In Your Shoes

Chapter 11- Sam

"Is this really necessary?" I breathed in slight indignation, adjusting the bright pink blindfold placed carefully around my head and shielding my eyes entirely. The plum-colored Peugeot I sat in turned left when I heard Tess giggle softly.

"You just have to trust me, Matty. You'll love it." I rolled the one eye I was capable of opening at her nickname—which I decided she had somehow emulated from me—and sighed over-dramatically, crossing my arms and leaning back in my seat, which was strenuous to provide any comfort whatsoever due to my new height. Beside me, Tess scoffed playfully. "Could you be any more of a drama queen?" Mere silence followed, and all I could ponder was the dread of where she was taking me. Although Matt and I had been friends years ago, our interests greatly differed, and I was not prepared to do any 'fun' activity, especially with Tess of all people.

After a number of seconds, Tess scoffed again, only more hushed this time. "I know what you're thinking. Matt, that walking pig is going to pay for what she did to you, along with Freak Barbie." I squinted apoplectically at her comment, yanking my blindfold off.

"What did you just call m—?"

"Put your blindfold back on, you're ruining the surprise!" She yelled as she pulled the blindfold back over my eyes, an exuberant grin plastered on her face. I let out a sharp exhale, retaining tense facial features as fury flowed roughly throughout me.

The subsequent half hour was noiseless on my part. Tess, however, rambled on about her hatred of me and Emily along with a bunch of other gossip. It was obvious we had arrived once Tess cut off mid-gossip and proceeded to squeal with delight. "We're here! Oh, you're gonna be so excited!"

"Can I take off my blindfold now?" I said in one short breath. Though, instead of replying, I felt Tess pull the blindfold off herself. My eye unintentionally squinted at the bright light emerging from the sun, as all I'd seen the past half hour was pink-tinted darkness. When my sight finally returned to normal, bright colors clouded my vision. A ton of people roamed the area, some waiting in line, some being kids with faces full of lollipop. Around them stood different buildings and booths, but what really caught my eye was the large number of gigantic roller coasters scattered in various points of the cloudless sky. I looked to my left in unpronounced fear, Tess beaming wildly. For a split second, it almost felt like I would puke . . . again.

~

I attempted to look straight ahead of me, my hand glued to the giggling boy on my left. The world was spinning and I could feel something swirling throughout my stomach, preparing to escape my body. Matt looked over at me with a lively smile as he proceeded to drag me out of the deadly coaster cart. It tried to rise and I gagged, covering my mouth. When he finally noticed, he grabbed my shoulders in attempt to keep me on my feet.

"Sam, what's wrong?" I merely shook my head, too sick to respond, and when Matt called out for Khloe, it was far too late. I was bent over my knees, a waterfall of barf ultimately fleeing my mouth.

"Why . . ." I groaned once the puking took a beat. "Did . . . you . . ."

"Hey, take it easy, Sam."

"Bring me . . . here. . .?"

~

Needless to say, I never rode another rollercoaster after that, and tried my best to stray away from amusement parks or carnivals as much as possible. Yes, Matt's body differed greatly from mine, but I still retained my own mindset, and most definitely wasn't about to allow myself to deal with post-traumatic stress. The presence of Matt's obnoxious girlfriend surely didn't help; in fact, it heightened the stress and fear of my impending doom to the maximum level, nearing my breaking point.