Entering the park, there was so much to look at, neon signs everywhere, people shouting at them to come check out whatever game happened to be behind them. Food vendors walking around with trays filled with popcorn and candy floss. Hermione's senses were on overload. When she looked at Draco his mouth was hanging open and his eyes wide with wonder.
A man walked by carrying a box filled with glow in the dark stuff. Troy reached over and plucked a glowing glittery rose out of the box and handed it to Hermione with a deep bow. He looked up at her over a very wide smile
"For you m'lady."
She blushed and grinned, he was very charming after all.
"Thank you very much." She managed to sputter out of her equally wide smile.
Draco plucked one and gave it to an irritated looking Brittany, she took it but wasn't smiling or blushing. Steven picked a necklace and gave it to Tiffany, she accepted and allowed him to put it onto her neck. The vendor gave each boy his total. Steven and Troy pulled out cash and gave it to the man. Hermione tried to motion to Draco to use his bank card but he was flustered and the vendor was growing impatient. He looked in his wallet and finally pulled out the card and gave it to the man, he swiped it on a device that looked like a cell phone. a moment later a receipt popped up and he handed it and the card back to Draco. They continued along the bustling boardwalk. Steven and Tiffasny were walking a bit ahead of the group, holding hands. Troy reached for Hermione's hand and held it gently, looking to her for approval. She smiled at him letting him know it was okay. Seeing this Draco wondered if he should hold Brittany's hand, she looked bored and irritated so he decided against it. As they were walking a man shouted at them standing in front of a huge lit up tower with a bell at the top.
"Here's a group of strapping young men…win your girl a teddy bear. Who's gonna give it a go? Five dollars per try!" he shouted and Troy and Steven walked over and handed the man a five each. Draco looked lostly at Hermione who nodded at him to try. He handed the card over again and waited his turn. Troy went first smacking the small platform soundly with the hammer. The light went almost all the way to the top, just stopping short.
"Oh, so close!" the man shouted, "Just a bit short."
Steven walked up and smacked the platform the light zoomed up to the top with a satisfying ding. A bunch of lights went off and he stepped forward to collect his prize, a small pink teddy bear which he gave to Tiffany. She blushed and murmured "thank you" before taking his hand once more. It was Draco's turn and he looked nervous as he stepped up and took the hammer from the man. He stepped back and lifted the hammer high over his head.
"Rookie mistake." Troy said shaking his head from side to side.
Draco brough down the hammer with all his might onto the platform. The light zoomed up to the top and the bell dinged. Brittany looked pleased as punch and she ran over to hug him around the neck.
"Which color would you like?" he asked her.
"The teal and purple one please." She replied as she let him go, Hermione noted that his face was bright red as he took the stuffed toy and handed it to a suddenly shy demure looking Tiffany. She held the toy with one hand and reached for Draco's hand with the other.
"No one has ever won me anything before Drake. That took a lot of upper body strength. Some boys just don't have that, but I can see that you do." She giggled and ran her hand to his upper arm.
He was still red in the face when he replied,
"Thank you."
"Sorry I couldn't win one Emily, I usually win on the first try" Troy said as he walked away with her, looking defeated.
She squeezed his hand a little trying to reassure him that it was okay.
"It's fine Troy. The Rose was lovely. Dinner was very nice as well."
"You're having a good time then?"
She nodded and they kept walking following Steven and Tiffany who were headed for a ride with twisting seats and a lot of twirling lights. It was called 'The twist'. Hermione looked hesitantly at it. Watching the riders spin made her feel dizzy.
"It's not too bad Emily." Troy cooed "It's pretty fun."
They got in the que and she noticed that Brittany was a lot more interested in Draco now, he even had his arm around her shoulders. She smiled. When it was their turn the lady instructed them to go to car #7. Draco and Brittany were in #8 and Steven and Tiffaany were in #9. They got in and pulled the bar down over their laps. The ride started to slowly spin and she thought that it wasn't that bad.
"Things are about to get a lot closer." Troy said with a smile as the speed picked up and their individual car started spinning in the opposite direction of the platform. As this happened gravity pulled Troy's body closer to hers. He put his arm around her and his chest smashed into her face. Her lip gloss smeared over his shirt. After a few minutes of being mashed by Troy the ride slowed and eventually came to a stop. Someone came over and unhooked the lap-bar, Troy got out and extended his hand to Hermione to help her out. She felt a little dizzy and appreciated his help. As they walked out of the ride her head was spinning. She heard Draco laughing and asking to go again. Brittany nodded and they got back in line. The rest of them watched as they spun around faster and faster until Hermione felt dizzy again. Draco's screams of laughter and joy could be heard over everyone else. When they got off the ride they walked back towards the rest of the group. They began to walk towards a large building decorated with pink and red lights.
"Wasn't that amazing?" Draco asked Hermione, who smiled and nodded even though she had hated it.
"Where are we going now?" she asked "I still feel a little dizzy and don't want to go on anything like that again for a little bit."
"No, you'll like this, it's a gentle boat ride."
"The tunnel of love?" she laughed as they approached the neon pink sign.
