Thrill Ride
Rachel Hawthorne
In memory of Fargo,
who always kept me company when I wrote.
We’ll meet again at the rainbow bridge.
Contents
Chapter 1
And that’s how I, Megan Holloway, a life-in-the-slow-lane, carousel-ride type…
Chapter 2
It was unmistakably obvious that Jordan had moved in already.
Chapter 3
“I’m starved,” he said. “We gonna eat or what?” The…
Chapter 4
On the way back to my room, I stopped off…
Chapter 5
As it turned out, I could have slept without worries.
Chapter 6
“Remember: The customer is always right. No matter how old,…
Chapter 7
“Okay, so tomorrow is the big day, right?” Patti asked…
Chapter 8
“I’m sure that my son did not eat a little…
Chapter 9
Monday was my day off, and I was so incredibly…
Chapter 10
It could.
Chapter 11
While Parker was taking his shower, Jordan and I began…
Chapter 12
“She wants Aunt Vic’s holy terror to be ring bearer!”
Chapter 13
I was sitting on my bed, staring at the words…
Chapter 14
The rest of the performances were a blurred haze, and…
Chapter 15
We couldn’t have picked a nicer day to go out…
Chapter 16
I loved Parker’s enthusiasm as we walked back to the…
Chapter 17
“So how long have you been seeing this guy?”
Chapter 18
“It was so awesome,” Sarah said for, like, the hundredth…
Chapter 19
My foot healed nicely, and the days settled into a…
Chapter 20
I wanted to kiss Nick. I mean I really, really…
Chapter 21
The next day was the longest day of my life.
Chapter 22
Decisions,decisions …
Chapter 23
It was strange to check my e-mail and not find…
Chapter 24
The pool party was a turning point. I stopped worrying…
Chapter 25
“So have you slept with Parker yet?” Sarah asked.
Chapter 26
When the plane landed Sunday evening, I was wiped out.
About the Author
Other Books by Rachel Hawthorne
Copyright
About the Publisher
Chapter 1
Summer job possibilities…decisions, decisions
Work at Hart’s Diner
Pros: Weekly paycheck; Nick, my new boyfriend, works there; chance to kiss in the cooler in between serving customers?
Cons: Aching feet; aching jaw from continually smiling to get better tips; living at home while Mom and older sister, Sarah, go through the insanity of planning Sarah’s summer wedding (They can’t agree on anything! Mom? Hello?!? Sarah is twenty-three, old enough to plan her own wedding. Note to self: Stay out of it!)
Work at the local movie theater
Pros: Weekly paycheck; watch the latest blockbusters for free; eat complimentary no-limit-on-the-butter popcorn until I pop.
Cons:Aching feet from standing behind the concession counter; sweeping up spilled popcorn; sticky floors; see less of Nick; live at home while Mom and Sarah…
Work at amusement park near lake far, far away
Pros: Weekly paycheck; get on all the rides for free; gone all summer; dorms are available; being totally absent from home while Mom and Sarah…
Cons: Share a dorm room with someone I’ve never met; never seeing Nick; and okay, I have roller coaster issues…like, I totally don’t get what is so great about the whole queasy-stomach, heart-in-throat, up-and-down, faster, faster, higher, higher experience.
Decision: No brainer. Living with a stranger has got to be better than living with Mom and Sarah while The Wedding is being planned. I don’t have to ride the big roller coasters. It’s only three months. True love can survive that, can’t it?
And that’s how I, Megan Holloway, a life-in-the-slow-lane, carousel-ride type of girl, packed up the essentials of my life following my junior year in high school and headed to the Thrill Ride! Amusement Park, vacation destination extraordinaire on Lake Erie.
That afternoon I’d flown into the airport. With my backpack dangling off one shoulder, I pulled my large wheeled suitcase to the passenger pickup area outside the main terminal. An impossible-to-miss bright red Thrill Ride! shuttle bus was parked nearby, motor running.
So I headed over to it and peered in the door.
“Going my way?” I asked the driver.
He wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. White-haired, wrinkled, slightly hunched. Still, he laughed and climbed out of the bus. “You here for the summer?” he asked.
“Yep.”
He wore a red shirt, cargo shorts, and his name tag read PETE (SANTA FE, NM).
“You from Santa Fe?” I asked.
“Before I retired. Got tired of playing golf so came up here to work. Being around young people keeps me young.”
He took my suitcase and put it in a holding bay at the back of the bus. “Climb aboard,” he said.
I settled onto a seat. I heard laughter and two other girls clambered onto the bus.
“Hi!” one said.
“Hiya!” the other chirped.
“Hi.” Not exactly an original response, and maybe part of the reason that our conversation didn’t last longer.
They sat in front of me and immediately started talking to each other like long-lost friends. Pete returned to the driver’s seat, closed the bus door, and headed away from the airport.
