I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock going off. I rolled over groggily and slammed my hand down on the clock to turn off the horrible sound. I stretched out in my small, twin-sized bed to try and wake myself up. Once I started to become more awake, I hung my legs over the side of my bed.

"Today's going to be amazing," I psyched myself up.

I ran into Tina and Gene's rooms and very loudly woke them up. It didn't take them very long to get up since they were both as excited as me. I walked into the kitchen to find my mom already cooking us breakfast.

"Who's excited for the amusement park today?" she asked the three of us.

"I definitely am," I said," Rudy and I are going to go on every single ride possible."

"What about his asthma?" Tina mentioned.

"Oh, he'll be fine. I'm sure he'll be caring at least five asthma pumps with him."

"Well, Alex and I are going to raid all the snack booths!" Gene shouted," Speaking of, mother, would you be so generous as to giving me $50?"

"No one's getting $50," my dad said as he joined the rest of us in the kitchen," You get $10 each."

"What?! That's hardly any spending money!" I complained.

"You should only be spending it on your lunch, Louise," my dad told me.

"I'll think about it."

"What about you, Tina? Are you excited about going to the amusement park?" my mom asked.

"I guess so," Tina spoke up," Since I was out the day that everyone picked their partner for the trip, I got stuck in a group with Tammy and Jocelyn."

"I would kill myself if I were you," I told Tina.

"Louise, stop it," my mom scolded me," I'm sure you'll have fun, Tina. Don't let those ditzy blondes ruin your day."

"Yeah, I'm planning on spending most of my time winning the huge stuffed horse they have. I've already had dreams of riding on the back if it with my arms wrapped around a strong and handsome boy that loves art, horses, and isn't afraid of my zombie night terrors."

"Sounds good, Tina," my dad stopped Tina before she got any weirder," Well, go ahead and get ready, and I'll drive you guys up to the school."

After gulping down some eggs and sausage, I went back to my room. I threw on my green dress and slipped on my Mary Janes. I entered the bathroom and brushed my teeth then I called in my mom to put my hair up in pigtails then hurried down the stairs.

"Here's your $10, Louise," my dad handed me the cash when I got inside the car," Please don't spend it on something you don't need."

"Can't make any promises, dad, but I'll try," I laughed.

Tina and Gene finally made it down from the apartment and joined me in the backseat.

"Everyone ready?" my dad asked.

"I've got on three pairs of underwear. Now I'm ready for anything. Rollercoasters, here I come!" Gene shouted.

By the time we pulled up to the school, almost everyone else was already there. I was getting more excited with every minute that passed.

"Okay, kids. Please, be careful and don't do anything stupid," my dad reminded us.

"We'll try not to," I said," Bye, dad!"

"Bye!" Tina and Gene added.

We exited the car and joined everyone else by the buses. I started my search for Rudy, but no sign of him anywhere. Tina and Gene already left me to join their partners so I decided to find Mr. Frond to see if he knew where Rudy was.

"Hey, Mr. Frond!" I walked up behind him.

"Oh, there you are, Louise," he looked down at me," I've got some bad news for you."

"What is it?"

"Rudy's mom called this morning to say that he had an asthma attack last night and isn't going to be able to go on the trip today."

"What?! Who's supposed to be my partner then? Literally everyone has a partner, and I do not want to be a third wheel."

"I figured as much. Well, Louise, I'm going to be your partner on the trip," he uttered very softly in fear of my reaction.

"Oh, no freaking way! This is supposed the best day of my life!" I complained," I bet you're not even going to want to go on any rides. This is gonna suck."

"Actually, I was planning on going on as many rides I can. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I enjoy thrill rides. I don't plan on ruining your day, Louise. We can still have fun."

"I guess. As long as you go on all the rides with me, it won't be too bad," I agreed hesitantly.

"Good. Now come on. It's a two hour drive, and we've got to get there before the park opens at nine," he said.

"Fine."

I followed Mr. Frond to the bus and reluctantly took a seat beside him. As everyone started climbing onto the bus, everyone gave me the strangest look. I suppose it was probably because I was sitting beside Mr. Frond.

"Woah, are you in trouble already, Louise?" Tina asked when she stepped onto the bus.

