Chapter Forty

Gabby's POV

In general, Spring Break is a completely fantastic and wonderful thing. For one thing, it's the first long break students get since Winter Break, about 5 months prior. Except Spring Break is better, because instead of being cooped up inside, worrying about snowstorms and last minute Christmas shopping, you can be hitting the beaches and frolicking outside in that fantastic springtime weather. Really, the only bad part about it is that no matter what school you go to, teachers will try to cram as many grades as possible in before the break begins, so while you're trying to get hyped about the upcoming vacation, you're too busy being bombarded with tests.

However, here at World Academy, they don't let you hold a grudge for such things. About a week before the start of the break, our homeroom teachers told us they had an announcement to make. Normally, nobody would really give a damn, but from the look on his face this time, I could tell it wasn't just about a change in the lunch menu. So I turned away from my conversation with Mathias (did I mention we kind of rekindled after the dance? Just enough to communicate with each other on occasion) and listened up, and the rest of my homeroom followed suit.

"Before you kids go making your Spring Break plans, I'd just like to announce that the school will be sponsoring a field trip on the first day." To what, an art museum? Yawn. I'll go home and see my old man, thanks. "…A paid field trip to the local amusement park."

Now the room was bustling with conversation again. Damn, the school's budget really must be pretty damn impressive! Entrance fees for that park were $60 a person, and to pay for a thousand students and teachers?! Yeah, my old man could wait!

And so I bring you to today, where I stood just past the entrance gates of what was rumored to be one of the best amusement parks in the country.

"Everyone organized their groups on the way here, correct?" the principal confirmed, speaking loud enough to reach every single student crowded at the entrance. A man of his age really shouldn't be exerting himself like this, at an amusement park… A series of verifications flooded across the mass of students. "If you haven't already, please assemble in those groups. Orderly fashion, please. Each group will be assigned a chaperone- many groups will have to share a chaperone. You are to report in with this chaperone every 20 minutes, and return to them by the end of the trip. They will hand out their cell phone numbers once everyone is assembled."

We never really discussed a group beforehand; it just kinda fell into place: me, Caliegh, Francis, Gilbert, Alfred, Arthur, Vasilica, Matthew, and the Cuban guy Mattie was often seen with. Carlos, was his name. You might notice a certain Bad Touch Buddy missing from that list. Antonio had opted to hang out with the Vargas brothers, Gilbert's younger brother Ludwig, plus the Belgian girl Antonio had danced with back at the formal and her older brother. None of us were really offended by this decision; he'd have more fun with them and we knew it. He fit in better. Nonetheless, none of us could help but steal a couple glances over at the group. The first thing I noticed was how Feliciano was all over Ludwig, clinging to his arm and practically cuddling him. Come to think of it, they acted that way at school, too…

"Hey, Francis, what's the deal with Feli and Ludwig? Are they, y'know, an item?" I asked, leaning closer to him so I didn't have to speak too loudly. I noticed Caliegh asking Gilbert the same thing.

Francis shrugged, pursing his lips slightly. "Nobody knows for sure."

"Alright, now that everyone is split up, your chaperones will be coming around," the principal announced.

I was hoping we'd get my homeroom teacher, or Ms. Héderváry. Yet who did we have the honor of being stuck with? Dear old Mr. Edelstein. Well, at least I could have some fun with this one…. "Lookit that, Kay, you have his number. Now you're ready to advance to the next step in your relationship!" I exclaimed under my breath to my sister when Mr. Edelstein gave out his contact information. Caliegh brought her elbow into my stomach, hard, and I groaned at the pain. Jesus, couldn't she take a joke? Still, I could detect a faint tint of pink to her cheeks.

…though, there was one thing I probably should do. "Mr. Edelstein?" I said once the principal dismissed everyone. It's laughable, how noticeably Mr. Edelstein's demeanor falls when I approach him. "I just wanna thank you for that grade you gave me on my last exam. It, really did my grade justice."

Mr. Edelstein adjusted his glasses, not even looking at me. "Ja, well, you deserved it." I grinned, and returned to the conversation the rest of my group was having.

Gilbert held a map open in front of himself, and we all were gathered around it. "This has got to be the most organized park in history. Everything is clustered together: we got the kiddie rides here, the cool normal rides here, the roller coasters here, the food courts here, the arcade and games here, the water arena and a couple water rides here, with the big ol' Ferris Wheel in the back. So the question is," he looked up from the map, "where should we hit first?"