I figured the two girls were returning summer employees. Maybe a little older than me. Definitely friends. They were giggling, talking, and screeching periodically.
I looked out the window, trying really hard not to feel ignored and lonely. I so did not want to be lonely.
I was already missing Nick. We’d only been dating for three months, and he was totally bummed that I’d applied for a job at the park, and even more bummed that I’d been hired to work there for the entire summer.
“That sucks,” he’d said.
Not exactly what I’d wanted to hear when I told him. I wanted him to be ecstatic about my good fortune. I mean, a thousand people had probably applied. I’d had to fill out an extensive application and submit an essay about the reasons that I wanted to work there. And I’d gotten in just under the wire on the minimum age requirement of seventeen. My birthday was yesterday.
So I’d been feeling pretty good about myself when I received the letter telling me that I’d been hired.
After I’d shared my good news with Nick, he’d moped around most of the evening. I’d shown him a video of the amusement park that my dad had ordered for me. My dad is really into watching the Travel Channel, so he was the one who discovered Thrill Ride! and told me about it. It sounded like it would be an awesome experience.
But Nick was less than impressed with the rides, the park, and all the facilities that the tour guide on the video walked us through. The video was geared toward enticing teens to come work there and making parents feel comfortable sending their kids off into the scary unknown. There were dorm moms and curfews and all kinds of safety features.
“It’s just the same as Six Flags,” he’d said. “You could have worked there over the summer, commuted from home, and been a lot closer to me.”
“It’s not the same. It’s t
he thrill ride capital of the world. It’s in another state. I want to live away from home. I’ll be more independent. On my own. Or pretty much on my own. I mean, I’ll live in a park-sponsored dorm, but gosh, Nick, no parents.”
I’d tried to talk Nick into applying, so we’d be together, but since he worked at Hart’s Diner during the school year, he didn’t feel like he could leave for the summer and expect to have a job when he got back. I admired his dedication, and totally understood his reasoning, even if I was a little hurt because it showed lack of dedication to our love.
But I didn’t say anything to him about it, because I figured he could argue that my not hanging around showed my lack of dedication to our relationship. And while it would be a valid point, since he didn’t live in my house, he had only an inkling of how insane it had gotten around there.
So I let the whole dedication-to-our-relationship thing slide.
Besides, I’d be gone only three months, and I was certain our love could sustain a short separation. People did it all the time.
All these thoughts were going through my mind as the shuttle bus took us out of the city and down a lonely road that seemed to lead into the heart of nothingness. But then the theme park became visible—or at least its tallest rides did. The roller coasters and vertical drops and Ferris wheel. Why anyone would want to go up that high was beyond me. It made me dizzy just to think about it.
Beyond all the rides, I could see the lake. The park compound included all the rides, a huge hotel, and bungalows nearby. At the far edge, back a little way from all the tourist accommodations, was the employee dormitory.
The driver pulled to a stop in front of the large brick building. Compared to the hotel it was downright plain, but I didn’t care. I didn’t plan to spend that much time there, anyway.
I slung my backpack over my shoulder and disembarked. The two girls followed me off the bus, but then they released an ear-splitting squeal and were loping toward two other girls. More friends from summers past, I guessed. Great. I hoped I wasn’t going to be the only one who didn’t know anyone here.
I walked around to the back of the shuttle and took my suitcase from the driver. “Thanks,” I said.
“Have a great summer,” he said, with a smile and a wink. He reminded me a little of my granddad.
“I plan to,” I assured him.
I pulled my suitcase along behind me as I headed to the dormitory. I went through the sliding glass doors and saw registration to my right.
I swallowed hard, the excitement mounting. I walked up to the desk and smiled at the girl behind it. Her name tag read MARY (BALTIMORE, MD). They hired students from all over the country, and I figured they felt like where you were from was as important as who you were.
“Welcome,” she said, smiling brightly. “Are you here to check in?”
“Yeah,” I said. I sounded a little breathless, part of my excitement and nervousness, not knowing what to expect, hoping everything was going to be okay. “I’m Megan Holloway.”
She turned to a computer and began typing. Stopped. “Megan Holloway of Dallas, Texas?”
“That’s me.”
She searched through a drawer, pulled out a blue folder, and handed it to me. “You’re assigned to room 654. Orientation begins at eight thirty in the morning. Don’t be late. You’ll get your picture taken for your employee pass at that time.” She winked at me. “I like to warn people because my first year here, I didn’t know and I hadn’t put on makeup. No retakes on the pictures. Not my best moment.”
“I appreciate the warning,” I told her, even if I wasn’t heavy into makeup. Living in Texas blessed me with a permanent tan, so mascara and a touch of lip gloss were about all I ever used.
“Breakfast starts at six thirty,” Mary continued. “A layout of the dorm is in your packet.” She reached into another drawer. “And here’s your name tag and a key to your room.”
She placed a sheet of paper on the counter. “I just need you to sign that you received them.”