"No. Rudy didn't show up so Mr. Frond is my partner for today," I explained.

"Oh, well, it seems like both of us aren't going to get to have as much fun as we want to," she motioned at Tammy and Jocelyn standing right behind her.

"Come on, Tina," Tammy groaned," I have to catch up on my beauty sleep before we get to the park. I get eight hours of sleep every night. That's why I'm so pretty. Right, Jocelyn?"

"Right, Tammy," Jocelyn agreed in a heartbeat.

"Have fun with those doofuses," I mumbled to Tina before she went to the back of the bus.

"Okay, everyone," Mr. Frond stood up beside me," I know you're all excited about today, and so am I. However, everyone needs to be on their best behavior. If I find out that anyone is doing something they shouldn't, they will have to stay on the bus for rest of trip. Understood?"

Everyone just kind of mumbled a silent agreement. Satisfied, Mr. Frond sat back down, and we left the school parking lot. The sun hadn't even started to shine through the clouds yet so the bus was pretty quiet. I looked back down the bus isle and saw that mostly everyone was either listening to music, talking softly, or sleeping. Sleeping sounded like the better option. I leaned my head back into the seat, and the gentle rumble of the bus tires over gravel slowly lulled me off to sleep.

The sudden step on the brakes instantly woke me up. I about flew out of my seat and into the bus isle except someone grabbed my hand and pulled me back into my seat.

"Are you okay, Louise?" I focused on the voice and realized it was Mr. Frond's.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I started to wake up," Are we there yet?"

"We're about to turn into the parking lot."

I attempted to stand up in my seat, but I didn't realize that Mr. Frond still had my hand in his. I looked down at our hands then back up at him. Our eyes met, but I quickly turned away to hide the redness blossoming on my face. He let go of my hand, and I took the opportunity to stand up and look away from him. I stood in awe as the park came into view. The rollercoasters stood over the whole park, and the huge sign for the park stood over the entrance.

I noticed everyone else on the bus started looking with me, and everyone was starting to get excited, too.

"Hey, everyone needs to sit down until the bus is in park!" Mr. Frond yelled at everyone then he turned to me and said it in a much kinder way," Come on, Louise. We're almost there."

He patted the seat beside him, and I sat back down with him. After another few minutes had passed, the bus finally rolled to a stop. Before anyone could exit the bus, Mr. Frond stood up again and made an announcement.

"Now that we're here, everyone needs to stay with their buddy at all times," he said," You're free to do whatever you want to do in the park, but we will all be meeting back at the front gate at 5:30. Does everyone understand?"

"Yes, we understand. Now let's get off this bus!" Zeke shouted from the back.

"Okay, everyone follow me!" I pulled up my legs into the seat so Mr. Frond could guide everyone," Come on, Louise. You can go first."

"Yes!" I squeezed past Mr. Frond and waited outside the bus for him to join me. Everyone hurried off the bus and ran to the entrance of the park where there was already a whole crowd of people waiting to get inside.

"Looks like we made it just in time," Mr. Frond said as he got off the bus," You ready to go?"

"Yes! Let's go!" I ran after everyone else. I looked back behind me to see Mr. Frond taking his sweet time to catch up with me. I wanted to keep running, but my conscious told me I should slow down and wait for him. Me and my stupid conscious.

"What are you doing, Louise?" he asked when he caught up to me," I figured you'd wanna be the first one in the park."

"Well, it doesn't look like I'm going to be the first one in anyways. I might as well wait for you," I explained.

He didn't say anything. Instead, we walked side by side all the way to the gate. By the time it was our turn to get in the park, I was about to explode in excitement.

"Where to first, Louise? You're choice," Mr. Frond told me.

"The Skyline! I wanna get my heart racing!" I shouted," I'm so excited!"

"I can see that," he laughed," Let's find a map then we can get started on the rides."

It took us a few minutes to find a map, but thankfully, once we looked at the map, we were already heading in the right direction. It was already super crowded, but it was the weekend so it made sense. I almost lost Mr. Frond in the crowd several times, but he'd always come back for me.

"So we don't keep losing each other, would you rather just hold my hand?" he asked while blushing profusely," I know you probably don't want to, but it would make things easier."

"Uh, I guess so," I reached up to grab his hand," But tell anyone, and you're dead."