"Well definitely not the food courts, if we wanna avoid blowing chunks on all the rides," Vasilica reasoned. He had been leaning his elbow on Arthur's shoulder this name, and the Brit now coughed in disgust.

"Yes, thank you, 'Silica," he muttered, leaning away from his Romanian friend.

"He's got a point though," Alfred agreed, grinning as always. Something seemed more forced about this smile, though… Perhaps the death glare Carlos was aiming at him had something to do with it. "We should probably eat last, go on stuff first. I say we go on all the normal rides first, get us psyched for the coasters."

Huh, sounds like a good plan… We all agreed, and headed off in the direction of the regular rides.

That particular section was closest to the entrance, so we didn't pass much on the way, except for a cheesy little magic show setup. I didn't take much note of it; just a mustached guy in a cape guessing little kids' cards. Arthur, however, insisted we stop and observe, just for a moment. "Secret compartment," Arthur called as the magician pulled a rabbit out of his hat. The poor guy looked quite caught off-guard for a moment, but quickly regained himself and moved onto the next trick.

"He dropped the coin into his other hand," Caliegh called (not as loudly as Arthur had) when the magician pulled a coin out of a little girls' ear. Vasilica and I had to bite our tongues to keep from cracking up. This was exactly what our last Magic Club meeting had been about: disproving magicians' tricks.

It was all lots of fun, especially watching the little kids cry and the magician's face turn a flustered red color, until the magician's manager came over and told us that if we say one more thing, we'd be banned from the park. So we moved on.

The rides were fantastic, but nothing to go into detail about. A rocking ship that almost made me lose my breakfast; the classic Scrambler (I've also seen it called 'Déjà Vu' and 'The Sizzer' at other places, but it's all the same ride) in which I rammed into the side so many times, I thought I broke my hip; the merry-go-round, which Alfred, Gilbert and I went on while the others laughed from the sidelines (or looked away in embarrassment, in Caliegh and Arthur's cases); the Zipper, which I refused to go on, but Alfred had dragged Mattie on and both came off disheveled yet grinning; my personal favorite spaceship-like ride, the Wipeout; lots of other things that were fun enough to get a few laughs and "Let's go again!"s, but not daring enough to make us cry for our mommies. Those rides, we agreed, would come next.

I had always been terrified of roller coasters, until my friends introduced me to them when I was 13. From that point on, I had become a coaster junkie. I'd eagerly ride any, except for wooden roller coasters and Six Flags' infamous Kingda Ka. 16 people dead, 7 decapitated in only 2 years? Hell no. But otherwise, I loved roller coasters, especially ones that had loops (I much preferred those over drops; another reason Kingda Ka is a hell-no in my book).

The first six coasters we went on were great. In the ones that sat four people in a row, I always ended up sitting with Francis, Arthur, and Vasilica (Francis on one end with Arthur on the other), while the seating positions in the other ones varied. Only one had a huge drop, luckily for me, and only two of them left your feet dangling and required removing flip-flops. Thankfully, there were cubbies off to the side of each ride so Alfred, Mattie and I could leave our glasses there without a worry.

And then everything got worse.

I, personally, was ready to move onto the next thing: the arcade, we agreed on (none of us were really all that into carnival games). However, Alfred, Gilbert, and Francis had other things in mind. "Dude, we gotta go on the Coaster Royale!" Alfred exclaimed, pointing excitedly at the yellow coaster looming ominously a bit off to the side. It had the same design as Kingda Ka- a rip-off, people called it- except it was a few meters shorter and didn't reach as high speeds. "Hahaha, you're funny," I spat, shuddering at the mere thought of riding that beast.

"Come on, Gabrielle, it'll be fun!" Francis insisted as Gilbert attempted to persuade my sister.

"First off, it's Gabby. Second, I can't take a man in a ponytail seriously," I snapped bitterly. I didn't actually have a problem with his ponytail… It looked nice on him, and he was only trying to keep his locks out of his face. After all, his hair was only an inch shorter than my own.

He smirked softly and pulled at the ribbon that gathered his hair together, giving a slight shake to his head so that the waves all fell into their rightful place. "There. It'll be fun."

"I'm not going!" I persisted, my voice verging on a squeak. It seemed Caliegh didn't really get to put a word in; Gilbert had slung her over his shoulder and was swaggering off toward the line, where Alfred already stood. He was staring off toward our group the whole time, though, his gaze seemingly fixed on Mattie.

