"A roller coaster is just elemental physics," Erin murmured, glancing from Wendy to Jason and back again. "A conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy." Immediately, she felt ridiculous. This kind of situation is usually what Erin went out of her way to avoid. She hated looking ridiculous or dorky when she shared random facts such as this, but she couldn't help it. When she heard Jason comforting Wendy, the information just tumbled from her mouth. Part of it may have been to make up for the glare she'd given Wendy earlier.

"Yeah odds are, like, one in 250,000,000 of dying on a roller coaster," Ian said, coming to Erin's aid. She gave him a grateful smile as Jason clapped him on the back and walked away with a sarcastic remark. "You're more likely to die driving to an amusement park than dying at one!" Ian called after them, rolling his eyes slightly. Erin smiled and snatched the cup from his hand and took a few gulps from the straw to distract him. She laughed softly when he grabbed her from behind and nuzzled her neck. Seems like everyone had been doing that to Ian his entire life, but he didn't mind. He enjoyed his reputation as an asshole and always had.

"Shut up, McKinley," Kevin snapped, shoving Ian out of his way as they walked out of the cafeteria. Erin's first day hadn't been so bad, but some 'Malibu Barbie' girls were giving her a hard time about her schedule. Erin had done her best to ignore them, but found herself losing patience quickly and she could feel a sarcastic remark that would no doubt cause more trouble than its worth bubbling to her lips.

"Hey, did you know that statistically, girls that dye their hair blonde have lower IQs than the girls that choose a different color," a voice said, taking a strand of Erin's red hair and rubbing it between his fingers. "Like, say uh...red for example."

After the bell that signaled fourth period rang, Erin glanced at her schedule and saw that she had study hall. Excellent, she could simply head to the office and return her schedule. Day was over with already. She smiled slightly and walked past Ian and out of the cafeteria.

"Hey, are you mute or is that just how you say thank you?" Ian called, following her out the door and quickly matching her pace. "Seeing as I haven't heard you say a word all day, I'm leaning towards mute, but statistics say otherwise."

"Oh," Erin said, stopping as he stepped in front of her to cut her off. She looked at the floor, feeling her cheeks redden.

"So she speaks," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Still not a thank you, though. Maybe she was never taught manners."

Erin's head snapped up and she glared at him. "I'm sorry, we weren't all raised by the owners of a fucking town," she snapped, pushing past him and walking into the front office. She smiled and thanked the secretary for her help before turning back to the door. She frowned as she walked out and discovered Ian had simply waited for her.

"That's a nice, bold statement from someone who isn't from good ol' McKinley," he said, falling into step with her again as she headed for the deserted pavilions to wait for her ride. He stepped in front of her again and walked backwards so he could face her as he talked. "Hey, what's this thing you always have your nose buried in?"

Erin made an appalled sound that was sure to match her expression as he plucked her sketchbook from her arms. "Hey!" she said, throwing her bag on a picnic table as she made a grab for the book. "That's mine! Give it back."

"Well, well, well," he said in quite the condescending tone. "Seems like little miss feisty likes to draw." He flipped through the pages and stopped at one of the newer entries, making Erin cringe. "Huh." was all Ian managed as he sat on one of the tables, running his thumb along the his cheek before tracing the feature in the drawing.

"It's gonna crash! The hydraulics, the coaster! Man, she's just tryin' to get some fucking attention."

"You know what, you're a real piece of shit, Lewis, fuck you!"

"Fuck moi? No, man, fuck you!"

Out of nowhere, a hand slapped Erin across the face, causing her to yelp in pain. Everything after that happened in a blur. Ian jumped into the fight between Kevin and Lewis in Erin's defense and she climbed out of the car and tried to pull him away from the other boys. In a flash, people in security uniforms were there, breaking apart the fight as their peers got off the ride out of annoyance. Erin pulled a still kicking Ian into her arms and threw her middle finger up at Lewis as they walked out of the ride. She could still hear Wendy sobbing as they walked out into the fresh air. Shaking her head, she laced her fingers with Ian's and pulled him to one of the cheesy carnival games, murmuring something about winning her a teddy bear. He was pulling out his wallet when there were screams and the sounds of crushing metal from behind them. Whirling around, Erin saw the Devil's Flight car-the very one they had been on only moments before-derailing and eight or nine teens fell to their deaths, one of them being Wendy Christenen's boyfriend, Jason Wise.

