Thrill Ride

by Rachel Hawthorne

  “For what?” I asked.

  “For hanging out with me.”

  “We weren’t really hanging out.”

  “Whatever. Think about coming to my place the next time we have a party.”

  “Do you have a lot of parties?”

  “Oh, yeah, and every Wednesday night we have a hump party…and it’s not what you think. It’s to help us get through the middle-of-the-week hump.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Great.”

  I didn’t know why I felt bad walking away. I didn’t know if it was guilt because he was involved with Jordan and I was involved with Nick. Or if it was just leaving him there, with a lie. Because I wasn’t going to think about it.

  If I felt this guilty just talking to him, getting ice cream with him, how much worse would I feel if partied with him?

  Only 50 Nick-less days to go, and counting….

  Chapter 8

  “I’m sure that my son did not eat a little gingerbread man,” the woman standing in front of my cash register said.

  The fact that the five-year-old monster still had crumbs at the corner of his mouth seemed to say otherwise to me, but the customer is always right, so smiling brightly, I removed the cookie from her total.

  “That’ll be $12.56,” I said.

  She began laying coins on the counter. I wanted to scream. There was a long line behind her with harried parents and tired kids, and she’d dipped into her piggy bank. I wanted to tell her to forget it, but I started helping her count.

  She slapped at my hand. “Don’t touch my money.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  An eternity later, I was finally saying, “Next!”

  “When’s your break?”

  How could I have not noticed Parker standing in line? And how long had he been standing there?

  “Not soon enough,” I said.

  He stepped aside without me having to prod him to get out of the way, and I took care of the next customer. At least this one was using a credit card.

  It had been nonstop customers from the moment I came into H & G. Although we were open until midnight, people with kids were getting ready to leave the park, and each and every one of them needed souvenirs. It was a constant stream of customers.

  I felt a tap on my shoulder and glanced back. It was Nancy. “Time for your break.”

  I wanted to hug her. “Great! Thank you.”

  I slipped through the narrow opening in between the two sections of the counter and started for the door. I barely noticed when Parker fell into step beside me.

  “I have to sit down,” I said, as soon as we were outside.

  “Over here.”

  I didn’t protest when he took my arm and led me to a small table, a pint-sized table—because we were, after all, in Storybook Land—and my knees touched the tabletop when I sat in the small chair. I put my elbows on the table and dropped my head into my hands. I just wanted to go to sleep and it was only seven o’clock.

  “Here.”

  I looked up. Parker had set a cup of lemonade and a huge salty pretzel in front of me.

  “Thanks.” I tore off a piece of the pretzel, popped it into my mouth, and chewed. It was heavenly. “I didn’t even realize I was hungry.”

  “You usually don’t. At least not at first.”

  “This is insane.”

  “It’ll get worse before the summer is over.”

  I sipped the lemonade. “I don’t see how it can.”

  “Trust me, it will.”

  I took another bite of pretzel. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

  Shrugging, he tore off some pretzel and ate it. He was in his uniform: khaki cargo shorts, red polo shirt, name tag. Parker (Los Angeles, CA).

  So he probably wasn’t Jordan’s summer boyfriend. They probably knew each other from school or the neighborhood or something. I remembered that first day, how excited she’d been that he’d called. Maybe she’d come here to be with him. But then what was Ross to her?

  They obviously had a connection.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  Now it was my turn to shrug, shake my head, and lie. “That I never knew eight hours could seem so long.”

  He grinned, reached for the lemonade, and took a sip. The park didn’t use straws because too many ended up on the ground and the maintenance crew had to sweep them up. Still it seemed intimate that we were sharing a drink, even if he wasn’t using the side of the cup that I’d used.

  “So how is it at Magnum Force?” I asked.

  “Unbelievable. When I left, the wait in line was an hour and a half.”

  “I can think of better things to do with my time than wait in line.”

  “Me, too. Listen, some of us are getting together at my place after the park closes, just to unwind. Thought you might want to join us.”

  “You know, I really think I’m going to be too tired.”

  He studied me a couple of seconds, then said, “Okay.” He did a rat-a-tat-tat on the table with his palms. “I need to get back to work.”

  He stood and stepped back.

  “Thanks again for the rescue,” I said.

  “Sure thing.”

  “Maybe after I’ve adjusted to the schedule…”

  He nodded and smiled. “Let me know if you think of anything that I can do to help you adjust.”

  Before I could respond, he’d spun on his heel and was walking away.

  What in the world made me say that, made me offer him any kind of hope at all?

  In the end, I was actually grateful that I had said no to the party. I was completely wiped out.

  Or so I thought. But it was just my body that was exhausted. My mind was traveling about as fast as Magnum Force. I couldn’t get it to slow down.

  I lay in bed, staring in the darkness, the sound of the cash register still ringing in my ears.

  No, wait, it wasn’t the cash register. It was the phone. I reached over and grabbed it. “Hello?”

  “Hey.”

  Parker. Why was I not surprised?

  “Listen, Jordan crashed in my bed, so she’s staying here tonight. I didn’t want you to worry about her.”

  “I’m not her keeper. And listen, Parker, stop bothering me, okay?”

  I hung up before he could answer. I knew it was totally irrational on my part to be upset, but could the guy be any more of a player?

  I reached for my cell phone and punched a number. Nick picked up on the second ring.

  “Megan? What’s wrong?”

  “Did I wake you?”

  “No.”

  He was lying. I could tell by his voice. It had that just-woke-up rasp to it, but I loved him for trying not to make me feel guilty.

  “I know it’s late, but I needed to hear your voice,” I said.

  “I’m glad you called. I needed to hear your voice, too. How is it there?”

  “Busy.” I’d called him two nights ago and told him about the position I’d been given. “Lots of little kids wanting souvenirs, crying because they’re tired. Typical stuff. My feet hurt.”

  “Mine, too.”

  “How are things there?”

  “Frustrating. We got this new waitress—Tess. I’m supposed to train her, and she thinks she already knows it all, so when I try to tell her something, she won’t listen.”

  “Then leave her to it. Let her make a fool of herself.”

  “But it’ll fall on me and I’ll get chewed out. I wish you were here. I really need a distraction.”

  I wasn’t certain that I liked being called a distraction.

  “A distraction?”

  “You know. Something to take my mind off work. I miss you, Megan. I miss kissing you, talking to you, holding you.”

  “I miss you, too, Nick. We can still talk, even if we can’t kiss or hold.”

  “I know, but it’s not the same when I can’t look at you.”

  I tried really hard not to think about the phone calls that Park
er had made before he even knew what I looked like. He’d been content to just hear my voice, to talk with me. So unfair. Parker was a player. The calls hadn’t meant anything, other than the fact that at that precise moment when he was talking, he wasn’t giving attention to Jordan.

  “So?” Nick said.

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I must have dozed off.”

  “What? Am I boring or something?”

  “No, Nick, I’m just tired. What did you say?”

  “I said that I’m counting the days until you come home.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Forty-nine to go. I’m saving up my kisses.”

  I laughed lightly. “You’d better be.”

  “I was thinking that when the summer is over we could do something special.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like go somewhere for the weekend, just the two of us. You know?”

  Yeah, I did know, sorta. “Like my mom’s going to go for that.”

  “She let you go up there for the whole summer.”

  “Yeah, but there are people here watching over me, so she doesn’t think I could get into any trouble.”

  “How close do they watch?”

  “Not very.”

  “So…if I came up for a visit…”

  “I’d see a lot of you, Nick, when I wasn’t working.”

  He sighed. “But I don’t have any vacation days. Since I’m part-time.”

  “It’s a nice thought, though, isn’t it? That we could be together up here without any parents around?”

  “Yeah. Who knows? Maybe I’ll go AWOL.”

  “If you’re going to do that and risk your job, then you could have come up here with me for the summer.”

  “I didn’t know I’d miss you this badly, Megan. I mean, I knew I’d miss you, but I’m miserable without you.”

  It seemed kinda mean to feel good that he was miserable. Shouldn’t I feel just as miserable? Only I didn’t, but it was just because I was so busy. I was working full-time. Nick had more time on his hands.

  We talked for another half an hour, and when we said good-bye, he was making kissing noises, which made me laugh and made me miss him. Made me miserable.

  Only 49 Nick-less days to go, and counting….

  Chapter 9

  Monday was my day off, and I was so incredibly ready for it. Strangely, I woke up to find my roommate sleeping in her bed. She must have come in after I’d already been asleep. I wondered why she didn’t just move in with Parker. She’d stayed over twice now, and had gone to his place for dinner again last night, so they were obviously serious.

  I tried to be quiet getting out of bed, but she rolled over and looked at me. Smiled. “Hey!”

  I’d never known anyone who actually woke up happy.

  “Hi,” I muttered. First thing in the morning wasn’t when I was at my best.

  “I am totally bummed,” she said. “It’s my day off and Ross has to work. I can’t believe that his day off is tomorrow and he couldn’t find anyone to swap with him—”

  She was back to Ross now? Was that why she’d slept in her own bed?

  “And it’s so unfair. The whole point of us coming here was so we could be together.”

  “What about Parker?” I asked.

  “What about him?”

  “You slept over—”

  “Yeah, so? What has that got to do with anything?”

  I shrugged. “Apparently nothing.”

  We obviously had a different view on commitment. I mean, I didn’t even want to hang around with the guy, even nonseriously, because I had a boyfriend far, far away.

  Suddenly, she sat up. “So you want to go to the mall with me? They had some of the cutest little shops, and I’ve been dying to get back there, but it’s no fun shopping alone, you know? So how ’bout it, roomie? You and me, shopping ’til we drop?”

  The other option was to spend the day alone lying on the sand or by the pool. Decisions, decisions…what the heck? I was ready to get away.

  “Sure, I’d love to go the mall.” Not that I had any money to spend, but maybe I’d find something that would make a unique wedding present for Sarah, and I wanted to send something to Nick so he’d know I was thinking about him.

  “Awesome!” Jordan said. “We’ll have oodles of fun!”

