuses on the bright fair lights in the distance. "I'm excited."

The corners of my lips turn up.

We don't say much on the ride downtown, both nervous and not knowing what to do. When we get close to the fairgrounds, I reach up to pull the yellow cord above Margo's head to request the stop. We still have to walk a couple of blocks, but I don't mind. The evening air is warm, and there's a gentle breeze that somehow makes it the perfect temperature.

It blows through Margo's hair, parting her bangs to reveal her forehead. There are more freckles on her face than I've ever seen before.

She glances over at me. "What?"

I shift my gaze from her to the sidewalk in front of me. "Nothing," I say, not knowing how to tell her she's pretty.

The parking lot is overflowing with cars looking for places to park, and there's a line at the ticket stand. I didn't realize there would be so many people here, but it makes sense. I bet a lot of people come after work or school. I have to admit that with the sun going down, the fair lights are amazing. I understand why Margo won't stop staring at them. I can only imagine the way they'll reflect in her eyes as the night gets darker.

It doesn't take long for us to get our tickets and head in. The place is swarming with people. Everywhere I turn, there are booths with everything from caricature art to jewelry to clothing. There's live music, and the farther we walk in, the more noticeable the food vendors are. The smell is a mixing pot of barbecue and pizza with a touch of popcorn, making my stomach growl.

"What first?" I ask.

Margo's eyes widen, taking everything in. "I want to do the rides."

"Okay," I say, sweat immediately building on my brow.

Margo grins and leads us through the crowd to the side of the grounds where all the rides are lumped together. We each get a bracelet for unlimited rides and step into the line for the roller coaster. It's not very big, but my stomach still turns at the sight of it.

I tap my foot against the ground as my pulse races.

"Are you good?" she asks, tilting until she comes into my view.

"Yeah." Margo wants to ride the roller coaster, and I'm going to ride it with her no matter how hard it is for me.

The line moves up and Margo jumps ahead a few feet. We'll be in the next group to get on. She stands tall with her hands on the silver chain-link fence closing us off from the ride. She bounces on her feet watching the roller coaster rise and dip, screams carrying through the air.

My back tenses up as soon as it stops and lets everyone off.

We're about to get on.

In the air .

High up.

As soon as the employee opens the gate, Margo scurries ahead. She shows her wristband to him. I do the same, but at a much slower rate. Margo runs straight for the front row, climbing into the seat. She looks back at me and pats the seat next to her.

I gulp and sit down.

Margo wants to ride the roller coaster, so I'm going to ride it too.

I don't know if repeating that is going to help me, but it's worth a try.

Margo taps her feet against the metal. "I can't wait!" She's lit up, face beaming. I wish I could focus on that instead of my nerves.

The employee comes up to us and lowers our harnesses, locking us into place. There's still lots of space around us, and even though thousands of people ride roller coasters like this every day without falling out, in the span of two minutes it's become my new worst fear.

"Are you sure this is safe?" I ask, clutching the harness for dear life.

Margo holds her arms in the air, carefree, as the ride starts to move. "Of course it is."

We ascend quickly, moving faster than I'd ever like to. I close my eyes, trying to pretend I'm not about to drop from the sky.

"What's wrong?" Margo asks me.

I can't look. If I do, I know I'll faint.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my heart. "I'm afraid of heights."

"What?" Margo says, practically yelling at me. "Why didn't you tell me! "

I open my eyes. "Because you wanted to ride the roller coaster!"

Her jaw drops. "We could've done something else."

I shake my head. "Too late." I force a smile.

My stomach lurches as we level out because I know seconds from now, we're going to drop. I'm going to be sick. My head spins, and I refuse to look down. If I do, I think I'll lose my mind. I'll faint or—

Margo's hand wraps around mine and an electric pulse shoots up my arm from her touch. "Don't worry," she says; she smiles ear to ear. "I got you."