Chapter 1
Harper’s breath hitches in her throat getting caught around the large lump that had formed in it. Her heartbeat thumps so loud in her chest it feels like it could explode at any moment, and Summer tries her hardest to push down her own fear to calm the terrified girl beside her. Despite the intention, Summer’s attempts to get Harper to calm down are in vain. Nothing can snap her out of her daze. She’s glued in place shaking like a leaf with her eyes completely fixated on the door. It’s like she’s been put in some sort of macabre vegetative state induced by sheer terror.
While Summer and Harper hide they can hear the heavy footsteps and labored breaths of their attacker drawing closer- too close. It enters the room and by the sound of it, it isn’t stopping or turning around anytime soon. Surprisingly, Harper slowly turns her head to face Summer. She hadn’t moved in the last five minutes of hiding behind the old dusty couch, with the exception of fear driven shivers.
“Summer,” the girl manages to stutter out.
Summer takes both of Harper’s hands in her own and looks into her eyes silently urging her to go on.
“We’re going to die,” she whimpers, the horror clear in her pale, tear-stained face.
Summer opens her mouth to respond to the despondent comment Harper just made, but right as she does so the once heavy, but distant footsteps turn into heavy stomps. The previously just labored breaths turn into pained and ghastly moans. The two are horrified, there’s no way out. They really are going to perish on this unassuming Halloween night. Harper’s mind doesn’t even want to process the grim thought.
“No, no, no, no, no.”
***
“No!” shouts Harper.
“But why?” Summer asks in a whiny voice.
“Because,” she retorts, “I said so.”
Summer sarcastically rolls her light brown eyes and responds with a snarky, “Okay boomer.”
Harper’s eyes widen and she puts a fake offended look on her face while Summer’s is still plastered with a cocky smirk.
“Did you really just-?” Harper tries to question, but gets cut off.
“Yep” Summer interrupts.
Harper crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow having a silent standoff with Summer. Determination flashes in Harper’s chocolate brown eyes like lightning cutting through a black midnight sky, but Summer’s eyes have the same glint.
“Fine,” she says, giving in, “we can go on your stupid cart of death, Summer.”
Harper says her name aggressively, almost challenging her and in a way she is. In the end, being forced to go on a roller coaster against her will could result in months of being able to hold it over Summer’s head, therefore enabling her to get whatever she wants.They walk through all the different gates waiting in line for almost an hour before they get to the boarding lines.
“You know you’re gonna have to take those chains off, right?” Harper comments with a giggle.
“You know you’re gonna have to take that beanie off, right?” Summer responds mocking the younger girl.
At that Harper pokes out her lip and makes her eyes watery.
“Oh come on bro, I was just doing what you did,”
She ignores Summer’s comment and makes a tear slip from one of her eyes and run down her face.
“I’m sorry,” Summer mutters out, not wanting to give in.
“What? I can’t hear you over the sound of my shattered heart painfully beating in hollow and crestfallen motions in my now lifeless chest, making my once warm veins devolve in a state that’s colder than the most vicious frostbite and bitter arctic freeze.”
“Okay! Jeez, I’m sorry!” Summer finally relents.
After hearing that Harper wipes the sorrowful expression off her face and hops down from the railing ignoring all the people still staring. It doesn’t bother her that much; she’s always been one to like putting on a show.
“Thanks babe!” she exclaims with a purposely high voice while wrapping her arms around Summer.
Before she can even respond, Harper repositions herself on the railing with a bright smile on her face. Summer steps forward and rests her head in her crossed arms that are placed on Harper’s lap. She looks up at the girl and just lets a small smile fall upon her lips.
“This is what I get for dating a theatre nerd, huh?”
“Yup!”
“You better be glad I like you,” Summer sasses.
This is only partially true though. Of course she likes Harper, but that’s not all it is. It’s so much more. Summer loves her, with the entirety of her heart. She knows that Harper couldn’t handle hearing that though. She had heard from one of Harper’s friends that after Summer asked her out Harper she went home and cried out of fear she would inevitably do something wrong and drive Summer, her best friend, away. She could never hate Harper though, she’s absolute perfection in her eyes. She has soft hair that Summer wants nothing more than to calmly run her fingers through, a sweet face that she longs to hold, and a sweet personality that she adores. All of that is selfish, she thinks every time those thoughts come into her head. Why push our relationship to the place I want it to be, if Harper isn’t happy? After all that’s all I want, for the girl I love to be happy. Summer isn’t completely wrong about Harper being skittish about taking their relationship farther, but again that’s only partially true. However she soon snaps out of her own mind thanks to the announcer.
“Next groups may calmly board the carts,” he calls.
The shiny metal gates open allowing Summer and Harper to step through them. They go over to the left side platform to put their aforementioned chains and beanie in the designated cubby, before getting back in the cart and securing themselves. The announcer says some spiel about the safety rules while the other workers go around checking the restraints. Harper isn’t paying too much attention to it all until the man announcing say something like “one of the top ten fastest roller coasters in the world”. She turns her head to Summer with an accusing grimace and when she does, she’s already looking at Harper with a somewhat sympathetic, but overall remorseless look.
“Sorry,” Summer apologizes meekly.
Harper opens her mouth to speak, but unfortunately for her though, as soon as she does so the announcer finishes saying, “Ride On!”
They then blast off, Harper screaming and her hair blowing wildly in the wind.
***
“Summer I’m leaving you!” she shouts as she and Summer collect their things and exit the ride.
Summer just laughs and takes Harper’s hand, but she’s quick to jerk it away.
“Oh no,” she interjects, “I’m serious; we’re through,”
Harper huffs and picks up her pace quickly walking away and hiding herself in a crowd of people.
“Harp! Wait up!” Summer calls trying to catch up to her fuming girlfriend.
She pushes past the crowd getting a few dirty looks until she catches up to Harper.
“I’m sorry,” Summer says slightly exasperated.
“For…?” Harper questions.
“Making you go on the best roller coaster ride of your life,”
“Summer!” she scolds, though with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“Ok,” Summer apologizes sympathetically, “I’m sorry for tricking you… but you’ve gotta admit that it was at least a little fun,”
“Well maybe for you, but you know I’m terrified of roller coasters,”
“I really am sorry, Harp,” she reiterates genuinely, pulling Harper’s hand to join hers as they start walking again.
“It’s okay,” she replies kindly, “I guess we could keep dating if…” she looks up with a sly look in her eyes.
“If what?”
“You know what I want,”