"I know it's a little cheesy but it's a good chance to have a little alone time. Each couple gets their own boat and it goes along a little path where there are scenes with cupid and plastic hearts and stuff."
"No spinning?" she asked suspiciously.
"Nope." He said popping the P when he spoke.
They were the last couple to enter and it was dark in the que only lit by soft pink fairy lights. She felt his hand guide her at the small of her back. They got into the boat which was very small seating wise so they were pressed close together once more. His arm slung around her shoulder once more and as soon as the que was out of sight his mouth was at her ear.
"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" he murmured in a husky low voice, his lips nipping little kisses there.
"Yes, thank you." she said turning to look at him in his lovely eyes, the fire from the fake candles in the tunnel reflecting in them. In that moment he took her chin with his right hand and tilted it upwards bringing their lips together in a soft sweet kiss. After an endless moment he deepened the kiss using his free hand to hold the back of her head. His tongue searched her lips, waiting for her to let him in, she parted her lips a fraction of an inch and he took this as permission to push his tongue inside. She was shocked by this boldness and reacted by gasping into his mouth, which again he took as a signal that she was enjoying it, his free hand roaming up her back gently over her spine and back down skimming the waistband of her capris and across her stomach. Her heart was thumping wildly as his hand started up the front of her shirt towards her bra. He pulled on it causing her breast to fall into his rough hands. She gasped again and pushed him away.
He looked taken aback.
"You okay?" he asked in that low husky voice that was making it hard to concentrate on things.
"Yes, I'm sorry. Things were just moving a bit fast." She said trying to regain her composure and fix her bra. He smiled and leaned back in to kiss her slowly and gently this time. They kissed for a long while until their bliss was broken by the sounds of hooting, whistling and clapping as the ride ended and the others were waiting for them. Hermione was redder than the red plastic heart that hung above them as they exited the ride. She couldn't look at the others as they headed back to the midway. That's when Draco saw it. The "Serpent" was a tall twisting roller coaster painted a dark evil looking green and black. It seemed impossibly high and the track made several loopy-loops over the midway.
"Can we ride that?" Draco shouted.
"Not me." Hermione said "I don't like heights."
"Me either." Brittany said standing next to Hermione. "You guys go, Ill keep Emily company." She said sweetly leading them over to a bench to sit near the exit of the ride.
The others entered the que and were out of sight.
"Are you having fun?" Brittany asked.
"Yes, its quite different from home, but I'm getting used to it." She smiled.
"Well Troy really seems to like you, he's very picky about girls and we've been friends long enough that I can just tell." She said stroking her teddy bears fur.
"Oh, how long have you been friends?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Well the four of us have been friends since Kindergarten. Troy and I dated for a little while in junior high but that been over for a long time, it never got started even really." She said dismissively, but there was a hint of something else in her voice. "How long have you known Drake?" she asked.
"All our lives, we were practically raised together. Our mums are best friends. When we started at St. Basil's together, he kind of went off with his own friends and my friends and his didn't get along so we grew apart, my best mate Harry and him hated each other until just recently."
"So, there isn't anything romantic between the two of you?" Brittany asked.
"Between me and Drake? Gods no. Never has been, never will be, he's like my brother."
Seeming satisfied, she looked off into the distance. Hermione suspected that Brittany had just sat out of the ride to dig for information. But it was okay, she had nothing to hide. She had their whole story straight and would not deviate from it.
A long silence followed, broken only by Brittany asking her what time it was. Hermione looked at her newly acquired phone. It was almost half an hour before the boys and Brittany came towards them. Draco's hair was sticking straight up and he was waving a photo in her face. "Look!" he said excitedly as she looked at the photo of him and Troy in the seat of the wicked looking coaster, hands in the air, faces split into a wide grin. He looked so much younger and carefree than the day she had found him in the classroom crying. She couldn't help but smile back.
"Where to next?" Steven asked no one in particular.
"Ferris wheel." Tiffany replied without hesitation, Brittany rolled her eyes.
"I guess we'll have to." She sighed.
"It's a tradition, Steven asked Tiffany to be his girlfriend at the top nearly 2 years ago, now we go every time so they can have their kiss at the top. They're so romantic it's nauseating." Brittany replied.
"Oh, where is it?" Hermione asked hoping it wasn't another fast spinner.
"Right there." Brittany said, pointing at the large colorful, brightly lit wheel.
Hermione's stomach lurched, heights she thought but then saw it was pretty slow. So, she said nothing.
They got into the que which was going fairly slowly, that's when she noticed only 4 people would fit per car.
"Only four per car, how do we all fit?" she asked.
"Steven and Tiffany always go alone. The four of us will ride together." Brittany answered motioning to all four of them as if Hermione were daft.
"Okay." Hermione smiled. Steven and Tiffany climbed into the bright yellow car ahead of them and went up while they waited and were ushered into a green car. As the car rose Hermione's stomach dropped as the midway fell away into the night sky and a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean. The moon was almost full and the white light reflected on the crashing waves next to the beach below them. Troy sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Draco did the same to Brittany and soon they were nearly at the top.