“Do you know them?” Aurora asked, pointing to a group of five teenage boys who stood laughing and waving above them.
“Oh no. Get ready,” Dave said, looking around them in the water.
“What...” but Aurora didn’t have time to finish her question.
Water began spraying up at them from all around, as if a dozen tiny bombs were going off in the water surrounding their raft.
“What’s going on!” Ariel exclaimed more than asked.
“It’s those guys,” Dave explained. “When you’re waiting in line you can pay fifty cents or something like that and aim water at the people riding below. Kind of like giant squirt guns in the water to make sure your friends get soaked.”
“But why would they all aim for us?” Aurora asked.
“They’re on the football team with me.”
“You don’t seem all that excited to see them,” Belle remarked.
Dave just shrugged in reply and said nothing more. Their raft reconnected itself to the revolving floor and a worker stepped over to help them each climb out. As they headed toward the exit and back up the steps, they passed the group of guys who had shot water at them moments before. A couple of them patted Dave on the back and high-fived him in passing.
“So is this business or pleasure?” one of them asked, looking over the three soaked girls standing with him. The others hooted with laughter. Dave laughed back, but Belle noticed it seemed forced.
“You almost done?” another one asked. “Tick-tock.”
Dave glared at him, but this response seemed only to encourage their laughter.
“Let’s go,” Dave said, guiding the girls forward. Then over his shoulder he whispered, “Four down.”
The boys seemed to enjoy this reply the most and they continued to laugh like a pack of hyenas as they walked away toward the entrance to the ride.
“What was that all about?”
“Who were they?” Belle and Aurora asked at the same time.
“Don’t worry about it,” Dave said, glancing back to be sure they were gone. “Just a bunch of guys from the team. They’re seniors so they like to give me a hard time.”
The girls nodded, but didn’t really understand.
“What do you think, toads or frogs?” Ariel asked, pointing in the direction the boys had gone. After Dana had shared her words of wisdom with Cinderella and Belle, they had told the other girls all about it. Now it had become a fun game for them to place the boys they came across into one of the three categories.
“At first glance, I would have to say toads,” Aurora answered. “But a couple of them were kinda cute! I don’t know, maybe there was a frog or two mixed in.”
Dave looked at the girls, confused.
Belle continued, ignoring his raised eyebrows. “I don’t care what any of them were, we’ve got ourselves a prince right here,” she said, placing her hand on Dave’s bicep.
“Uh- what do you say we head over to the swings and dry out a bit?” Dave asked nervously, trying to change the subject.
“Sounds good,” Belle responded. Dave turned left and began leading them to another part of the park and the girls had to walk fast to keep up with his quickened pace.
Chapter Nineteen
Ariel’s blonde hair blew gently in the breeze behind her as the swings spun them around and around in a circle. When she closed her eyes, she felt as though she were flying high above the park with her feet dangling from the chair. She smiled to herself, quite pleased with the accomplishment she had made. She didn’t know what it was about Dave that made her want to get over her fears. She didn’t like being left out, she knew that much, and the way Dave put his arm around her and smiled at her with encouraging eyes...
“Ari, you comin?” Aurora asked.
Ariel opened her eyes and realized she had gotten so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t even notice the ride had stopped and she was one of the last people remaining in her seat.
“You fall asleep or something?” Belle asked.
“Me? Fall asleep? Inconceivable!” Ariel joked, trying to brush it off.
They returned to the main street that ran the length of the park, still wet but no longer dripping. There were big games on either side of the street. The kind where if you win, you go home with a giant stuffed animal. The workers of the games called to them from every direction, trying to convince the foursome that they needed to throw a ball at milk bottles or toss a ring around a barely big enough bottleneck. In the middle of all these games and noise stood some tall letters spelling out the words: Terror Ride. The letters rocked back and forth, enticing people toward the dark building.
“What’s that?” Aurora asked, pointing toward the ride ahead.