"Fair enough."

It felt weird holding his hand, especially willingly, but it felt right at the same time. I pushed that thought out of my mind, and instead focused on the Skyline in the distance.

Once we got in line, it didn't take us very long to reach the front of the line. I was jumping for joy by the time it was our turn to get on the ride.

"Okay, everyone, who's ready to blast off into space?" the ride attendant spoke over the speaker.

"Wooooo!" everyone shouted.

"Alright, on the count of three, make sure to hold on tight!" he said," One, two, three!"

On three, we flew up into the air, and I felt the air in my lungs leave my body at the rapid acceleration we were going.

"Woooooaaah!" I shouted.

"Oh my gosh!" Mr. Frond shouted beside me.

I'd never heard him scream so loud before, and it made me laugh out loud. When the ride lurched back down, I leaned so far forward that I had to press down on the side of my seat to keep from falling out. When my hand slammed down on top of Mr. Frond's, I didn't even bother moving it. He didn't seem to mind either when he took my hand in his and continued to hold it for the rest of the ride. It made me feel lighter than air. I really felt like I could fly.

"That was incredible!" Frond shouted beside me.

"I didn't take you as the type of person to like this sort of stuff," I nudged him playfully.

"I've always loved thrilling rides," he jumped down from his seat," Here, let me help you."

I scooted to the edge of the seat and fell into his arms as he caught me. I stayed pressed up against him a lot longer than necessary but pulled away when I saw people staring.

"Where to next?" he asked.

"You decide this time, and I'll pick next," I suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Let's go on the Log Jamboree. It's one of my favorites."

"Then let's stop talking about it and get going!"

As we started our walk to the next ride, I unconsciously reached up for Frond's hand and let him pull me close. Before today, I would never have even let Frond anywhere near me, but it was different somehow. I didn't know what to think of it, but I tried not to think about it too much. Today was supposed to be incredible, and I was not about to let my thoughts ruin it.

"Louise? Louise, are in you there?" he waved his hand in front of my face.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking," I said as nonchalantly as possible. I didn't want him to even get the idea I was thinking about him.

"Just checking on you. We're almost at the ride."

We got in line with everyone else and patiently waited our turn. As we kept moving forward, I tried standing on the bars to try and get splashed on by the log nose-diving into the water, but I couldn't reach. I could barely get up on the bar to begin with.

"Do you need some help getting up?" Frond asked.

"Yeah, I'm trying to get splashed on, but I can't get close enough," I told him.

"If you can step up on the bar, I'll make sure you don't fall."

"Okay."

I went ahead and stepped up on to the bar, and I could feel his hand hovering behind my back in case I started to lose my balance. I moved on down the bar as we moved closer to the ride. I felt my foot slip a few times, but Frond always caught me before I could fall.

"Oh, here it comes, Louise," Frond pointed out the log ride about to come down the slide.

"I'm ready!" I yelled behind me.

As the log came rushing down, the waves splashed back and hit me right in the face.

"Ha ha, that was awesome!" I threw my hands in the air. I quickly last balance, though, and this time, I couldn't catch myself. I would've fallen on my back if Frond hadn't been there to catch me. He turned to catch me so he ended up holding me like I was a baby.

"Woah! Are you okay, Louise?" I looked up into his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said while he set me back down," That water felt amazing! Did it splash you?"

"No, but it's almost our turn. Why don't you just stand beside me the rest of wait, okay?"

"Fine."

After another two turns of the log going down the hill, it was finally our turn.

"Please keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times. Sit back, relax, and enjoy," the ride attendant told us before we went off. I held on tight to the metal bar as we careened up the hill. Once at the top, we went through a small cave system designed for the ride. It was all very decorative and it was actually really cool.

"Oh, here it comes,"Frond said excitedly," Hold on tight."

As we rounded the last corner, the nose of the log tipped down. In one quick motion, the rest of the log tipped over the edge, and we went rushing down the hill.

"Wooooaaahhh!" we both shouted as a big wave of water rushed over our heads. It felt incredible, and now we were both soaking wet.