"Oh, oui, you are." Francis took both my hands in his and locked his eyes into mine. He lowered his voice to a gentle sort of purr. "You will be fine, cher. I wouldn't make you do this if I didn't have the best of intentions. S'il vous plait? Pour moi?"

Damn it, he used the French on me. With a huff, I silently stomped off to join the other two guys and my flailing sister. I could just feel Francis smirking in triumph behind me.

The line was regrettably short- we waited for less than two minutes. All the lines were great lengths… Either the principal had bought out the whole park, or people were real picky about amusement park weather and didn't come today because it was a bit chilly. Each compartment sat four people, so Francis, Al and I shared one while Gilbert and Caliegh got one to themselves in front of us. Despite my rapidly jittering nerves, I smiled slightly as Gilbert offered to hold Caliegh's hand only to have her smack him away. Francis did the same to me; I would have accepted the invitation if I wasn't gripping the restraints so hard that they just might be permanently glued there. I did my best to just focus on Alfred's excited chatter behind me, and the fact that it was only a 35 second long ride.

It started out slow and gentle. Yeah, way to go, ride designers. Reassure the riders before sending them to their deaths. No matter how many times I told myself "It's going to get worse soon," I still shrieked in horror when the ride jolted and rapidly gained speed. My least favorite part of roller coasters was always going up the slope, but this was even worse: there was no slope, it was fricking vertical. We were literally laying back in our seats. My eyes were watering to the point that I had to close them, and I can't honestly say it was just because of the air blowing into my face. I was going to die.

There was a slight curve at the top, sending us sideway, and then a couple split seconds later we were going straight down. The moment we descended, I screamed bloody murder. Don't get me wrong, it's not unusual for me to make a lot of noise on roller coasters. However, it's usually laughter, "WOO!"s, and over exaggerated screams to alarm the first-timers waiting in line. But this time, it was out of sheer terror. I don't like drops. But this ride was ONLY a drop. I was making myself go deaf with my screaming, we were going to crash face-first into the ground any moment, if I didn't fall out of the seat first-!

Then suddenly, it was over.

"See, wasn't that exhilarating, Gabrielle? …You can open your eyes now," Francis said over Alfred's ecstatic woops.

"Fuck you," I breathed, shaking horribly. My entire body was numb, and I don't think I could open my eyes if I tried. I never dropped the f-bomb on my friends, but… This was serious. I don't think I'd ever experienced true fear until then.

Alfred's enthusiastic feedback faded out, and then I felt two pairs of hands helping me out of the seat. I can't say I wasn't grateful: I couldn't feel my legs, and needed to hold onto both guys in order to move. Was this what it felt like to be paralyzed by fear? I managed to peel my eyes open once we exited, but everything was blurry. I could feel the dry tears on my cheeks.

"Désolé, I didn't think you would-"

"I-I think I'm gonna…." I didn't even bother to finish my own sentence. I staggered over to the conveniently placed trash can outside the exit, and threw up. Keep in mind I've never thrown up after a roller coaster, even ones that made me so nauseas I could barely stand. I heard Alfred murmur something about overreacting, then from his "OW!" I assume Francis had hit him. I just stood there for a moment, still shaking and starting to cry again out of embarrassment (I mean, I was standing here spitting in a trashcan because a stupid roller coaster scared me shitless). I felt Francis brush my hair away from my face, slipping the strands back into my messy ponytail, then he gently rubbed my back. "Would you like to head to the arcade now?" he whispered. I gave a tiny nod and straightened myself up. Francis offered me his hand with a soothing smile; I gave him a timid smile in return, and wrapped my fingers around his.

I didn't dare look up from the ground as we walked to the game section. Alfred, my best friend, probably thought of me as some huge dork; my sister… Oh, I especially couldn't look at her. She hated me enough as it was, I couldn't even imagine what she must be thinking of me now. As you can imagine, my amazing mood turned really sour.

It seemed we weren't the only group from our school there at the arcade; a bunch of Asians I recognized from the hallways were here, too. I didn't pay them much mind, though; I didn't pay anyone much mind. I wasn't really big on arcade games, and certainly didn't feel like playing them right now. I was in a ticking-time-bomb type mood, where so much as missing on a claw machine would cause me to break down. I just needed to cool off… So I stood off to the side, arms crossed and eyes staring down at my sneakers.

"Not much of a fan of arcades, are you?"I looked up to see Arthur had joined me, leaning against the wall beside me.

"I guess not, not really," I answered quietly.

"Mm, I don't frequent them either. Though when I do, people say I get a little too into it." He smiled at me, and I attempted to grin back. "What's bothering you, love?"

"Oh, nothing much… I just had a bit of a freak-out on the Coaster Royale," I responded, lifting my gaze to meet his.

His smile only softened. "Well at least you had the guts to go on it, even if it took some persuasion. Vasilica wanted to ride as well… I planted myself in the ground and threw a fit worthy of a little girl that didn't get her favorite dolly." The image of sophisticated, gentlemanly Arthur Kirkland throwing a temper tantrum was enough to make me grin for real. "Now, how about you and I try out that 'Dance Dance Revolution' game over there? Seems like an interesting way to unwind…"

I stepped away from the wall, feeling my good mood trickle back to where it was. I loved DDR, even if I wasn't all that good at it. We slid our change into the slot and pressed Start, selecting a beginner's level One Direction song (Arthur insisted he chose it because he knew I liked them). I won by a landslide, having finally regained my composure. "I couldn't concentrate, the music was just so awful," Arthur reasoned, trying to glare at me but unable to prevent smiling.

"Yeah, sure. Just accept defeat, Artie, and your inner Directioner." I poked his nose and turned to hop off the platform… only to be met with a mess of purple fur in my face. "What the hell-?!"

The fur pulled away, and Alfred was standing in its place, grinning childishly. He held a purple stuffed kitten with impossibly big eyes in his arms. "I gotcha somethin'!" He held the toy out again, this time not in my face.

"Aw, you didn't have to…" I took the outstretched stuffed animal nonetheless; it was just too adorable. "You only did this 'cause you feel bad for me."

"Well yeah, you blew chunks into a trashcan after a ride I suggested you go on!" Arthur and I both shuddered at his word choice. I'm just glad Arthur didn't comment on it. "It took me five quarters to win that little sucker, so I hope you like it."

I laughed, shifting the kitten to the crook of my elbow so I could give Al a big hug. "I love it. Thank you."

"Excusez-moi, but last time I checked, you two were broken up," muttered Francis, who had been walking by at the moment. His hair had been pulled into a ponytail again.

Alfred turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah, we are," he said, like he was stating the obvious.

"Then I would think you wouldn't put so much effort into winning her a cute little gift," Francis practically growled. Yeesh… I'd never seen this side of him, and I wasn't liking it.

"Ya wanna know what I think, Peppy le Pew? I think that you're just-"

"Whoa, whoa, what the hell, guys! Chill…." I interrupted, standing between my two friends. "Fran, he's not trying to get back together with me or anything. I used to go down to the shore with my friends all the time, and we would go to the claw machine and win each other things. It's no biggee!"

Poor Francis's face flushed, and his expression went from murder to discomfiture. He coughed briefly into his fist, jolting his gaze off to the side. "We should go to the food courts, now."

After leaving my breakfast in the trashcan outside of Coaster Royale (disgusting, I know), I was feeling pretty empty. It seemed crappy-yet-satisfying amusement park food was just what I needed to fully pick me back up. Alfred and I both got burgers and I shared a plate of funnel cake with Francis, then everyone got ice cream afterwards. I had been too busy devouring mine to notice how badly it was dripping, so Francis leaned over and licked at what was trickling down the cone. I smacked him away, flustered, but still finished the thing.

Once everyone was all cleaned up and we had left the food court area, we received a mass text from Mr. Edelstein saying we had time to go on one more ride. "Ooh, let's check out the Haunted Mansion! Vasilica suggested."

"That seems so stupid," Arthur responded with a roll to his eyes. Nevertheless, he went along with it, and Alfred eagerly followed (dragging Matthew and Carlos with him). I, however, opted for the Ferris Wheel.

"No way, I am not going on that thing," Caliegh decided immediately.

"You went on the Coaster Royale, but you won't go on a silly little Ferris Wheel?" Gilbert confirmed incredulously.

"I don't like that it rocks…!" was Caliegh's weak defense. She has no right to judge me for freaking out after the Coaster Royale.

"I'll go on the Ferris Wheel with you, cher," Francis indicated.

I noticed the smallest hint of a smirk appear on Gilbert's face. "You guys go ahead, Kay und I will find something else." Francis and I looked at each other, shrugged, and went off to the Ferris Wheel. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed that Caliegh and Gilbert were already going to their destination. Where were those rascals headed off to alone? …not that I was in any place to talk, I was alone with Francis on the Ferris Wheel: the setting for some of my most romantic fantasies.

We got there just in time to get on immediately. Once the wheel began to turn, I leaned slightly over the edge of my seat to watch the ground gradually shrink beneath me. A grin widened across my face when the ride came to a halt while our cart was at the tippy top. Now I gazed around in a full 360.I loved Ferris Wheels solely because you can usually see the whole park from the top. This particular wheel, which was bigger than a majority of the ones I had ridden previously, was positioned at the very back of the park so that this was possible. I could see the bright colors of the mini kid section; the area where all the roller coasters were, starting from the lame indoor ones to the damn Coaster Royale; the restaurants; the water park way off in the distance; the cluster of assorted rides; the shops… "Wow, the view up here is beautiful," I breathed.

"Mm, I'm looking at a pretty beautiful sight, aussi." My face flushed when I glanced up at Francis and realized that he was gazing directly at me. I coughed and returned to staring around the park, murmuring: "Thanks, Romeo."

Francis laughed lightly. "…are you feeling better now?"

I glanced at him, nodding before returning to observing the park. "Yeah… I don't know why I reacted that way, I never have before…"

"You were only scared, amour. It was pretty intense, I shouldn't have pressured you into it. I feel horrible, putting such a sweet girl through something so traumatizing…" He reached over and took my hand, gingerly pressing his lips against its back without breaking eye contact. I could feel my face flush, and he chuckled lightly. "Tu rougis, Gabrielle~"

That only made my blush intensify. "How many times do I gotta tell you, call me Gabby!" I huffed, crossing my arms and glaring at him.

"I am entitled to call you whatever I want," Francis argued, resting the hand he had taken mine with on his knee. He was smirking teasingly, but in a split second it had softened into a gentle smile. "And I would like to call you my girlfriend."

Whoa, hold the phone. WHAT?!

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach, its beat coming to a halt. My eyes darted around nervously; I noticed the ride operator arguing with someone that tried to get on. We'd be up here for a while. My brain functions slowed down, so I just sat there, totally unresponsive. Francis reached over and held my hand in his once more, smiling patiently. "S'il vous plait, Gabrielle. Gabby. Go out with me.

The unbelievably loving gaze he aimed my way only further tarnished the operation of my vocal chords. My thoughts, though, started coming in less sluggishly, and I fully acknowledged what was happening, as unrealistic as it seemed. Francis Bonnefoy was sitting here, asking me out. I gave a small nod to my head, a smile twitching onto my face. "Yeah," I finally managed. "Yes, I'll go out with you… Francis…"

Francis's face lit up with relief. "Oh, merci dieu."

The wheel started to turn again.

I opened my mouth, nervously attempting to spark our first conversation as a couple, when I was interrupted by a My Chemical Romance song blaring from my pocket. Smiling apologetically, I slid out my phone to answer whatever cretin was calling in the middle of this important event; it was Mr. Edelstein. I selected the green "Answer" button and hastily told him we were on the Ferris Wheel before hitting "End Call."

"Ooh, 20 seconds into our relationship and you already have other men calling you… I don't know if I can handle this," Francis sighed dramatically. I smiled, nudging his foot with my own.

"Don't worry, Rodedick Edelstein isn't any competition. Unless it's Kay's boyfriend in question…"

Francis laughed- I never noticed how much I loved his laugh- and the next time the Ferris Wheel stopped, he swiftly switched over to my half of the booth and wrapped his arm around me. The wheel went around a couple more times, my head rested on Francis's shoulder all the while. My heart fluttered in my chest with our close proximity. I was breathing in his scent with every inhale; even pulled back in its ponytail, I could detect the hint of shampoo in his hair, and he smelled of rose cologne.

The ride ended all too soon. Francis opened the door for me and motioned me out, then took my hand upon our exit. The majority of our group had gathered at the foot of the Ferris Wheel, and my sister and Gilbert soon joined us. Exhausted at this point, I found myself leaning into Francis, his arm snaking around my waist. This earned a nice wolf-whistle from Gilbert. "Well aren't you two getting comfortable."

"Oui, well, we are dating now," Francis told him. My eyes widened, as if I was unaware of that fact. I guess it was still hard to believe…

A grin stretched across Gilbert's face. "She said yes? Awesome, took ya long enough to ask her."

Caliegh remained her creepy expressionless self, with no comment. I really wonder what the hell she was thinking…