Miss Me Not

"But…" I said, letting my voice trail off as a noise as loud as a freight train rumbled through the space we had just entered. Awestruck, I looked up at the massive green track that looped over a small body of water. I watched in fascination as another roller-coaster car shot out of the chute like a cannon, barreling around the track. Its speed was exhilarating to watch.

"The Hulk?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the green monster in front of me.

"Yep, The Hulk," Dean crowed. "Ready?"

"Hell yeah," I said, letting him drag me toward the entrance.

The line inside was shorter than I expected and I could see them boarding passengers up ahead.

"It's kind of off-season right now, so the lines aren't that bad," Dean said, reading my mind. "During the summer, the line would be all the way outside," he added.

"Seriously?" I asked, thinking of the long trek through the maze of bars we had walked through to get here.

"Yeah, usually we buy the skip-the-lines passes during peak session. That way, you get on quicker."

"That's crazy. I bet people are stuck in line forever."

He laughed. "I once waited two hours to ride this," he said proudly.

"You're insane."

"We'll see what you say after you ride it," he said knowingly as we edged closer.

"How many?" a bored ride attendant asked.

"Two," Dean said.

"Row two," the attendant said, pointing us toward the big number "2" stenciled on the ground.

The ground beneath our feet rumbled as a new car pulled up to our holding corrals. Excitement hummed through me as we boarded the car and pulled our shoulder restraints down until they locked into place. I gripped the metal handrails on my shoulder restraints and looked over at Dean.

His excitement matched mine as he reached over and patted my knee. "You ready?" he asked as the car slowly pulled away from the loading platform.

"Hell ye…" I started to say as my words were ripped from me when our car took off like a jet. Our green Hulk car barreled down the tracks making my teeth knock together as we were flipped upside down in one of the big loops and then another shortly after that. Everyone was screaming, and the wind blew against my face. I had never felt so alive. Before I knew it, the ride was slowing down and we were back at the start.

"Holy crap balls, let's do it again," I said, climbing out of the vehicle with my legs shaking when the ride finally jerked to a stop.

"Ha, I knew you were an adrenaline junkie," Dean said, pulling me in for a quick hug.

I really tried not to tense. Seriously I did, but as soon as his arms encircled me, everything in me froze. He dropped his arms instantly.

"Shit, I'm sorry Mads," he said, looking contrite as he shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans.

"Because I'm some freak who totally turns into the ice queen any time I'm touched? It's not you, it's me. I shouldn't be allowed out in public," I said, stalking away in embarrassment.

Dean jogged up beside "Come on, freak, let's ride again," he teased in a soft voice. His eyes held mine, and the disgust I was so sure I would find wasn't there.

"We're like some after-school special, 'The Freak and the Jock,'" I finally said.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I'd get top billing, so it'd be 'The Jock and the Freak,'" he quipped.

Yeah, it had Hollywood written all over it. If not Hollywood, then definitely some teenie-bopper, feel-good novel. Of course, both would have to write in a happily ever after since that wasn't in my life script. Live. That's the best I could do.

"Relax, it's almost like holding hands, but better," Dean murmured in my ear.

"Friends, remember?" I pointed out.

"Friends do this all the time," he reassured me.