"That was amazing!" I turned to look at Frond. His hair was laying flat due to the water, and he had held his glasses so they wouldn't get wet. I smiled up at him, and he smiled back at me. Either I was still excited after the ride or something was very wrong with me because a flurry of butterflies came to life in my stomach when he smiled. What the hell is wrong with me?

We climbed out of the log and went back to find the map to the park. My hand fell in his once again as we looked over the map.

"Any suggestions?" he asked.

"Hmm, let me see."

By the time 12:30 hit, we were both ready for lunch. We had gone on five different rides after the Log Jamboree. We decided the save the biggest ride for last which was the Soaring Eagle. For the past few minutes, we had been waiting in line to get our lunches at a pizza place.

"Welcome to Piece-a-Pizza. What can I get for you?" the cashier asked.

"I'll have two slices of the vegetarian pizza, and she'll have two slices of pepperoni," Frond ordered for the both of us.

"Okay, that'll be $12."

I handed Frond my money to pay from my half, and he handed the rest to the cashier.

"Your pizza will be ready in about ten minutes. You can take this marker and go take a seat. Here's your cups, too."

We grabbed our cups and made our way to the drinking fountain. I filled mine up with root beer while he got sprite. I picked us out a seat further in the back of the already small restaurant in an attempt to hide from anyone I knew in case they saw me and Frond together.

"You must be hungry," he laughed as we took our seats across from each other.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Because your stomach just growled so loud. How did you not feel that?"

"I don't know. I'm kind of exhausted at the moment," I sighed," My tiny legs can only work so much."

"Well, hopefully, they'll feel better by the time we finish our lunch."

"Yeah, hopefully."

"Are you enjoying the day so far? Have I been a burden to you?" he teased.

"Surprisingly, no. If I'm being honest, you're probably a lot more fun than how Rudy would have been. Don't get me wrong, he's a great friend, but he just doesn't handle extreme stuff very well. Specifically, rollercoasters."

"Yeah, I'm surprised he even wanted to go in the first place. Either way, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. I know I am," he said at the same time our pizza was brought to us.

"And why's that?" I touched my pizza to see how hot it was before I could start eating it.

"This place is just fun to be at, and I think I lucked out with having a pretty great partner. Even if I wasn't her first choice," he messed with me.

"At least now I know you're a lot more fun than you seem. You're not too bad of a partner either," I blushed," Now can we both be quiet and enjoy our lunch?"

"Sounds good to me."

For the rest of the time in the park, we tried getting on every ride possible. It started to become more and more difficult as people continued to keep showing up at the park this late in the day. At 4 o'clock, we decided to get in line for the Soaring Eagle since it would probably take the rest of our time to get on the ride. The line was already super long, but it was moving at a decent speed. Maybe it wouldn't take as long as we thought.

"Have you been on this ride before?" I turned to ask Frond.

"Not in a really long time," he said," Probably not since I was your age. That sounds right because I remember holding on to my mom's hand the whole time."

"Wow, I thought you loved this stuff. Why would you be holding your mom's hand?"

"I'm assuming you've only been on the Wharf coaster back home, and you're imagining this ride will be just like that one. Let me be the first to say that you're wrong. This one is like twice the size of the Wharf coaster, and considering you are about the same size and height as I was when I was your age makes it a little bit more scary for you. I don't want to scare you, but I'm just warning you," then he added with a smirk on his face," Don't worry, Louise. You can hold my hand on the ride if you get too scared."

"Ha! Yeah, right. Thanks but no thanks, Frond," I laughed at his offer," I think I'll be just fine on my own."

"If you say so."

In actuality, I was more than a little scared. The way Frond described the ride made it a little bit more terrifying for me. Also, the fact that I was one of the shortest people in my class didn't help me feel any better. What if I slipped out of my seat?

Stop it, Louise! Stop scaring yourself even more. If Frond is doing this, so can you.

The line continued to move at a relatively fast pace. Every time we moved another few feet forward, I coward away from the screams and shouts of the people on the ride. When we were part of the next group of people to go on, I clung to Frond's side in terror.

"Louise, are you okay?" he placed his hand on my back," We don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"No, I'm sure I'll be fine," I lied.

When the coaster came back around from it's trip around the tracks, everyone that got off either had trouble keeping their balance or ending up getting sick and throwing up over the side of the ride.

