Chapter 4
August 23rd, 2013
"I'm not doing it." Janis folded her arms and glared up at the roller coaster as if it had personally offended her.
Cady rolled her eyes. "Janis, what do you think is going to happen?"
"I don't know! No one knows! That's the point!" Janis tossed her hands into the air.
Cady squinted at her. "What?"
"People die on roller coasters, Caddy. I'm not risking it."
"It's totally safe, Jan. Stop freaking out." Janis opened her mouth to retort, but Cady cut her off with a kiss. "Come on, we only have like a week of summer left. Let's enjoy it."
Janis smiled down at her girlfriend. Then, glancing up at the roller coaster again, she groaned, "do we have to enjoy it in this particular way, though?"
"Yes." Cady took her by the sleeve and dragged her toward the ticket line. "Two tickets, please," She told the bored-looking girl at the counter.
"Caddy..." Janis whined.
"Shh, you're fine," Cady told her, smiling sweetly at the ticket girl in response to her judgmental glare.
"Here you go." The girl slid two tickets across the table at Cady, her voice monotonous. "No refunds."
"Well, with your uplifting energy and fantastic service, why would anyone want a refund?" Cady said brightly. Janis snorted.
"I hate this job," the girl muttered as they walked away.
As they climbed the steep metal staircase, the ball of dread in Janis's stomach grew larger and larger. By the time they'd reached the top, she was seriously contemplating how far she would get if she ran back down the stairs.
"I would catch you before you even made it back to the second flight," Cady murmured in her ear, as if she'd read Janis's thoughts. "So don't even think about trying."
Janis scowled at her. "This is homophobia."
Cady cocked her head to one side. "How do you figure that?"
Janis shrugged. "Saying that usually gets me out of stuff I don't wanna do."
"Okay, well, I don't think that works in this scenario."
"It's kidnapping, then."
Cady placed her hands on either side of Janis's face. "First of all, you are twenty years old. I don't think you qualify as a kid anymore. And second, I'm only doing this because I care."
"How do you figure that?" Janis cocked her head to one side, mimicking Cady.
"You need to face your fears, Jan," Cady said lightly, smiling smugly as they reached the front of the line.
"Alright, folks, hop in," said the safety check guy, who looked even more disinterested than the ticket girl, if that was possible. Cady and Janis clambered into the tiny car, Janis mumbling about how flimsy it looked. The guy strapped them in, and Janis's panic intensified.
"Cadyyy," She hissed. Cady glanced at her, surprised at the use of her real name. Upon seeing the look on her girlfriends face, Cady's face softened.
"You're really scared, aren't you," she whispered.
Janis nodded, biting her lip. "I know it's stupid, I-"
"No, Jan, I'm sorry. I should have listened to you. It's too late to change our minds, but I want you to know that I'm right here for you, okay?" Cady squeezed Janis's hand. Janis nodded again. "I love you," Cady brought Janis's hand to her lips and kissed her fingertips.
Janis gave her a small smile. "I love you too."
There was a great screeching of gears, and the roller coaster was off.
"Jan? You okay?"
Janis opened one eye, then the other. "Did we die?"
Cady laughed. "I don't think so."
Janis sighed. "Thank god. That would have been a terrible way to go."
"I'm proud of you," Cady said, kissing her forehead.
Janis smiled. "Thanks. But since you made me do that, now we are going to the food stand and you're buying me a soft pretzel."
Cady pretended to think about it. "How about I just reward you with kisses instead?"
Janis folded her arms. "Pretzel," she insisted.
"Fine," Cady rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
"Are you folks getting out anytime soon or can we get the next ride going?"
Cady turned to glare at the safety check guy. "We're kind of having a moment here."
The guy didn't say anything, just met Cady's indignant glare with one of his own. After a moment, Cady sighed and climbed out of the car, Janis following suit.
"Lesbians," the guy sighed.