Tower of Torrent
"...If I could fall into the sky, do you think time would pass us by?"
"An amusement park?"
"Yeah!"
"You kidnapped me and brought me to a freaking amusement park?!"
It was a Friday afternoon on May thirty-first, and immediately after the final bell rang, Crystal had been dragged through the halls by Gold, her (unfortunately) best friend. He gave her no explanation, just pulled her into his car. The two were juniors in high school, so Gold was old enough to drive, however Crystal had had no idea where they had been headed, and had been attempted to notify the authorities.
Her stomach churned just imagining going on the rides before her, as she glanced warily at the rollercoasters whizzing by.
She wrinkled her nose. "I don't like amusement parks."
"Aw, loosen up, Super Serious Gal!" Gold chirped, linking arms with her and setting off through the gates, brandishing their tickets to the man in the booth. "I brought you here because it's a Friday afternoon, and if I hadn't you wouldda just stayed at home and studied!"
"I'd rather do something productive than be here with you of all people."
"Daw, Cryssy, you don't mean that." Crystal was tempted to kick him in the place where the sun don't shine for calling her "Cryssy", but instead she just sighed. "After all the years we've been friends?"
"I hardly think that you stalking me and forcing me to tutor you is hardly a friendship," Crystal retorted sharply, as Gold made a turn and scanned the amusement park for entertaining rides that did not have long lines.
Crystal had to admit, the place did look amusing. It wasn't freakish due to the fact that there were thankfully no repulsing clown faces, although the amount of color everywhere alone could make someone sick, let alone the rollercoasters. There were little restaurants, carousals, Ferris wheels, bumper cars, arcade buildings, even a gondola that took passengers over the whole park. And of course, the rollercoaster's. Not one for an adrenaline rush, Crystal decided she would steer clear at all costs of the coasters.
Gold shrugged, the movement snapping Crystal back as she could feel his arm against hers. "You should just admit you like me already."
Although she couldn't see a mirror, Crystal was convinced her face heated up instantly. When Gold realized what he had implicated, a slight blush was visible on his cheeks also. "A-ah, I didn't mean that way, I meant like as a friend, n-not…" he trailed off. Awkwardly, he cleared his throat. "Anyways, let's go on some rides!"
"Like what?" Crystal asked, not meeting his eyes and attempting to cover her flush.
"Hm…" Gold continued speculating the rides they passed by, until he snapped his fingers. "Let's go on the bumper cars!"
"Are you five?" Crystal asked as Gold pulled her towards the attraction.
"Yes!" he called, releasing her arm and jumping over one of the rails to where the line would be guided, but there was no one there. Crystal rolled her eyes and walked in the regular way, following after him and standing beside him in line. It took three more groups to go until finally they could, but Gold never once complained even when Crystal insisted they find something better to do.
As they passed through the gate into where the miniature cars sat, Crystal could hear the young woman opening the gate and controlling the attraction murmur, "What an adorable couple."
"We're not—!" Crystal tried to stutter out, fighting back her blush, but Gold just pulled her ahead, grinning.
"Hey, why don't I drive?" he offered, a mischievous glint in his amber eyes.
"No way in hell," Crystal replied without missing a beat, slipping into a green car, in the driver's seat. "You'll get us killed."
"Crys." Gold plopped into the seat beside her, looking disappointed. "It's a frickin' amusement park. Who's going to die?"
"The idiot who manages to crash a bumper car," she deadpanned. "Just handle the brake. Can you do that?"
Letting Gold be in charge of the brake, as Crystal discovered, was a huge mistake. She though he would be able to control himself then, but when the game started up and Crystal took the wheel, he would repeatedly press down the brake so that every other second they would skid to a stop, then move an inch, then skid to a stop, then move an inch. Everyone else was slamming into them. Crystal rolled her eyes at the idiot beside her, and found that he was somewhat clever. He seemed to be enjoying himself, especially when he frustrated her to no end. That was just the bonus.
After the ride, as they walked away, Gold attempted to intertwine his fingers with Crystal's. That, of course, was why he was limping all of the way to the arcade, due to the blow to his shin courtesy of the rather violent blue-haired girl. Although, she didn't mind the arcade as much.
Five dollars, twenty tokens, and several arcade games later, Gold and Crystal trekked out again into the afternoon sun of the park, the clouds above looking like the puffy cotton candy that was being sold at stands. That was, of course, when Gold got impatient.
"We should go on a rollercoaster!" he exclaimed.
"You're a child. Honestly, I'm concerned for your sanity."
Gold pouted. "We still should!" He grabbed hold of her wrist and instantly began dragging her off yet again, towards one of the giant metal contraptions.
"W-wait!" she called, digging her feet into the ground to try to halt him, but Gold was surprisingly strong. He did, however glance over his shoulder at her. "I don't like rollercoasters," she muttered quietly.
Gold only smirked. "Could it be, perhaps, that little Cryssy is scared?!"