  The mall was like a thousand other malls in a thousand other cities, and the fact that it was so familiar made me feel less homesick. Though until that moment, I hadn’t even realized that I was homesick.

  Not that I had a lot of time to focus on home, not while shopping with Jordan. She was incredible. I’d never known anyone with so much energy or such shopping skills. She seemed able to take in an entire display with a single glance.

  “Oh, look at this, isn’t this cute?” she asked, pointing to a pink halter with “YES, IT’S ALL ABOUT ME” glittering on it. “I’ve got to have this.” She peered over at me. “Parker is always telling me that not everything is about me. And that is just so wrong.”

  So she was planning to still see Parker. Otherwise, why buy it?

  “We should find one for you,” she said. “What sentiment fits you? Princess? Nah. Spoiled? I don’t think so. Too Hot to Handle? Yeah, that would do it.”

  She turned to me, holding out the red top that she’d decided suited me.

  I laughed. “I’m not too hot to handle.”

  “It’s the closest thing I can find.” She shook it at me. “Come on. It’s just for fun. You can wear it to Parker’s hump party.”

  “I’m not even sure I’m going.”

  “Why not? I know he won’t mind. He told me to invite my roomie and my suitemates.”

  So he hadn’t told her that he’d issued me a personal invitation? Wasn’t that interesting? Like he really didn’t want her knowing that he knew me.

  Of course he didn’t want her to know. He’d already hinted a couple of times not to mention when he’d called or when he’d shown up at H & G’s. Although he hadn’t come by yesterday, and the awful thing was, I’d kept looking for him. But he’d obviously taken the hint when I’d told him that I didn’t want him bothering me anymore. So now he was going to let Jordan do the bothering.

  “I think I’m working Wednesday,” I said.

  “Well, if you’re not, you can come. And even if you are, the park closes at ten during the week. Plenty of time to party. Oh, look at these shorts. I’ve got to have them.”

  By the time we were finished, we’d eaten lunch at the food court, Jordan had bought something in nearly every store—she’d spent way more than we’d make in earnings that week—and I’d bought the Too Hot to Handle shirt only because she was going to buy it for me if I didn’t, and I didn’t want her spending her money on me. I had a feeling that Jordan saw money the same way that she saw guys—disposable.

  Not that it was any of my business.

  I didn’t find anything special for Sarah or Nick.

  “So how is it working at H & G?” Jordan asked as we were walking to her car.

  “Not too bad.”

  “You hear from your boyfriend much?”

  “We talk at least once a day, usually before I go to bed. And he’s always forwarding me all these jokes through e-mail. Each e-mail’s subject heading is like a hostage watch or something: day 3 without Megan, day 5 without Megan.”

  “That’s sweet!”

  “It’s so negative, though, like looking at a glass of milk and saying it’s half empty. My subject headings are forty-seven days ’til I’m with Nick, forty-five days ’til I’m with Nick.”

  “The anticipation, the countdown. I’m so with you. Positive vibes to get you through the separation. It’s a shame he’s not here. Even seeing him a little bit would be better than not seeing him at all.”

  She popped the trunk and dropped her packages inside. I put my single sack in there as well. Then we got in the car. She put the key in the ignition, turned it…nothing.

  She looked over at me like I
’d done something to the car. “It won’t start.”

  “Maybe you didn’t turn it far enough.”

  She tried again. Nada. Zilch.

  “Great! Just great!” She searched around in her mammoth-sized purse and pulled out her cell phone, punched a button, waited…

  “Hey! I’ve got a problem.”

  I tried not to listen as she explained what was happening. It seemed kinda nosey. When she ended the call, she said, “Parker will be here as soon as he can.”

  Parker. Great. This could get awkward.

  “Let’s wait outside where it’s a little cooler,” she said.

  We sat on the hood of her car, my stomach knotting more tightly as the minutes went by. I knew it was ridiculous to worry about what might happen when Parker finally arrived. Would he acknowledge me? Had he told Jordan that he’d called me a couple of times, that we’d shared ice cream, that he’d taken his break with me?

  Did any of it mean anything? It couldn’t. They’d slept together afterward. He was just being…friendly to her roommate.

  A black Mustang pulled up beside us, and Jordan slid off the hood. I didn’t think it was possible, but my stomach knotted up even more tightly when Parker got out of the car.

  They greeted each other, then he looked at me, and even though he was wearing sunglasses, I had the impression that it was an extremely penetrating look and my discomfort with the situation intensified.

  “This is my roomie, Megan,” Jordan said.

  “Yeah, we’ve met,” Parker said.

  “When?” Jordan asked.

  “Long story. What’s wrong with your car?” he asked impatiently.

  “It’s broken.”

  He scowled. She shrugged and held up her key. “It won’t start, doesn’t make any noise.”

  “Great. Probably the battery.”

  “Probably. Why don’t you let me take your car while you figure it out? Megan and I have things we need to do.”

  “Like what?”

  “None of your business. But let’s do a vehicle swap, and we’ll fix you dinner tonight.”

  “Who’s we?” he asked, but he was looking at me, probably because I was slowly sliding off the hood, wondering what Jordan was about to get me into.