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"Okay, Ted? You're insane." [Me]

"What did I do?!"

"Tricked us into going on this ride." [Daniel]

"I think I'm gonna hurl..." [Alex]

"Hey, Alex, it's okay... It's okay..." I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, and for a brief moment, we locked hands, holding on for dear life. Then we rounded the first corner of the massive, scarlet, metal coaster. We both let go and clutched the handle bars as the cart began to dip. Ted raised his hands, and Daniel was just as freaked out as we were.

Then it all changed. In a flash of wind and sound, I shut my eyes so tight that it hurt a little. The cart raced around corners and sped through corkscrews and turned upside down so many times, I felt like I was gonna lose my lunch. I didn't dare open my eyes, and for a while it seemed to calm down, but my head felt a little weird. I opened my eyes to see we were rocketing down hill, upside down, and I shut my eyes even tighter.

When it was over, me and Alex stumbled out of the cart and fell down. Daniel fell down next to us, and was coughing a little. Ted was just urging us to go, but was the only person who had just gotten off the ride who wasn't phased by it.

"I'm... I'm going to kill you... If it's the last thing I do..." [Alex]

"Ted... You're dead meat." [Me]

"I think I'm gonna puke..." [Daniel]

"Oh, come on! That was awesome!" He helped us up, and we all stumbled out of the coaster's main building, and us three crumbled on a bench outside it. Daniel took up half the bench, though, and Alex decided to lay across our laps and started drifting off to sleep.

"You guys are sissies." [Ted]

"Well you've been here before. You've probably been on each ride here at least once." [Daniel]

"I hadn't riden that one."

"You're also incapable of feeling fear." [Me]

"That... is not true. I can't handle bees. Or wasps. Like, at all. Seriously, the slightest buzzing sound freaks me out."

"Zzzzzzz..." [Alex]

"Not funny. I'm being serious. I can't handle bugs. They're so gross and creepy and strange..."

"What about dragon flies? Those things are awesome!" [Me]

"Or snails? Those can't hurt you." [Daniel]

"You know what I mean! I'm talking about flies and gnats and beetles and slugs and especially bees!" [Ted]

"Sissy." [Alex]

"Shut up! They're creepy as hell!" Ted stormed off and left us there on the bench. Daniel shoved Alex off onto me and chased after Ted. A few minutes later, they came back and Ted seemed kinda sad. We went on some of the lighter rides for a while, then got in line for what was supposedly the only ride that would cheer up Ted.

It began with us getting in a boat. It was a roller coaster, but we were being pulled out of the water and dragged up an incline by tons of chains. We slipped off the treadmill and dipped into the water as we rounded the first corner. It seemed like a nice ride, until we went downhill. We shot down this massive water slide and then stopped halfway down the hill to loose a little speed and to splash some water in our faces. Then the decline continued and we hit two more of those little speed bumps before slamming into the real water and getting completely soaked.

We got off the ride and went across the bridge to get out of the building, only to get soaked again by the next group slamming hard into the water at the bottom. We all followed Ted back to the hill after shaking ourselves off a lot on the way there. We put our shirts back on, and Ms. Daywaters said it was almost time to go, so we might as well stay there.

We waited while the other eight kids came back in groups of three and two, and then Garrick came back alone, sopping wet. While the rest of us helped pack up, he tried drying himself off. By the time we were done, he walked by us, and I think I caught him wink at one of us, but I'm not really sure who...

We all clambered on the bus, and we all went into our seperate corners. The four girls in the front, us in the back, and the other four guys were in the front, but Garrick wasn't sitting around anyone. I'd glance over at him from time to time on the hour long bus ride back to the school, and he'd be sort of dancing in his seat with his ear buds in. He didn't seem normal, and it looked kinda sad that he was just all alone. Once we finally got back to the school, he followed us to the dorm building and left at the third floor. The others had wandered towards the senior buildings.

The next day in class, I realized Garrick was sitting alone, and was still listening to his music. For about a week, I'd see him around campus, actually recognizing him, and realized we had Astronomy and English with him. I pointed it out to the others one time, and Daniel said he had him in his Weight Training class. Then one day I finally worked up the courage to try talking to him.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?"

He pulled out his ear buds and looked up at me, "What?"

"Mind if I sit here?"

"Oh, uh... No."

I sat down and started drawing the subject Ms. Daywaters had up on the board. We'd been working on nature for about two weeks, and would continue to for anotheer week and a half.

"So... Garrick..."

"Yeah?"

"Uhh... Play any video games?"

"Yeah."

"Like what?"

"Minecraft."

"Oh... So... Play any sports?"

"No."

"Oh, well I heard you were in weight training, so I just thought-"

"Why are talking to me?"

"I... I just..."

"Spit it out."

"I've ust been wondering. At the park you winked at us, and I just wanted to know why."

"Same reason you all hang out with each other."

"Oh... Cool. So, I guess you have a boyfriend, right?"

"Aren't you with Alex?"

"Yeah, I'm just curious. Like, maybe you'd want to hang out with us or something."

"Not really."

"Oh... You just seem so alone..."

"Maybe I prefer being alone."

"Oh. Well, sorry for bugging you then." I got up and started towards our table, when Garrick stopped me, pulled my arm around and kissed me on the nose. In class. With everyone watching. Including Alex.