My hand was actually shaking as I picked up the pen and signed my name. Everything was happening so fast. I couldn’t wait to get to my room and calmly look through everything. Get oriented. Of course, I guess that’s what morning orientation was for.
Mary took the sheet from me and dropped it into a wire basket where a stack of pages was already waiting. She gave me another one of her dazzling smiles. “Elevators are down that hallway to your right.”
“Thanks.”
“If you have any questions, there’s an advisor on your floor. First door on your right.”
On my right, on my right, on my right. Easy to remember. I had about a thousand questions, but I didn’t even know where to begin, so I just nodded. “Thanks, again.”
“Anytime.” She looked past me. “Next?”
Oh, gosh, I hadn’t realized that people were forming a line behind me. I moved away from the desk, giving the four girls and two guys an apologetic smile. I wondered if any were my roommate. Only one of them looked as nervous and apprehensive as I was.
I pulled my suitcase behind me, heading for the elevators. Off to my left, through double doors and plate glass windows, I could see the dormitory cafeteria. That was one of the neat things about working here: a room and food were provided at bargain-basement prices. I would have very little in the way of expenses, so I could save most of my paychecks through the summer and have money to get me through my senior year. I wouldn’t have to work my last year of high school and could just enjoy the final months before I graduated.
I got to the elevators and pressed the button, my excitement mounting. And my apprehension. I could have requested a specific person to be my roommate—the only problem was, I didn’t know anyone else who was working here.
I thought of getting to know a complete stranger as an adventure. It would be fun. I was sure of it.
The elevator arrived and took me up to the sixth floor. It didn’t look that different from any of the hotels I’d ever stayed at. A long narrow hallway, doors on each side. Just as Mary (Baltimore, MD) had told me, the first door on my right had a sign:
FLOOR ADVISOR
ZOE (LONDON, ENGLAND)
How cool was that? I hadn’t realized that the theme park was international, but why not? My excitement ratcheted up a notch. I thought about knocking on the door, introducing myself, but I was anxious to get to my room, see what it looked like, meet my roommate—if she was in.
At the end of the hallway I found room 654. Two pictures of Ferris wheels were taped to the door. On one was written MEGAN (DALLAS, TX) and on the other was JORDAN (LOS ANGELES, CA).
I tried to picture what a Jordan might look like, but decided the best way to satisfy my curiosity was to meet her.
I started to knock, then realized it was my room, too. I didn’t have to knock. Might as well begin the way that I planned to continue. At least, that was my mom’s favorite motto, especially when it came to guys and relationships. Be up front, be honest, be yourself. Basically, be who you were supposed to be.
The problem was that sometimes I wasn’t quite sure who I was supposed to be. I mean I know who I am, but I am still trying to define myself, especially as a girlfriend, because every now and then, I do feel a twinge of guilt that I’d chosen working at an amusement park over Nick.
“Don’t be silly,” Sarah had said. “You’re young! You have to explore options. Plenty of time later to put him first.” Which, in retrospect, seemed odd advice from someone who was about to make a permanent commitment to a guy.
I slipped the electronic key into the slot, watched the green light come on, turned the knob, opened the door, stared in disbelief…
And wondered what in the world I’d gotten myself into.
Chapter 2
It was unmistakably obvious that Jordan had moved in already. It was equally obvious that she didn’t realize we’d only be here for three months or that she was sharing a room with someone. I gingerly made my way through the quagmire
of crap that she’d left in the room: discarded boxes, strewn clothes, inline skates, tennis racket—did she think we were on vacation here?
A single bed was on either side of the room. On the far wall, a desk—one for me, one for my roomie—sat on either side of the window that looked out over the lake. The blinds were raised and I had a spectacular view of the water.
My desk had a phone. Hers had a computer, a television, and an iPod speaker setup. I assumed since the bed on the right was covered in clothes that Jordan had claimed that side of the room. The dresser beside it was cluttered, the accordion door of her closet half open.
Sitting on what I perceived to be my bed, my solitary suitcase and backpack on the floor beside me, I wondered if I should try to find Zoe (London, England) and ask for a room transfer. My roommate was a slob. Not that I was a neat freak or anything—I mean, my mom had to threaten me with withholding my allowance to get me to clean my room—but let’s get real here.
At home, the entire room was my domain. Here, we were supposed to learn about living with someone new, giving and taking equally, sharing, respecting the other person’s space.
Jordan had three-fourths of the space already.
My impression of her had formed: slob, inconsiderate, disaster—
The phone rang.
I knew it couldn’t be for me. I hadn’t given anyone the number yet. Besides, I had a cell phone in the front pocket of my backpack that anyone who knew me would use. I thought about letting the phone on the desk go unanswered, but it goes against my nature. There’s just something about the ringing of the phone that calls to me to pick it up. Even when I know it isn’t going to be for me. So I did what any self-respecting girl would do. I snatched up the receiver.
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