“It’s a lot like Dracula’s Castle,” Dave said. “You sit in a little car and go through the spook house. You guys want to go?”
“I’m actually kinda hungry,” Belle said, eyeing the nearby pretzel cart.
“Me too,” Ariel said.
“I’ll go with you Dave,” Aurora said.
“Aren’t you guys hungry?” Belle asked.
“Not really,” Aurora said, and she hurried toward the Terror Ride’s fairly short line.
“I guess we’ll meet you guys here afterward,” Dave said, and he followed Aurora to get in line.
Belle struggled for a second, trying to decide whether to follow them to the ride or follow Ariel to the food.
“You comin?” Ariel shouted from a few yards away.
Belle looked over at Dave’s disappearing head one last time, and then hurried after Ariel.
“There you are!” Aurora grinned as Dave shuffled through the stacks of people in line and caught up to her, near the front.
“I think they all hate me,” Dave said in response to the glares aimed at him by a few people behind them in line.
“That’s just because they don’t know you like I do,” Aurora playfully added.
The two of them stepped forward as the line moved, cold mist coming down on them from the building above.
“This would feel a lot better if I weren’t already wet,” Aurora said, trying to block the cool moisture with her hands.
Goosebumps began popping up all over her skin, but luckily the line moved quickly and they were soon climbing into a forest green, round car. The ride attendant looked bored as she lowered their lap bar down. “Have a nice riiiiiiiide,” she yawned and the car moved forward along the track and into the dark building.
“Wow, it’s chilly in here,” Aurora said, leaning closer to Dave. He placed his arm over her shoulder and they rode comfortably in silence, observing the wax dummies and other scary props. Aurora looked up at Dave, admiring his perfectly shaped jawline.
“What?” he asked with a smile.
Aurora tried to hurry and turn away but it was too late, he had seen her staring.
“Has anyone ever told you what big eyes you have?” he asked.
“The better to see you with, my dear,” she replied sarcastically.
“No, I mean they’re really pretty,” Dave recovered quickly.
“Thanks,” Aurora said, pulling some vanilla chapstick out of her pocket and carefully applying it to avoid his gaze.
“Can I have some?” Dave asked.
“Sure.” Aurora turned to hand him the small capsule and instead found Dave’s lips pressed against hers in a quick kiss.
“Thanks!” he said. “Has anyone ever told you what soft lips you have?” he asked, trying to smooth over the slightly awkward moment by making a joke.
“The better to kiss you with, my dear,” Aurora said and she grabbed his face in both her hands and kissed him back.
Their lips were separated this time with a sharp jerk when a loud horn sounded at the end of the ride and Aurora jumped into the air, causing their heads to collide. They looked at each other, rubbing their sore foreheads and burst out laughing. Their car pulled back into the bright sunlight and they exited the ride, still laughing. Then they
walked back to the place where they had left Belle and Ariel and spotted the two of them sitting on a nearby bench, finishing the last of a salty pretzel.
“What happened?” Belle asked, getting to her feet and eyeing Aurora’s forehead. Aurora glanced at Dave, who laughed in return and pointed to the spot where her head was throbbing.
“We conked heads when a horn surprised us at the end of the ride,” Dave said, explaining the red bump on Aurora’s hairline.
Aurora reached up and felt the sensitive spot they were discussing. The moment had been so funny, she hadn’t even realized how hard the collision actually was. Now she could feel a soft bump as it began protruding under her fingertips. One look at Dave told her he was getting a similar reaction to their encounter.
“It looks like it hurts!” Belle said, gently examining Dave’s head. “Do you need some ice or something?”
“Naw, it really isn’t that bad.”
Dave began walking in the opposite direction toward the other side of the park. Belle walked by his side and began questioning him on the new rides they were about to experience.
“No, don’t worry about me. I don’t need any ice either,” Aurora grumbled as they walked away.