Erin glanced at Ian timidly as he glared at the road, going well above the speed limit on the way home. "Stay with me tonight," he finally said, speaking for the first time since they were boarding the roller coaster. The sound made her jump in the darkness. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out so she nodded. Not seeing her, Ian gripped the steering wheel tighter, making his already white knuckles translucent. "Please," he snapped, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Yes," Erin replied weakly before clearing her throat. "Yes, of course, Ian. You don't even need to ask." She knew that he was fond of Jason, but she didn't realize it would affect him this much. She chewed on her lip and looked at her lap, spending the rest of the ride in silence. When Ian pulled into his driveway, she gathered the gel, the nail polish, and her makeup bag into her arms and carried them inside. She had poured everything onto the couch and turned on the lights before she realized that he hadn't followed her in. Swallowing, Erin decided to give him time and drew a hot bath. When the tub had filled and he still hadn't made an appearance, she walked back out the front door to find him still in the van, hands gripping the steering wheel.

"Zip, it's time to come in," she murmured, pulling open his door. "Come take a bath with me." She watched her hands shake as she pried his fingers from the wheel, afraid he might snap and swing at her. He had never done anything like that before, but they had never been through something as traumatizing as this either. Once she removed his hands, he climbed out of the van and walked inside, not bothering to wait for her. She gritted her teeth and threw her arms up in frustration before following him, locking the door behind her. She shed her clothes and tossed them wherever on her way to the bathroom. "Jesus!" she hissed, jumping slightly when she walked in and found Ian already relaxing in the water.

"C'mere," he mumbled, spreading his arms as she climbed into the tub. He pulled her closer in a tight hug, nearly cutting off her air. She let him hold her like that for a while, enjoying the way his thumb caressed her cheek. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours before she realized he was crying. Frowning, Erin sat up in his lap and twisted to face him. She remained silent, wiping his cheeks with the warm water until he calmed down enough to talk. "If we'd stayed on that ride... If I lost you-" was all he could manage before nearly losing it again.

"Hey," Erin said, soft but firm. "I'm right here. Don't even think about that, Ian. Don't." She placed her hands on either side of his face and pulled him into a kiss. It started out soft and steadily grew more passionate the longer it lasted. Ian's hands started to caress her skin and he yanked her closer. She rested a hand on the back of his neck, returning the kiss with the same amount of force and eagerness. Everything about this kiss felt right and in that moment, she couldn't imagine her life without him.

"Those are really good," Ian admitted begrudgingly as they walked up Erin's driveway to her front door. Erin just nodded, pulling out her key. The boy had followed her home and she couldn't decide whether she was annoyed or elated. She certainly had made no effort to talk to him on the way, which he seemed perfectly fine with. He took the opportunity to tell her all about McKinley and a bit about his past. He caught her smiling a few times and took the opportunities to tease her.

She lifted her key and was about to slip it into the lock when his hand reached out to stop her. "Hey," he said under his breath even though no one was around to hear. "I really do like the drawings. I'm flattered. It seems you're just as taken with me as I am with you." He smirked at her expression and reached over hesitantly, brushing her hair from her face and pulling her closer. Their lips had barely touched before the front door opened, causing them to jump apart.

"Well, hello, Mr. McKinley," her foster mother said, smiling brightly at them. "Erin. How was your first day? From what I see, you seemed to have enjoyed it."

Erin blushed scarlet and glanced over at Ian as he smiled and said goodbye before backing away slowly. She watched him walk down the street and out of sight before turning back to Sandra and pushing her way into the house. She hung her bag on one of the hooks by the door and set her sketch pad on the kitchen table as she went to grab a snack.

"You know, Ian's not the best kid," Sandra said, following her into the kitchen. "He's just not what I would want you with, but I won't tell you what to do."