“Your loss,” Sarah muttered, and I knew then she thought I was stupid for not taking the boy up on his offer.
Whatever.
Maybe I should have. Then I wouldn’t have to go alone, but . . . I didn’t feel right going with him. Besides, I could handle this. On my own. I was no baby.
“I’ll be right back,” I said firmly, holding the chain down that roped off the line and stepping over it as agilely as I could, which was really pretty awkward. I ended up hopping on one foot, practically tripping over myself, and I prayed I wouldn’t pee my pants in front of everyone.
Sarah would have killed me.
“Don’t get lost,” Sarah said, making the boys crack up.
Practically making me cry.
Willing the tears away, I stormed off, infuriated at her. More so at my reaction to her cattiness. She was right. The bathroom wasn’t that far. They were all painted a hideous bright blue, a spot of recognizable color on the primary spectrum, and I came to a stop when I saw the long line to get inside.
Great. It looked almost as long as the one for the roller coaster.
But it moved fast. Next thing I knew I was in a dirty stall, untying my sweatshirt from around my waist and hanging it on the hook on the stall door. There were no more seat liners, so I grabbed some toilet paper and draped it over the seat before I took what felt like the longest pee of my life.
By the time I’d finished washing my hands, I was sure Sarah and her new friends would be at the head of the line, just about ready to get on the roller coaster. I needed to hurry before I lost them. Sarah was the one with the cellphone. If I got separated from her, my parents would kill me. I’d be stuck following after them everywhere we went until I graduated high school.
That was the last thing I wanted. I yearned for independence. I didn’t even like thinking of myself as twelve. I’d already moved on to thirteen. It sounded so much older, more mature. Twelve is a little girl.
Thirteen is practically a woman.
Once I exited the bathroom, I tied my sweatshirt sloppily around my waist and started back toward the roller coaster, pushing my way through the crowd that somehow had grown thicker over the last few minutes. A man kept yelling behind me, his voice friendly but insistent, saying, “Hey, hey you!” again and again.
No way could he have been talking to me.
“Hey.” A big hand clamped over my shoulder, pulling me to a complete stop, and I turned around slowly to find a man standing before me. His face was expressive and his smile was nice. He looked like every other dad wandering around the place, with neatly trimmed brown hair and a slightly wild look in his eye, like he’d rather be anywhere but there.
It was the wild look that filled me with both curiosity and caution.
“You dropped your sweatshirt.” He held it out toward me, the obnoxious red fabric bunched in his fingers, and I stared at his hand as if it were a snake preparing to strike out and bite me at any given moment. “It fell off right after you came out of the bathroom.”
I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed that. “Thank you,” I said shyly, taking the proffered sweatshirt from him. I must not have tied it on well enough. I wrapped the sleeves around my waist and tied the knot twice before I was satisfied.
“Hey.” He flicked his chin at me, all friendly and good-natured. He reminded me of a guy on a commercial trying to sell me lemonade. All sunny and wholesome, the ideal family man. “Do you know where the entrance to the Sky Gliders is?”
That used to be my favorite ride when I was younger. It’s kind of lame, but I liked to use it to get from one side of the park to the other. “Over there.” I pointed and turned. Started to walk away. I needed to get back to Sarah. “Thanks for finding my sweatshirt,” I called over my shoulder.
He followed me. I didn’t like that. Increasing my pace, I ignored the erratic throb of my heart and headed toward where Sarah waited for me in line.
“Where you going?” the man yelled after me.
I glanced back over my shoulder and realized he was directly behind me. “The roller coaster. My friends are waiting.”
He seemed disappointed by that. Was he hoping to get me alone? My heart started to beat even faster. “That line is always too long.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” I muttered, earning a laugh out of him. He walked beside me and I stepped to the side, putting some distance between us.
“Ah, a feisty one.” The smile shifted, became almost . . . predatory. “You tell it like it is, don’t you.”
Alarm rung through me at the tone of his voice, the way he looked at me. I slowed my pace and started to back away from him. “Nice talking to you,” I offered feebly right before I planned on turning and making my escape.
He stepped forward like he could read my body language, grabbing hold of my arm and making me pause. “Wait a minute. You’re not going anywhere.”
I tried my best to jerk out of his hold but he was too strong. “Stop,” I told him as I wiggled against his grip, but his fingers clamped around my arm extra tight.
“Stop what?” Again with the good-natured smile. Like he wouldn’t harm a fly. People passed by us, oblivious to my struggle. They probably thought we were a father and daughter having a little squabble. “You’re overreacting. Just show me where the Sky Glider is. I can never find the entrance.”
He let go of me before I said anything and for whatever reason, I didn’t run. Instead, I pointed toward the Sky Glider entrance again, though at least this time we were closer. “There are two,” I explained to him. “One on this side, and one on the other side of the park.”