"That was amazing!" we turned to see Zeke and Jimmy Jr. climbing off the ride," After that, I feel like I can conquer anything. Maybe now I can get over my parent's divorce, right Jay Ju?"

"Yeah, Zeke. You do that," Jimmy Junior didn't seem nearly as pumped as Zeke did. He looked a little bit queasy, honestly.

"Okay, everyone. Who's ready to soar through the sky like an eagle?" the ride attendant yelled through the intercom.

"Woooaaahh!" everyone in line shouted.

"Go ahead and take your seats."

The bars were unlocked in front of us, and we took our seats about half way in the middle of the line of carts.

"Would you rather sit on this side or on the other side?" Frond asked.

"Um, I guess I'll choose the other side," I trembled as I climbed into the seat. Once Frond sat down beside me, an attendant came over and pulled our safety bar down. It was not nearly low enough to keep me safe.

"You might want to hold on to her, sir," the attendant told us," I'm not sure that bar will do her much good since she's so tiny."

"Oh, okay, thanks," Frond told him then turned to look at me," Are you okay with that? Me holding you, I mean?"

"Um, I guess so," I agreed while at the say time I was screaming in my head, Yes, please! I don't wanna die today!

I leaned forward so he could wrap his arm around my back, and he pulled me up against his body.

"Are you okay?" Frond he asked me again," You don't look to good."

"I promise I'm okay," I tried to reassure him," Once we get started, I'm sure I'll be fine."

"It's okay to be scared, Louise. You don't have to lie to me."

Before I could respond, the carts were released from the tracks, and we started up the steep hill that looked over the whole park. I held on tight to Frond's arm wrapped around in front of me. If I was hurting him, he didn't say so. At the top of the hill, I shoved my head into his shoulder, and I felt his grip around me tighten.

"I got you, Louise," I barely heard him say before we raced down the hill.

"AHHHHH!"

The shouts of everyone screaming drowned out my thoughts, and I held on for dear life as we went loop after loop through the ride. I took a quick peek as we flipped one more time. I felt like I was going to be sick.

After what felt like forever, the carts finally came to a stop back where we started. I tried to exit the ride, but I couldn't get my legs to stop shaking. All of sudden, Frond picked me up from behind and carried me off the ride. I held on to his neck as he climbed back down the steps to the ground.

"I don't know how you liked that," I mumbled into his ear as he kept walking," That was terrible."

"I'm sorry, Louise," he rubbed my back gently," We've got about thirty minutes left. Do you wanna go in one of the gift shops for a bit?"

"Yeah, that sounds better."

He didn't even attempt to set me back down. He knew I was tired from walking all day, and I wasn't feeling any better after the rollercoaster. I moved my face from the crevice of his neck and looked to see where he was taking us.

There weren't as many people as before since the park was about to close. Frond was able to maneuver through the crowd with ease. I watched as Frond walked into a gift shop loaded with over-priced stuff that only idiots would buy.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" I asked Frond.

"Not really," he said," I might get something for my mother if I find something."

He finally set me down so we could both wonder the gift shop. I was still a little wobbly, but I quickly got my balance back. A few items caught my eye, like a little keychain with an eagle on it and a big blanket with the name of the park on it. Nothing was too impressive until I spotted a section filled with stuffed animals. While I was busy rummaging through the piles of animals, I didn't realize Frond was behind me until he walked into my peripheral.

"You almost scared me," I laughed lightly," Did you find anything?"

"No, not really," he said," What about you? That stuffed puppy is really cute."

"Yeah, I was thinking about getting it, but I already spent all my money on lunch. Besides, it's $10. My dad would've been mad if I spent all my money on just one stuffed animal."

"I'll get it for you if you really want it," he offered.

"Really? You'd buy this for me?" I held the stuffed puppy in my hands.

"Yeah, come on. I saw several other students heading towards the entrance. We better get going."

"Thanks, Frond," I couldn't help but blush.

"No problem. I hope it makes you happy."

After Frond paid for my new puppy, we met up with everyone else at the gate.

"How was your day, T?" I asked Tina as she joined the rest of the group with Tammy and Joycelyn.

"Well, I met my next potential boyfriend and got his phone number. I'd call this a pretty good day in my books," Tina told me," What about you? Was Mr. Frond as bad as you imagined?"