“Come on,” Ariel said, pushing her sister forward from behind. “You know Belle well enough to know that no one else exists when a cute guy is around.”
“She acts like she owns him though,” Aurora said, pointing to Belle who now walked with her hand clutched around Dave’s arm.
“He doesn’t seem to mind,” Ariel commented. She looked longingly after Dave, as the two continued to walk ahead. She was hoping Dave would show more interest in her today, since they had kissed. But she wanted Dave to initiate the attention. She wasn’t about to throw herself at him like Belle and Aurora were doing.
As if on cue, Aurora said, “That’s because he doesn’t know his options yet.” And she tossed her hair over her shoulder before quickening her pace and claiming Dave’s other arm.
Chapter Twenty
Aurora tried to pull Dave’s attention away from Belle, but she had her eyes locked on him like a vise. They had made their way to the other side of the park and stood in line waiting for a ride called Wicked.
“This is my favorite ride in the whole park!” Dave exclaimed, pointing up at the huge yellow roller coaster. “You guys will love it!”
“Whoa,” Ariel said as they watched the next car zoom out of a tunnel and take off up the track like a rocket.
“How fast are they going?” Aurora asked.
“I dunno,” Dave said. “It’s crazy though! One second you are sitting in the tunnel, waiting for the ride to start. The next second, you’re flying out of the tunnel and then going over the edge and dropping straight down. It’s awesome!”
Wicked did not disappoint! As the three girls came walking off the ride, they couldn’t stop talking about it.
“We have got to do that one again!” Ariel said.
“You weren’t kidding!” Belle said to Dave. “It really felt like we were flying!”
“I know, it’s great!” Dave smiled.
Aurora smiled and nodded her agreement, but she didn’t walk far before she had to stop.
“Something wrong?” Ariel asked.
“I just feel really dizzy,” she said, holding her head. “I must have really hit my head hard,” she added, looking at Dave.
“Do you want to lie down for a minute?” he asked. “You could rest in the car for a little while if you need to.”
“That might not be a bad idea,” Aurora said.
“Here, I’ll take you to the car.” He put his arm around Aurora’s shoulders and began guiding her toward the exit.
“We’ll come with you,” Belle said.
“No, that would be silly for all of us to go,” Dave responded. “You guys go ahead and keep riding. I’ll call you when we’re heading back in and we can figure out a place to meet.” Then he and Aurora continued on their way.
“So what do you want to ride next?” Ariel asked. But Belle just gave her a dirty look and stormed away in the opposite direction.
When they got to the car, Dave handed Aurora a water bottle out of the cooler he had stashed in the back. Then he laid the back seat down and helped her climb in.
“Why don’t you lie down for a little while, and I’ll turn on some music,” Dave said. Aurora closed her eyes while Dave turned on the AC and fidgeted with the radio.
“Thanks,” she said.
“For what?” Dave asked.
“For taking care of me,” Aurora responded. “I know Belle wasn’t too happy about us leaving them, or that you even went on the ride with me in the first place.”
“Well, we’re not going to last the rest of the day if you’re dizzy the whole time,” he said.
“I think she likes you,” Aurora said, opening one eye to peer at Dave.
“Who?” Dave asked.
“Belle,” Aurora stated.
“Oh...yeah...” he said, without turning around.
Aurora closed her eyes again. “I think she will be pretty pissed to find out you kissed me.” This time Dave turned around in his seat. Aurora smiled, but she kept her eyes closed, pretending to sleep.
“Were you planning on telling her?” he asked.
“Well, she’s going to find out anyway, isn’t she?” Aurora asked. She was trying to get Dave to admit that he liked her more than Belle. Or at least that since they had kissed, they were going to start dating now.
“It probably would be better if we didn’t tell anyone,” Dave said. “I don’t want to mess things up between you guys.”
“She’ll just have to get over it,” Aurora said.
“Please?” Dave asked.
Aurora finally opened her eyes again and looked at Dave, who was still turned around. “Yeah, sure,” she finally said.
