There are better things that I could be doing on a Saturday afternoon. Better, productive things. For example, homework. Homework is always an option. That said, I have no idea why I'm here, with the host club, at a theme park, holding Honey's hand in my left and his half-eaten cotton candy in my right.
At 9 AM, I was awoken by singsongy voices calling out, "Haruhiiii! Please come out to play!"
My dad goes to work early, which means I get to sleep-in unbothered. I didn't know we were going to leave that early, so imagine my annoyance when I had to drag myself out of bed just to see everyone at my doorstep.
Let's put it this way: if the death stare really worked, I'd have six bodies to hide.
While the boys marveled at my house and how "cozy" it is, I ran into the shower and threw on some clothes. The good thing about short hair is that the drying time gets cut in half. We were driven down to the park in a limo (a limo, for Christ's sake), paid for our tickets, and the day was officially ours for the taking.
"So, what do you guys wanna ride now?" Kaoru asks. We just left a sweets cart, to which Honey almost fainted over. After some serious thought, he settled for the pink floss.
"That one." Hikaru points a finger at a bright green track. I look up at the monster and instantly feel dizzy. My head hurts as I follow at the endless twists and turns, loops, and high altitude. The twins grin at each other and immediately begin rallying for it.
Kyoya pushes up his glasses. "I don't see why not. Seems like the most interesting ride here, at least. Tamaki?"
The blond host claps his hands excitedly and nods. "Can I ride with Haruhi?"
"No way in hell. I'm sitting with Honey-senpai. You'll sit with Kyoya-senpai." I'm almost paralyzed as I stare at the coaster (and hear the deafening screams coming from it), and my complexion turns pale.
Honey lets go of my hand and scratches his head. "Actually, I don't think I'll be able to ride with you guys. I still haven't finished my cotton candy, and I don't want it to go to waste."
This is it. This is my chance. The perfect excuse.
"Oh, well, I'll wait with you, senpai."
"No," he says. "You can just ride with Takashi. Go on ahead; I'll be right here waiting!" He waves his hand at us.
Damn it.
Before I can protest, the twins drag me into the endless line, with Tamaki, Kyoya, and Mori following closely behind. The wait time posted at the entrance reads 2.5 hours. My mouth drops. Two and a half hours for a one minute ride? This is ridiculous. I'm about to open my mouth and suggest we turn back, but Kyoya has his phone to his ear. After a minute, he hangs up and nods at us.
"We're clear to go to the front. My father knows the owner of this park."
These damn rich people.
I'm strapped into my seat, feet dangling in open air. Every possible outcome is running through my head: the ride breaks down when we go upside-down, my harness unlatches and I fall flat onto concrete, the cart goes off-track and we plummet to our demise. I sit frozen with fear.
Kyoya and Tamaki are in the front, followed by Hikaru and Kaoru, then Mori and me. They're all cheering and whooping out (Kyoya settling with his smirk and Mori silent, as usual), but I can't bring myself to their level.
The ride hasn't even started yet, but I'm already losing my cool. I imagine what it'll be like at the top- what a dumb idea- and instantly regret it. We'll be about 200 feet into the air, and the fact that this particular roller coaster is floorless doesn't help. My head whips up.
"This ride is really big." I chuckle nervously.
Mori leans forward and looks at me. "Are you scared?"
"Me? Scared? No way. I'm just, you know, trying to avoid thinking about my imminent death any moment now." I keep my gaze forward and resort to gripping the metal bars on my harness.
"You can hold my hand, if you want."
I blink at him while he holds out his left hand for me. I smile gratefully and take it with my shaky one.
His is giant in comparison to mine, but I'm still relieved. When I hear the mechanical click and see that we're slowly inching towards the agonizing long incline, I panic again. My eyes squeeze shut and my body tenses up. Hopefully my hands aren't too sweaty.
"Haruhi," Mori says. I force myself to look at him, stricken with anticipation, yet still eager to hear my name once more. "It's okay. We're just going up." He offers a small- practically nonexistent, but I see the slight upturn of his mouth- smile and slightly squeezes my hand. Mori returns his gaze to the front and calmly rests his head against the headrest as if this is no big deal.
We finally reach the top, and my heart is beating straight out my chest. The ride slows down, intensifying the suspense. My ears are filled with adrenaline-filled howls from the boys. The people from this height look like specks of dirt, and the wind is whipping through my hair. I swear it goes silent for a second; either that or I managed to tune everything out.
Right before the ride falls, I grip Mori's hand again, exhale, and a scream escapes from my lungs.
My legs are shaky. I have no words. I'm sure I look like I've seen death itself (which I basically have), and pure terror is plastered across my face.
Tamaki insists we see our photo- the one that gets taken at the drop. When he runs to the counter, we all follow. The woman at the stand hands us each a copy, and I immediately feel my skin turn red hot.
"Oh my God. I look like an idiot." The camera caught me right between a shriek: eyes shut, hair flying in all sorts of directions, and mouth wide open. I scan over everyone else. Tamaki is dying of laughter, Kyoya has his hands in the air, and the twins have somehow managed to make funny faces. When I check out Mori, my mouth drops.
I show the picture to him. "You're straight-faced. How? Meanwhile, I look incredibly stupid."
He bends down and inspects it. "You look fine."
"No, I don't! You, on the other hand, have zero emotion here. Always so stoic, senpai." When he shrugs, I review the photo again, then back at him. "Were you even scared?"
"My life flashed before my eyes, Haruhi."
I laugh and run my thumb over the glossy print. "This is a really cute picture, though. We all look hilarious- I love it."
"I'll buy it for you, then." Despite my constant refusal, Mori hands the cashier a bill. She hands him back a framed version, which he promptly gives to me. I thank him again, and he responds by ruffling my hair.
Honey-senpai comes running over, sugar crystals all over his mouth. He instantly heads for Mori, who picks him up and places him on his shoulders. The seven of us make our way out of the concessions stand, me trailing behind the lot.
"Takashi," Honey says, "I tried to wave to you, but I think the ride was going too fast! I could hardly catch up. Was it scary up there?"
"Not really."
Mori glances over his shoulder at me and winks.