"Actually, he wasn't bad at all. We went on almost all the rides, and he even bought me this puppy."

"That's nice. Well, I'll see you when we get back to the school."

Tina left me and joined Tammy, Jocelyn, Zeke, and Jimmy Junior at the front of the group.

"Okay, everyone! Back on the bus!" Frond shouted from beside me," We're going to stop at a buffet on the way home, but don't worry about paying. The school is covering your meals for tonight."

"Yay!" everyone cheered.

Frond and I walked in the back of the group. I looked up at Frond out of the corner of my eye, and I had to hide a smile growing across my face. Why the hell was I smiling at Frond? That rollercoaster must've really knocked my brain around.

I took the inside seat on the bus this time while Frond got the isle seat. The restaurant wasn't very far from where we were so I kept myself entertained by checking out my new stuffed puppy. It was brown with dark brown spots with one spot covering its' right eye. It was super cute, and I already loved it.

"Have you picked a name yet?" Frond asked.

"No, not yet. I kind of like the name Brownie, though," I suggested.

"That's a cute name. Just like y-," he stopped mid-sentence and cleared his throat.

"Just like what?"

"Oh, look! We're here!" he completely ignored my question.

We turned into the parking lot, and the bus driver took us to the very back of restaurant so we weren't in anyone else's way. Frond stood at the front of the bus again and told everyone that he was going first to get things situated with the staff inside.

"Do you wanna come with me, Louise?" he held his hand out for me.

"Sure, I'll come," I got up and followed him off the bus. I almost reached for his hand again, but I was too embarrassed to do it in front of everyone on the bus.

Once inside the restaurant, Frond found the nearest waitress and let her know that we were about to unload a bus with about thirty kids inside. I could see her soul leave he body at having to deal with so many kids. I felt bad for her, but I figured she'd probably have some kind of help.

"If you wanna follow the waitress and grab us some seats, I'll go and get everyone else of the bus," Frond suggested.

"Sure, I'll do that," I agreed.

We went our separate ways as I followed the waitress into a party room.

"Before all the other kids get here, do you want to go ahead and get drinks for you and your teacher?" the waitress, Mindy, asked.

"Yeah, I'll have a coke, and I'm pretty sure he'll have a sprite," I ordered.

"You got it, little miss."

By the time Frond returned with the rest of the class, Mindy already brought mine and Frond's drink. While Mindy and another waitress started getting drink orders, Frond suggested we go ahead and hit the buffet before it was too crowded.

"What are you gonna get to eat?"

"Probably some fried chicken and whatever yummy food I can find," I said," I'll have to save enough room for dessert, though."

"Definitely. I heard they have a chocolate fountain here," Frond said excitedly.

"A chocolate fountain?! Where?"

"Let's go find it."

We wondered around the buffet for a bit, loading our trays with anything that looked amazing. I spotted the chocolate fountain about halfway through the buffet, and I was in awe. It looked absolutely delicious. I told myself to not eat too much for dinner or I would never be able to taste the sweet deliciousness of the chocolate. Frond finished loading his plate with several different vegetarian options. It looked really delicious, actually.

"Are you ready to sit down?" he asked.

"You betcha," I followed him back to our table. Tina and her dumb group of friends ending up sitting across from us. They were already eating by the time we went back to sit down, but they all gave Frond and I a really weird look.

"Why are you still following him around, Louise?" Tammy asked me when I sat down across from her," It's not like he's still your partner or anything."

"Well, I'd much rather be following him around than sitting with you, Tammy," I rolled my eyes and started cutting up my chicken.

"Do you like him or something, huh?" Tammy kept pestering me.

"No, it's not that," I tried to hide the blush starting to fill up my cheeks.

"Yes it is! Look at her face!" Jocelyn joined the conversation," Louise likes Mr. Frond!"

"No, I don't! Leave me alone!" I blushed furiously at the stupid attention everyone was giving me after Jocelyn shouted. I ignored everyone by staring down at my plate.

"Louise, are you okay?" Frond asked quietly. I felt his hand brush up against my own, but I quickly pulled my hand away.

