we all climb into the van and i finally get shot gun. wilbur and i give each other knowing glances as we turn on twenty one pilots and belt out the lyrics.

when we get to the carnival, it's 4:20 (lol). we jump out and i excitedly look at the place. the lights aren't on yet, considering it's still light outside, but i know when it gets dark it'll look beautiful.

the rides look pretty intense, and they remind me of knotts berry farm rides back at home. there are plenty of roller coasters with fast turns, loops, and drops. i smile. i love roller coasters.

tommy taps my shoulder and points at an especially big roller coaster with a lot of drops, loops, and even a cork screw.

"bet you won't go on that one," he tells me. i scoff.

"i'll take that bet," i say.

"then i bet you won't cry."

"how much are we betting?"

"you have to buy me cotton candy if you cry."

"as long as you buy me cotton candy if i don't cry."

"fine. whatever. i'm gonna win, so it doesn't matter."

we get in line for tickets, and clay buys unlimited rides and fast passes. he wraps the two wristbands around both of my wrists and snaps his fingers to get everyone's attention.

"we can stay as long as we want, the carnival is open 24/7," clay says. "if enough of you text the group chat wanting to go home, we'll go."

"but you pussies better not want to go home before midnight!" nick shouts while everyone laughs.

"you pussies better not want to go home at ALL," alex says. "i plan on staying here all night!"

everyone splits off into groups. george, clay, and nick stay together, karl and alex stay together, wilbur and niki stay together, and toby, tommy, and i stay together.

"are we going on that ride first, val?" tommy asks. i shake my head.

"we can't just start with the good stuff. gotta build our way up, you know?" i respond. he rolls his eyes.

"sounds like you're scared to me." i scoff.

"as if."

"guys! let's go on that one!" toby points at the super slide. tommy laughs.

"that's for babies, tubzo," he says. toby pouts.

"no it's not. right, val?"

"it's not for babies," i say laughing. "plus, look. there are three lanes. we can race each other and see who gets to the bottom first." tommy's eyes widen.

"a competition? oh, you're ON," he says. we all run over to the slide, skip the line with our wristbands, and start walking up the stairs. by the time we reach the top, we all choose a lane. i'm on the right, toby in the middle, and tommy on the left. toby counts us down.

"three, two-"

suddenly, tommy takes off.

"see you at the bottom, losers!" he shouts. toby and i sit at the top in shock.

"well, that just happened," i say as tommy reaches the bottom. tommy flips us off as he steps off of the sack he slid down on and laughs.

"maybe he was right. this ride is for babies, considering he's acting like one," toby says chucking. i laugh and nod.

"you and i can still race. a fair race." toby nods and starts counting down again.

"three, two, one, go!"

we both push off and slide to the bottom, toby barely beating me.

"POGCHAMP!" he shouts as i slide after him. tommy waves his hand, motioning us towards him.

"what was THAT?" i ask as we approach him.

"is that a sore loser i hear?" tommy asks with a smile.

"sorry, is the cheater talking to me?" we all double over laughing.

after playing a few games and riding a few chill rides, tommy leads us over to the roller coaster, where we find nick, clay, and george all waiting in the fast pass line. normally we're able to skip the line, but so many people want to go on that even the fast pass lane is filling up.

"holy shit, our luck," tommy mutters as he pulls both of us along and to get us in line with the dream team. after earning a few dirty looks from strangers and using the "family" excuse to get to the three, we make it.

"you three are going on THIS?" nick asks, raising an eyebrow as we approach.

"yup. and tommy and i have a bet going, as well," i reply.

"what's the bet?" george asks.

"whether or not she's going to cry," tommy says. clay snorts.

"she will," clay says.

"nah, she won't," nick says, lightly punching my shoulder. we make it to the front of the line and pair up so two fit in the seats. clay and george go together, nick and toby go together, and tommy and i go together ("just so i can take a video of her crying!").

tommy and i go in the front, nick and toby in the middle, and clay and george go in the back seats.

"try not to burst our eardrums with your screaming, googie!" nick shouts over his shoulder as the worker checks his vest harness. i hear george shout "shut up" when the worker makes their way over to us.

"ready to owe me cotton candy?" tommy asks me. i laugh.

"nope. because i'm the one that's about to get cotton candy," i shoot back. suddenly, the ride slowly moves forward, and tommy and george start screaming.

"what is wrong with you two?" toby shouts.

"be quiet guys, the ride hasn't started yet and there are other people here!" clay joins in. we arrive at a point at the roller coaster right before a large incline. we make it to the top and the ride stops for a second, before speeding at LEAST one hundred miles per hour down. adrenaline pumps through me as i let out an excited scream. tommy suddenly grabs my hand and my smile grows even bigger.

i look to my right to see tommy's wide eyes as we zoom through the ride. he even lets out a yell during a loop. i laugh as george never stops screaming his high pitched shriek throughout the entire ride.

after the corkscrew, tommy grips my hand even tighter. a bright flash goes off in our faces, and i realize that our picture was taken. my face turns beet red as i realize what people will see in the picture.

uh oh.