Do you want to take a little nap?” Dave asked, trying to change the awkward subject.
“I wish I could!” Aurora exclaimed. “I have trouble even sleeping at night. There is no way I would be able to fall asleep during the day!”
“Just give it a try,” Dave said. “Here, I’ll help you.” He climbed over the seat and sat beside Aurora in the back.
“I’m telling you, I’m a lost cause,” said Aurora, sitting up on one elbow.
“Then you’ve got nothing to lose,” Dave said. “Now lay back down.” Aurora shrugged and lay back down, with her head resting on Dave’s lap. He began to gently start brushing his fingers through her hair. “Just close your eyes and relax,” he said. Aurora did as she was told, and she tried to take deep breaths and focus on the soft music. Pretty soon she felt herself begin to relax. But just as sleep was about to overtake her, Aurora jerked awake.
“I don’t know why I even bother!” she said, getting frustrated.
“It’s okay, just try again,” Dave responded softly. Aurora closed her eyes again, and felt the tingles run down her neck and spine as Dave stroked her hair. Then he began gently messaging her temples.
“Where did you learn how to do this?” she whispered.
“Shhhhh,” Dave said. “I’ve seen my dad do this a bunch of times when my mom gets a bad migraine.”
“Be sure and thank your dad for me,” she said.
“You’ll never get to sleep if you keep talking,” Dave teased.
Aurora smiled up at him. “Okay,” she mouthed. Aurora could not remember the last time she felt so relaxed. But every time she came close to falling asleep, images of eyes staring at her popped in her head, and she would jerk awake again. Then Dave began telling her stories, in an effort to distract Aurora from thinking about gaping eyes. The combination of his gentle scalp massages and soft voice finally worked. Before Aurora knew what had happened, she was waking up an hour later. Her eyes slowly opened and the first thing she noticed was Dave was no longer by her side. He was sitting in the front seat with the music turned down, so he wouldn’t wake her. Aurora slowly sat up and Dave turne
d around in his seat.
“Well hey there, sleeping beauty!” he said, with a big smile on his face.
“Was I really asleep?” Aurora asked, stretching.
“Yeah! How do you feel?”
Aurora paused for a moment to see for herself. “I feel great!” she realized. “How long was I out?”
“Only about an hour,” Dave responded.
“I’m sorry you had to sit here that whole time,” Aurora said.
“No worries. I think I may have even snoozed for a minute myself,” Dave said. “Well, I guess we better go find Ariel and Belle.”
“Speak of the devil,” Aurora said, climbing out of the car.
Belle and Ariel were walking through the parking lot, heading in their direction. Dave turned off the car and climbed out, locking the doors behind him. “Well hey!” he yelled, waving. “We were just going to come meet you guys.”
“You were gone for awhile, so we wanted to come check and make sure everything was okay,” Belle said.
Aurora ignored the fact that she was looking at Dave and not her when she said this. “Yup, I’m feeling much better,” she said. “I actually took a nap!”
“Shut up!” Ariel said, patting her sister on the shoulder.
“I know, right?” Aurora responded. “All thanks to Dave here.”
“Oh really?” Belle asked, looking at Dave. “What did you do?”
“I just helped her relax, that’s all,” Dave said, shrugging.
“Relax, how?” Ariel asked, playfully nudging her sister’s shoulder.
Aurora laughed, but Belle didn’t take her eyes off Dave. “Yes, how?” she asked.
“I massaged her temples, the way my dad does for my mom when she’s got migraines,” he said. “Aurora just needed a quiet place to relax and she was able to sleep just fine.”
“Thanks again!” Aurora smiled at him.
“No problem,” Dave said. “Well, let’s get back on those rides!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. Belle claimed his arm once again and the two led the way back inside the park. Aurora looked at Ariel and the two rolled their eyes in unison and then followed close behind.
The Princess Sisters (The Princess Sisters Series) Page 12