"Austin, I should tell you…I'm a little claustrophobic."

We were at the front of the line, and I was getting nervous. I twisted my Ring Pop on my finger.

Austin gave me a flat look. "It's either this or the ferris wheel. I'm going to drag you onto at least one of them."

Well, that decided it. There was nothing I was more scared of than the ferris wheel. "OK." I took a deep breath. "But if I go on this ride, you have to win me a giant teddy bear in one of the mini-games."

"Deal."

The lady told us it was our turn, and I climbed into my plastic bubble, and Austin climbed into his. I thought it would be scary, but it actually felt cozy, and comfortable. I pressed my hands to the plastic and stepped forward, carefully. The whole thing wobbled beneath my feet.

I looked over and saw Austin take a giant step forward in his bubble. The bubble leapt forward, but the ground rolled from under his feet and made him fall over. When he saw me laughing, he climbed to his feet and inched his ball closer to mine.

I inched closer as well, until the outside of our bubbles pressed together. Both of our hands were resting on the plastic to hold our balance, and I saw him shift his hands over so they were against mine. I couldn't feel his touch, but somehow, the gesture seemed intimate. I felt a blush dust across my face.

I had to ask the question that was dancing through my mind. "This is your favorite ride?"

His smile was warm and open ."Yeah. Do you like it?"

"I do," I said, growing even warmer under his gaze. "I was just wondering…if you take any other girls here."

"Um…" He looked away.

My heart pounded as I wondered, for a heart-splitting second, whether I had blown it and given myself away.

"No, I haven't really taken any girls here." He shrugged. "Most girls aren't into the stuff I like."

I felt relieved, though I didn't know why. "I guess it doesn't matter, as long as she likes you, right?"

He grinned. "Like you and me. We're practically opposites, but I like hanging out with you. It doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe because you have everything I don't have."

"Like what?" He raised his eyebrows.

My fingers traced the outline of his hand, through the plastic. "Like the fact that you don't have stage fright. And you have lots of friends. And you're never afraid of anything."

"Hey, I am afraid of stuff," he protested. His voice dropped to a whisper, as if he didn't want anyone to hear. "Umbrellas, remember?"

"That's not a real fear," I said, waving my hand. "You can just avoid umbrellas. But I'm afraid of not being good enough, and I'm afraid of failing, and I'm afraid that people won't like me. And that doesn't go away…no matter where I go, or what I do."

"Ally." He regarded me for a long moment. Then he leaned forward and said, "Everything I have, I'll give to you."

I laughed, sure that he was joking. "You'll give me your courage? And your dancing ability? Because I could really use that."

"Anything that you want, I'll give to you. But you have to give me everything, too." He looked away, as if weighing in his mind what he wanted. "You'll have to give me your smile, so I can see it everyday. And you have to let me kiss you whenever I want."

I put a hand to my mouth, stunned into silence.

"Like right now." Austin tilted his head to the side, and fixed his gaze on my lips. I realized I was still wearing the Ring Pop he'd given me. "I really want to kiss you right now."