Feeling her pride damaged, Crystal stood up straighter (although somehow Gold still was looking down upon her—when did he get that tall?). "I am not!" she argued.
"Then let's go!" It was nearly impossible to debate, as Gold had already stepped up to a line on a rollercoaster with twisty blue tracks. Crystal felt like she couldn't protest, but she grew steadily more anxious as she sat down in the car beside Gold—thankfully, though, not in the very front, where he'd wanted to sit.
The attraction started, the car heading upwards just like any regular rollercoaster, the big dive in the beginning. Crystal could feel her apprehension bubbling in her churning stomach. She gripped the bar before her, her knuckles turning white, and tried to gaze anywhere but at the tracks or downwards at the park a million feet below her. Instead, she stared intently at the sky, noticing how the clouds of before blanketed the sky and shielded them from the sun. Their initial cottony glow had been dampened with a dark, ugly gray. Narrowing her eyebrows at the change in weather that she hadn't noticed, the blue-haired girl felt a cold drop of precipitation suddenly hit her nose. Slowly, more droplets of water splattered on her shoulders. An ominous breeze swept the air so many feet off the ground.
Still staring at the clouds above, Crystal pried one of her hands from the bar to tug on her companion's sleeve. At least he had the sense to wear a sweatshirt, she thought, feeling the prickle of goosebumps on her exposed arms. "Gold, do you think it will—?" As if on cue, more rain tumbled down, dousing the rollercoaster passengers as they reached the top of their incline, the front two rows dipping over the edge.
Suddenly, the car surged forward, heading down at a fast pace. In a panic, Crystal squeezed her eyes shut and abandoned the bar, instead clinging as tightly as she could to the boy beside her, who was just hooting and yelling with the rest of the riders. The rollercoaster twisted and turned violently, plunging forward at an impossibly fast rate. It seemed to last forever, especially with freezing rain pelted at them. With the wind rushing all around them, it felt as though time were a distant and vague thing.
Each and every dip led the sky to fall around them, the scenery of the park swiveling and turning in a blur of colors, colliding with the gray of the sky. Crystal's heart hammered against her ribs. She had never been one for "thrills" such as fast rides, as they made her fearful and worried. Somehow though, when Gold's arm slung around her and held her protectively, as she switched to clinging to his side, she felt safe. Like she could never topple out of the coaster car and ending up falling into the sky.
When the car finally slowed to a stop and Crystal stumbled off, still clinging to Gold, it was a complete downpour, and yet people remained at the park. She wondered just how much some people enjoyed amusement parks, to the point that they would stay even in the pouring rain.
"Come on," Gold said, gaining Crystal's attention and talking rather loudly to be heard over the sound of the attractions and the roar of the rain. He slid his sweatshirt off and pulled it around her, despite her protests that he could catch a cold, and began to run, still with an arm rapped tightly around her shoulders. They raced into the parking lot and quickly located Gold's car, tumbling into it in a frenzy to escape the rain.
They sat, Gold in the diver's seat and Crystal in the passenger's, both shivering and soaking wet. Yet somehow, as they panted from running, the two friends erupted into laughter.
"That was totally fun," Gold exclaimed between snickers.
"No it wasn't!" Crystal countered, but it was a lie. She shook her head, unable to rid her mouth of her grin. "But…thanks for bringing me out here…"
Gold suddenly snapped his fingers. "Darn! We should have gone on one of those tower things that brings you up and then drops you!"
"In this storm?" Crystal asked incredulously.
Gold nodded vigorously. "Yeah! That wouldda been so much fun! But…" he glanced over at the girl beside him, "can we do one thing to compensate?"
Crystal raised her eyebrows suspiciously. "And that would be?"
As and answer, Gold spontaneously leaned over and pressed his lips against hers, just for a fleeting moment. Crystal was petrified in shock, warmth spreading through her like a wildfire. When Gold pulled back, he smirked at her expression; she had no doubt turned the color of roses.
"I guess it's not really the same as kissing someone in the rain," Gold explained sheepishly, "but it'll have to do."
Crystal gawked, wide eyed, but instead of resorting to violence, she yet again spared the boy before her. Yet, somehow the electricity she had felt charge through her body possessed her to grab the collar of Gold's shirt on an impulse, and fit their lips together once again.
Author's Note:
WELL. I did that in a day XD
SO TODAY is Pokémon Guy 84's birthday! (EVERYONE GO READ HIS STORY NOW. HE IS AWESOME.) I didn't find out that today is his birthday until like last night at 10... -.-" BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Sorry if the ending was too mushy or if the story was too pointless. But here is your present regardless. Mangaquest, as promised! I hope you have the best birthday ever!
-Silvia
P.S. I don't know if anyone got this, but the little italic thing in the beginning was referencing to how Crystal and Gold are basically falling into the sky by being on the fast rollercoaster, and Gold is keeping her safe as the time is passing her by. I could have gone into so much more detail with that little tidbit, but I was rushing ^_^" gomen!
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING.