July, Year 4
"Get your sticky hands off my laptop, Doofus." Gwen grabbed her computer and slid it across the table closer to herself.
"They're not sticky. I'm not five."
"Coulda fooled me."
Ben groaned. "I just needed to google something."
"Use your phone, then."
"It's charging."
"You can still use it if it's charging."
"Fine!" Ben stood up from the table and headed to their bedroom in the back of the Rust Bucket.
While he was gone, Gwen leaned her head into her hand, propping her arm up on the table as she stared at her laptop. However, what she was really doing was glancing at Grandpa Max out of the corner of her eye. He was in the driver's seat, focusing on the road, but he was clearly irritated by their bickering. Gwen smiled to herself.
He's totally buying it.
A few minutes later, Ben returned, sitting back down in the booth across from her.
"What did you need to google anyway?" Gwen asked curiously.
"How to shut a dweeb up."
Gwen nearly snorted. "You shut up."
"Why don't we all take a break?" Max called back to them. As he spoke, he brought the Rust Bucket to a stop, putting it in park.
"Are we there?" Ben asked.
"Of course not. Do you see an amusement park outside?"
"We'll drive the rest of the way tomorrow," Max told them. "It's late. Why don't we all get some sleep?"
"Fine." Ben stood back up and headed to the bedroom again. "I'm changing first."
"Whatever." Gwen leaned back into her booth.
As she lay there, Max came over to sit across from her. "Looking forward to tomorrow?" he asked, smiling warmly.
Gwen smiled back. "Totally!" she replied. "Mom and Dad never take me to places like this. Thanks, Grandpa."
Max seemed satisfied with that answer, no longer appearing irritated by Ben and Gwen's earlier bickering. "That's great, sweetheart. It's your last summer before you start high school, you know. I want you and your cousin to enjoy it as much as possible."
Gwen perked up at the mention of high school. Her grandfather had asked her earlier if she was worried, but Gwen didn't feel that way at all. She couldn't wait to start high school.
Not that I want the summer to end, though.
Gwen glanced over her shoulder, thinking of Ben even though he wasn't in view at the moment.
However, a few seconds later, Ben pulled the bedroom door open. He had changed into his pajamas, a green short-sleeved shirt and white shorts. "Your turn, Dweeb," he said simply before stepping into the bathroom to brush his teeth.
Max rolled his eyes, while Gwen giggled inwardly. She stood up and trotted over to the bedroom and shut the door behind her. Still a little giddy with thoughts of the remaining summer and the coming school year, she changed into her own nightclothes, just a purple long-sleeved shirt and a pair of blue cotton pajama pants.
A few minutes later, Gwen climbed into the bottom bunk of their bunkbed, while Ben climbed the ladder up to his own bunk.
"Get some sleep now, you two," Max told them, standing in the doorway. "The better rested you are, the more you'll get to enjoy the amusement park tomorrow."
"Okay, Grandpa," Gwen replied, pulling the blanket over herself. "Goodnight!"
"Night, Grandpa," Ben added from above her.
"Goodnight." Max flicked the lights off, then stepped out of the room and shut the door.
For a few minutes, Gwen lay still in her bed. She made no effort to get to sleep. Instead, she listened closely for the sounds of her grandfather in the Rust Bucket. He didn't have a lengthy evening routine. Pretty soon, he sounded as if he'd settled into his own bed for the night, and no more sounds came from anywhere in the RV.
Gwen's heart beat in her chest. Not a moment too soon, Ben poked his head over the edge of his bunk.
"Psst. Gwen," he whispered, his face shrouded in darkness but clearly smiling.
"Shh," Gwen shushed him. Raising an arm, she waved for him to come down and join her.
Ben wasted no time. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and hopped down, landing on his feet as silently as he could.
"Shh," Gwen repeated, but she was already giggling. She lifted her blanket, inviting Ben into her bed.
Ben obliged and slid in right next to her, lying down so they were face to face. "Hey," he said simply.
"Hi."
"Laid it on a little thick with all the 'Doofus' talk earlier, don'tcha think?" Ben asked in a voice slightly above a whisper.
Gwen giggled. "You know you like it."
"Look who's talking." Ben leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips.
Gwen's face turned a shade of red, but in a good way. She giggled once more, giving him a kiss in return. In doing so, she scooched closer to him, which invited Ben to extend an arm across her pillow. She took the invitation and lay against him as he wrapped his arm around her comfortingly.
"This might be our best summer yet," Gwen whispered into Ben's ear.
"Any summer I spend with you is the best summer ever," Ben replied.
Gwen scoffed. "Oh, quit trying to act smooth."
"Quit falling for it."
Although she rolled her eyes, Gwen's cheeks hurt from smiling so much. She pressed her forehead against Ben's, enjoying the opportunity to be so close to him. "We'll be at the park for the Fourth of July," she reminded him. "You wanna watch the fireworks with me?"
"Absolutely. That's, like, easy boyfriend points."
"Think me so easily won over, do you?"
"Nah. Nothing's ever easy with you."
Gwen playfully shoved him, trying hard to contain her laughter.
Ben's arm pulled her in close again, and he gave her another kiss. "Gwen, it's summer. Getting to spend time with you is the best part of it. Who else would I wanna watch fireworks with?"
Gwen's heart beat fast. She lay her head against his shoulder, feeling herself actually starting to get tired. "Good. I'm satisfied with that answer."
Ben chuckled. "That's gotta be the dweebiest way to say what you wanted to say."
Gwen smiled as she closed her eyes. "I can live with that."
"Ben! Gwen!"
The red-haired girl stirred. She'd been having a very pleasant dream. The details were lost on her within a few seconds of waking up, but she knew she'd been dreaming about Ben, and that was good enough for her. Of course, waking up with her body snuggled up against his was better than any dream, so she wasn't disappointed to return to the land of the waking.
That was, until she heard approaching footsteps, and she realized what had woken her up.
"Shit," Gwen spat out. Panicking, she literally kicked Ben out of her bed, sending him toppling over the edge and onto the floor.
"Agh! Oww…" Ben moaned in pain, awakening with a start just as their bedroom door slid open.
Max looked like he was about to say something, but then he spotted Ben lying on the floor. "Ben? Ben, are you okay?" their grandfather asked with concern.
"Wh…What?" Ben climbed onto his knees, clutching his arm in pain.
"He fell out of bed," Gwen said reflexively, as if that wouldn't have been her grandfather's immediate assumption anyway.
Nice going, genius.
"Yeah. Ow," Ben confirmed, finally seeming to get his bearings.
Max glanced up at Ben's bunk, inspecting it with confusion. "Let me get you an ice pack. And breakfast is ready, so come join me at the table before it gets cold." He left without shutting the door.
The two cousins exchanged looks. Gwen was terrified, her heart beating a mile a minute.
"B-Be more careful next time," Gwen told him, her eyes following her grandfather as he moved through the RV.
Her boyfriend stood up, furrowing his brow in annoyance. "Not like it's my fault."
"I know." Gwen immediately felt bad. She hadn't meant to push the blame onto him that way. "I meant…" She lowered her voice to a whisper as she climbed out of bed. "I meant we should both be more careful."
Ben glanced over his shoulder at Max, then returned his attention to Gwen. He nodded his agreement before leaving the room.
Gwen stayed where she was for another moment, sitting on her bed with her back against the wall, hugging her knees to her body.
We're not even two weeks into the trip. How did we have a close call already?
The last thing she wanted to do was give her grandfather a heart attack. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself to go out there and act like she wasn't still in panic mode.
It's fine. He doesn't suspect a thing. Just act natural.
Climbing out of bed, Gwen left the bedroom and headed over to the table. Ben and Max were already seated. Her plate was at the table next to Ben's. She hesitated, wondering if she should sit next to Max instead and slide her plate over, but she decided that would be even more suspicious. So, she sat down next to Ben, but tried not to get too close to him.
Grandpa Max had made waffles for breakfast. Before she started eating, she glanced at Ben.
"They're normal," Ben confirmed, easily able to tell what she was wondering.
"What are normal?'" Max asked.
"Nothing!" Gwen answered for her cousin. Smiling nervously, she poured some syrup onto her waffles and began eating. Just as Ben had said, they tasted like normal waffles, without any of her grandfather's 'creative' adjustments.
"How long 'til we get to the park?" Ben asked.
"Should be another hour and a half drive," Max replied, glancing at his watch. "You'll have plenty of time to ride all the rides you want. And then they've got a fireworks show tomorrow night."
Gwen smiled, thinking about the Fourth of July date she and Ben had set up the previous night. In fact, she was hoping she and Ben could spend as much time together as possible over the next two days. "What are you planning to do at the park, Grandpa?" she asked, trying to casually probe for information on how easy it would be for them to sneak off together. She couldn't remember whether or not her grandfather enjoyed amusement park rides.
"There's a lake just outside the park that's supposed to be perfect for fishing," Max said enthusiastically. "I figure I'll let you two enjoy the rides while I bring out my rod and my book and enjoy some peace and quiet for a while."
Gwen felt guilty about how excited she got from hearing that answer. She also wondered if her and Ben's exaggerated fights the last couple of days had led to his sudden desire for some peace and quiet. But, she would figure out a way to make it up to him later. As soon as they got to the park, she'd have a whole day to spend alone with her boyfriend.
This is going to be the greatest summer ever.
"We're here!"
His grandfather's words practically caused Ben to drop his 3DS. "We're here?" he repeated. The brown-haired boy climbed onto his knees on the bench and pressed his hands against the window to peer outside. Sure enough, he could see rides and roller coasters rising high above the walls encircling the amusement park. "Yes!" he cheered, throwing his hands into the air and leaping out of the booth. "Come on, guys. Let's go!"
"Let Grandpa finish parking first. Jeez." Gwen was still seated, typing something on her laptop.
The parking lot was massive, but because of the type of vehicle they were driving, they had to park in a particular section of it. Ben felt like they were going two miles per hour, impatiently pacing in a circle in front of the door. As soon as they came to a stop, he leaped outside into the fresh air.
"Ben, wait!" Gwen called after him.
He stopped, turning to look behind him. "There's probably a line for tickets. We gotta get there as soon as we can!"
"I know, I know. Just wait for Grandpa, alright?" Gwen stepped out of the Rust Bucket and held out her hand, offering it to Max as he followed her outside.
"Thank you, sweetheart," their grandfather told her. "Now, let's get you your tickets."
As Ben had expected, there was indeed a line. Since he was so excited about the park, he thought he could put up with the wait, but after standing in line for twenty minutes, Ben's patience was wearing thin. He groaned as he took another half-step forward, waiting for the huge family at the front of the line to finish up. Meanwhile, Gwen and Max chatted pleasantly, but Ben was too far in his own world to pay attention to what they were saying.
However, the glimmer of excitement returned to his eyes when they finally reached the front of the line.
"Three two-day passes, please," Max said to the ticket booth operator. "Two adults and one senior citizen."
"Since when are you an adult?" Gwen asked her cousin with a teasing smirk on her face.
"'Kids' is only twelve and under," Ben replied, pointing to the sign. Then he furrowed his brow. "Oh. Hey!"
Gwen giggled at his slow reaction time, then Max turned around to hand them their tickets. "Did you decide to come with us after all, Grandpa?" Gwen asked him as they stepped out of line.
"I'll come back later around lunch time," Max replied. "Maybe we can all have a meal together at one of the restaurants."
"Maybe," Ben half-confirmed. Given their late start, they only had a few hours before it would be lunch time, so he wanted to head inside as soon as possible. "Okay, see ya then, bye!" Waving half-heartedly, Ben ran towards the gate with his ticket in hand.
Gwen caught up with him as he was getting his ticket scanned. "That was rude," she scolded him.
"Hm? Oh, sorry. But hey, we're here now!" He waited until she was scanned in too, then took her by the hand and pulled her into the park. "God, there's so much we gotta do. Which roller coaster you wanna ride first?"
"Um…" Gwen looked nervously at their clasped hands, then glanced behind them.
"Relax, will ya? Grandpa's long gone," Ben said confidently, although he also looked back at the gate to confirm.
"Yeah, I know, but…" She blushed as she looked around, as if she expected somebody they knew to pop out of the bushes at any moment. "We've just had some close calls from stuff like this, you know?" Despite her protests, she made no effort to let go of his hand.
"Gwen." Ben pressed himself beside his girlfriend, putting one arm around her shoulder and gesturing outward with his other arm. "Look around. Grandpa's off on his fishing trip, and we're a thousand miles away from literally anyone who freaking matters. I think we're good," he declared.
Gwen laughed, seemingly comforted by his confidence. "I know, I know."
"Exactly!" Ben gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "So, you're just my girlfriend today. Forget about everything else."
That seemed to hit home with her. She gave him a stunned smile for a second, then nodded her assent, taking his hand back into hers. "You're just my boyfriend today," she said aloud.
God, she's pretty when she's like this.
"Perfect." Ben grinned. "Now, like I said. What roller coaster we doin' first?"
"The Death Dragon," Ben read off of the sign. "Now that's a roller coaster." The sign showed a cartoonish depiction of a roller coaster cart full of terrified-looking riders heading straight into the mouth of a gigantic dragon.
"The… 'deathliest' roller coaster in North America," Gwen added, reading the description beneath the ride's name. "That's not a word. And it's probably not great press, either."
"What do you mean? It sounds awesome!" Ben stood next to the sign and posed beside it. "Get a picture of me with the dragon."
Gwen laughed. "You're such a dork." Nevertheless, she took out her phone and took Ben's picture. "Stay there a sec," she said before Ben could move. He was going to ask why, but she came over to stand right next to him. "Let's get one together, too." Gwen wrapped her arm around her boyfriend and laid her head against his shoulder, then held out her phone to take a selfie.
After her hesitance earlier, Ben had been worried that she'd be too freaked out to do any real 'couple' stuff at the park, but she seemed to be getting over her fear of getting caught rather quickly.
I guess even if Grandpa saw that picture, it's not exactly weird for cousins to pose together like that. Is it?
"Alright." Ben turned in the direction the sign indicated. "Time for the knight to slay the dragon and rescue the princess."
Gwen took his hand and giggled as they walked down the path. "I'm not the princess, I'm the sorceress. Lucy's the freaking princess. Know your storybook archetypes!"
"You say that like I'm supposed to know what an 'archetype' is." Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "I bet Lucy would love to hear that with no context, though."
"What are you doing?" Gwen asked.
"I'm texting her, 'Hey Lucy, are you a princess?'" Ben replied, typing out the message in their group chat and hitting send.
Gwen had a look of mild concern on her face. "Um. Are you sure we should be…"
Both of their phones buzzed. "She already responded."
"What did she say?"
"You said 'You know it!' in all caps. With, like, ten emojis."
"Sounds like her." Gwen hesitated for a moment, clearly thinking of something. "You think she's doing okay?"
Ben realized why Gwen had been concerned about him texting Lucy. She had opted not to come with them that summer specifically because she wanted some time alone to get over her crush on them. Gwen probably thought any contact with her would be a bad idea.
"Pfft." Ben waved his hand. "This is Lucy we're talking about. She's probably gotten more guys and girls in the past two weeks than both of us could ever get in our lifetimes combined."
Gwen raised an eyebrow.
"...Forget I said that. Point is, she's fine."
"...I guess," Gwen decided. She still looked a little worried, but after a few seconds, a coy smile appeared on her face. She took out her own phone and sent a message.
Ben watched as Gwen's message appeared on his screen.
"Either the princess or the fool."
Ben laughed, waiting to see Lucy's response.
"Why not both?" was her answer, followed by several emojis showing crowns and clowns.
"See? All good," Ben concluded. He wasn't sure if Gwen was satisfied with that, but he would worry about that later. For now, the roller coaster they were looking for had come into view, and that had stolen his attention.
"Whoaaa!" Ben said in awe. The coaster's track was filled with twists, turns, and loops, and there were a few sections of it that went extremely high up. He could see the part where it would drop down into the dragon's mouth, and it looked like the giant dragon set piece had actual fire spewing from somewhere. "This looks so badass!"
While he was impressed, Gwen stared up at the coaster without saying anything.
"You scared?" Ben asked with a smirk.
Gwen furrowed her brow. "I can fly. You think I'm scared of heights?"
It had actually been a while since Ben had last witnessed Gwen using her magic in that way, but whether or not she was out of practice, he didn't think that would matter. "I still betcha you'll scream when we go down into the dragon's mouth."
His girlfriend scoffed. "I bet you'll scream way more than I do."
"You are so on," Ben said confidently. "What do I get if I win?"
"Doesn't matter. You're not gonna win."
Ben reached into his pocket, as if he planned to take out his phone again. "How 'bout I ask Lucy for some suggestions?"
Gwen laughed. "Don't you dare. You know exactly what she'll say." The redhead held out her hand to stop Ben before they reached the line for the roller coaster. "How about… next time we get dinner alone, loser has to pay," she suggested, holding out her hand.
"It's a date," Ben confirmed, taking Gwen's hand and shaking on the deal. Gwen seemed to like hearing him say that, which caused him to grin with self-satisfaction.
Damn I'm good.
"Why do you look so smug?" Gwen asked.
"Cuz I'm gonna win, Dweeb."
"Dream on, Doofus."
The line for 'The Death Dragon' seemed long at first, much to Ben's annoyance. Luckily, it moved quickly, and Ben and Gwen were soon near the front of the line. When the park employee directing the queue waved them through along with the next batch of riders, the two of them slid into a cart beside one another.
"You're gonna scream so bad," Ben taunted.
"It might sound like I am, but that'll just be me laughing at how hard you're screaming," Gwen countered.
"Yeah, right. You're gonna freak out like that time we were exploring that abandoned factory and a spider fell on your face."
"Well you're gonna freak out like that time we went to the zoo and the peacocks walked by you on the way to the avian exhibit." Gwen smirked as the safety bars slid into place and the cart started to move.
"Hey! You look at those colorful monsters and tell me they're not dinosaurs in disguise!" Ben replied, feeling the need to defend his irrational fear.
Neither of them had time to say anything more. Before long, they were speeding along the track, going up and down along wavy pathways, slowing down on certain ascents only to speed up on the way down the other side. Throughout the ride, both Ben and Gwen were screaming, but only out of excitement rather than fear. They repeatedly glanced at each other to check, but always found one another with big smiles on their faces.
Then came the final incline; the one that led up to the dragon's mouth. The cart slowed down considerably, gradually bringing them upwards at an angle so steep they were practically moving vertically.
"This is it, Gwen. Ya ready?" Ben asked, testing for any fear.
"Please. Bring it on," Gwen replied, although there was the slightest hint of her voice wavering.
Ben smiled to himself, thinking he had this in the bag. But then, as the ascent dragged on and on and on, he happened to glance down at the ground, only to realize how ridiculously high up they were.
Holy fuck.
He brought his eyes forward again, hoping to take his mind off of that. After another few seconds, they were nearing the peak. Ben glanced over at Gwen and saw she was staring blankly forward with intense focus. It seemed neither of them were enjoying it as much as they were before.
Without thinking, Ben moved his hand over to Gwen's so they could clutch the safety bars tightly together. She flinched at his touch and looked at him, but they didn't have time to say anything to each other. The cart reached the top of the incline, then tipped over the edge.
Ben and Gwen both screamed. It felt as if they were dropping vertically downwards. At the bottom of the slope, the jaws of the giant mechanical dragon opened and flames spewed forth on both sides of the track.
A few moments later, however, it was all over. The carts pulled into the exit area slowly, and the safety bars popped up. Ben was a little shocked, and he remained where he was. Then he realized he and Gwen were holding onto one another. They let go of each other and stepped out of the cart, following the other riders down the path away from the ride.
"...That was awesome," Ben said. Even if it had been terrifying at the very end, that had been thrilling in its own way.
"Right?" Gwen seemed to agree, smiling broadly as they recounted the experience. "It was a lot faster than I expected. At certain parts, the acceleration made it feel like I was going to fly right out of my seat."
"Seriously! And that last part where we shot straight down into the dragon's mouth? That was epic." The two of them laughed, rounding the corner to look for their next ride.
"Guess you'll be paying for dinner, then, huh?" Gwen smirked.
Ben raised his eyebrows. "Oh-ho! Is that right?"
"Did you hear yourself screaming on the way down?"
"Yeah, and I heard you screaming, too. You were like a fucking banshee. Way louder than me."
Gwen shook her head in disbelief. "Well, we can't both win the bet."
Ben put his hand to his chin as if he were in deep thought. "Unless neither of us pays for dinner, and we just dine and dash."
Gwen slapped him on the shoulder. "Let's just continue the bet. We'll go on more rides until someone wins."
"And double the stakes every time?"
"Hell no!"
"'Cuz you know I'll win." Ben gave her his smuggest grin yet, but Gwen simply smiled and shook her head.
"Let's just keep going."
Even though the drop tower hadn't required much physical exertion, nor had most of the other rides they went on, Gwen felt exhausted by the time she made her way down the exit ramp. Ben seemed to be in a similar state, with both of them moving sluggishly and panting like they were out of breath from screaming so much.
"So… that makes, what? Seven?" Ben asked, counting on his fingers.
Gwen nodded, then raised her arm, pointing to the nearest bench. She didn't need to say anything. They both made their way over to it and sat down.
"You screamed louder on that one," Ben insisted.
"Maybe, but I still think I'm winning," Gwen argued. "I've gotta be at least four-in-three."
"No way. You're, like, two-in-five, at best."
Gwen chuckled lightly to herself, shutting her eyes for a second and leaning her head against Ben's shoulder to rest.
It doesn't matter. I've already won.
Both Ben and Gwen's phones vibrated at the same time.
"Who is it?" Gwen asked, expecting it to be Lucy.
"Grandpa. He's asking about lunch." Ben typed out a response. "Good thing we're here. I'll take amusement park junkfood over Grandpa-brand nightmare food any day of the week."
Gwen laughed in agreement, then leaned off of Ben's shoulder.
Guess I gotta switch back into 'cousin mode' now.
She didn't like thinking that way. She was extremely grateful to her grandfather for taking them on this trip, and she never disliked being around him. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but be a little disappointed at having to cut short her alone time with her boyfriend.
If only we didn't have to keep this a secret.