"Not right now, Frond," I said harshly. I felt bad about being mean to him, but I didn't want anymore attention on me. For the rest of my meal, I sat in silence while everyone else around me was being incredibly loud. I looked out the side of my eye to see what Frond was doing. He was sitting quietly and looked pretty upset.

Damn it. I shouldn't have lashed out on him. He was only trying to help.

I knew I should apologize, but Tammy and Jocelyn kept looking at me every time I attempted to say anything. I didn't want them messing with me anymore. I stood up in my seat and told Frond I was going to the chocolate fountain. He nodded his head in acknowledgment.

I had to wait in line to get the chocolate, but I knew it would be worth the wait. I filled my bowl with a scoop of vanilla ice cream then poured the chocolate all over it. My mouth watered in excitement. I added sprinkles and a cherry on top to make it even more delicious. Tammy and Jocelyn had disappeared from the table when I got back.

"Where'd those two go?" I asked Frond when I sat back down.

"To the bathroom. Maybe they'll stay in there until it's time to leave."

"If only."

I took my first spoonful of ice cream, and it was absolutely delicious. It was even more amazing than I ever imagined it being. The chocolate was the best I'd ever had.

"Is it good?" Frond asked.

"You have no idea," I told him," Uh, do you wanna try it?"

"I'll take a bite if you don't mind."

"Go ahead."

He grabbed his own spoon and took a spoonful of ice cream out of my bowl. The moment that it touched his mouth, I could tell he loved it based off the way his eyes rolled in the back of his head.

"That is delicious! I would get some of my own, but I didn't save enough room for dessert," he admitted.

"That's a shame. Maybe next time," I took another spoonful.

By the time I finished my ice cream, it was time for us to get back on the bus. While Frond corralled everyone back to the bus, he had told me I could go ahead and get on the bus since it would be a minute. It took way longer than a minute, and Frond looked exhausted from having to deal with so many kids.

"You ready to go home?" I teased him.

"You have no idea," he collapsed into the seat beside me," It definitely didn't help that I carried you across half the park."

"Hey, that was your decision, not mine."

"Fair enough."

It was almost 8 o'clock by the time we left the restaurant, and the sun was starting to set. Once the bus got back on the road, everyone went quiet and started falling asleep. I tried to stay awake, but my body was so exhausted from walking around the park all day. I tried to hide a yawn, but Frond quickly noticed.

"Tired much?" he nudged me playfully.

"What? No, not at all," I yawned again," Well, maybe a little."

"Go ahead and go to sleep. I'll wake you up when we're almost home."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a small nap," I got comfortable in my seat," And Frond?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I got snappy on you earlier. Tammy and Jocelyn were just getting on my nerves really bad."

"It's okay. I know how those two are," he accepted my apology," I had fun with you today, Louise. I hope you did, too."

"Trust me, I did," I smiled at him, but I wasn't sure if he could see me in the dark," I guess I'll fall asleep for a bit."

"Good, you need to. Goodnight, Louise."

"Goodnight, Frond."

I laid my head up against the window with my new puppy in my arms. I couldn't fall asleep, however, due to every time the bus the hit a bump in the road, my head would slam back into the window.

"Ow!" my head slammed really hard into the window," That one hurt."

"Are you okay?" Frond asked.

"Yeah, it's just hard to fall asleep with my head hitting the window every time we hit a bump in the road."

"Why don't you just lay on my shoulder? It's a lot more comfortable," he suggested.

"Well, since you're offering," I gave in and turned to lean up against his shoulder," Much better."

"I'm glad."

It was definitely a lot more comfortable this way. I could feel my eyes getting heavier and heavier, but a sudden kiss on my forehead made me go stiff and blush uncontrollably. Thank goodness it was dark or I would've been super embarrassed. I knew it was Frond that kissed me, but why wasn't I freaking out and yelling at him? I just put it off as me being super sleepy and decided to just go with it.

I guess he thought I was asleep cause he started speaking very softly.

"I wish I had the courage to say I thought you were cute earlier," he whispered," If only you knew."

I decided to tuck my puppy under my left arm and reach around for his hand. I think I scared him when my hand landed on top of his cause he jumped at my touch.

"I do."

He didn't say or do anything for minute, but then he moved his hand from mine and attempted to slide it behind me. I let him and finally fell asleep in his warm embrace.