Sunrise

Chapter 8 - Roller Coaster of Emotions

We stood in silent awe at the towering structure before us. The air around us began to tremble as a train roared by, the scream's of its passengers soon followed as they dipped downward. I'm sure to them it seemed like they were descending into the very gates of hell. I took another sip of Addie's ICEE, my loud slurping breaking the silence.

"Giant Dipper?" Addie inquired, reading the roller coaster's name board.

"Yup. It's the oldest coaster in the state, and one of the oldest in the country." I informed him before taking another long sip. "We'd get on this almost every time we were up here visiting family."

A second train rolled by and the structure shook slightly as it rattled on by.

"Looks... unsafe."

"Yeah probably, but no one's died yet so..." My voice trailed off with a shrug.

A visible cringe formed on his face, but he followed me to the line anyway. After some time spent dunking each other into the ocean, we decided to hit the boardwalk for the rest of the day. I leaned in a little bit; he still smelled like salt water. Well no shit he did, but I kinda liked it and soon found myself leaning against him.

Addie looked down at me, "Did you finish my..."

"Slurpee?" I finished, not bothering to look at him, "And yes." I peeked up to meet his annoyed gaze. "What? We can get a refill."

He rolled his eyes as we moved up the line. After a few pauses, we found ourselves at the front with an aqua-painted train waited for us to board. I hadn't rode the Dipper since I was a teen, and it showed. The seats weren't built for long-legged people and it definitely showed as Addie and I were forced to squish ourselves into the tiny car. The metal bar dug into my thighs a bit as the operator brought it down. I peered down into the dark tunnel before us, just able to see the dip. I couldn't remember how far the first drop was, but my heart rate had already escalated a bit.

The train suddenly jolted forward, sending us on our way. I glanced at Addie who was just as stoic as ever, his silver gaze stuck on the track before us. I couldn't tell if he was trying to save face or legitimately wasn't unnerved. My thoughts quickly took a backseat once we reached the peak of the ride. Secretly, I always get nervous at the top, the calm before the storm.

And before we knew it, we dropped.

And it was painful.

I get that it's an old wooden coaster and it's not going to have all the comforts of a modern coaster, but holy shit did every sharp turn and dip send my body into a world of pain and aches. It was like I could feel every bump in the track, and the fact that it was old only intensified the feeling. As we rumbled up and down the boardwalk, I could faintly hear the shouting of someone complaining about their leg.

As we returned to the platform, I looked back at my date. He was still stoic as ever, but the white knuckles which gripped the handlebar so tightly that his hands were noticeably shaking said otherwise. The Dipper made us its bitch that day.

"You OK, Addie?" I asked as we clambered out.

"I... I'm fine." He muttered, stretching. "That thing should not be in service. It's rickety as hell."

"Interesting choice of words for an architect." I smirked at him, "You were afraid, weren't you?"

"Absolutely not."

Looking back at him deadpan, I held up his hand to reveal his still near-translucent knuckles. A grumble of annoyance emitted from him, but no verbal confession.

We spent a few more hours in Santa Cruz before the soreness from the Giant Dipper had finally taken its toll on us, which was right on schedule for the Suntan's return journey back to San Francisco. I think I slept through the train ride, because before I knew it, we were suddenly pulling into 3rd and Townsend. I peered out the window, it was already dark and the train was much quieter than the afternoon one. With the day now over, I wonder if there will be another. My conversation with Addie on the beach hadn't left my consciousness, and I still feel horrible about it. I wonder if he meant what he said, or was he just trying to save face. Would I hear from him after this? A voice in the back of my head says no.