Page 114 of Let's Pretend I'm Okay

“What?” Margo says, practically yelling at me. “Why didn’t you tell me!”

I open my eyes. “Because you wanted to ride the roller coaster!”

Her jaw drops. “We could’ve done something else.”

I shake my head. “Too late.” I force a smile.

My stomach lurches as we level out because I know seconds from now, we’re going to drop. I’m going to be sick. My head spins, and I refuse to look down. If I do, I think I’ll lose my mind. I’ll faint or—

Margo’s hand wraps around mine and an electric pulse shoots up my arm from her touch. “Don’t worry,” she says; she smiles ear to ear. “I got you.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

MARGO

He stares at our hands linked together, mouth parting like he’s about to say something, but then we drop, and he screams as he squeezes my hand tighter.

The ride flies up again. Then whips to the side before descending. It repeats the whole course at least five times. The wind rushes through our hair, and I scream until my voice is raw. I swear I even see Daniel smile, but there’s a possibility I imagined it. When the ride finishes, my heart is full. I hop out, smiling from ear to ear, while Daniel, on the other hand, walks off the ride like he’s drunk, legs wobbling.

I fall into step with him, and drape his arm over my shoulder and my arm around his waist to keep him steady. He rode a mini roller coaster for me even though he practically had a heart attack, so it’s the least I could do.

He flinches, back arching, and he sucks in a breath.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

His cheeks redden as he nods.

We stumble off the platform and down the ramp.

“Let’s find a place to sit,” I say.

But he stops walking.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I just don’t want to sit.”

“Are you sure? I’m pretty much holding you up.”

A smile tugs at his mouth, but his gaze shies away. “I know.”

I shouldn’t let him make comments like this, but it makes my heart flutter.

We spend the next ten minutes or so wandering the grounds. Color gradually returns to Daniel’s face. Once he’s ready, we go back to the rides but choose some that stay closer to the ground for his sake. I love spinning through the air. I can’t help but focus on the lights and excitement all around.

Once we’re hungry enough, we leave the rides and follow the scent of food. Every booth has a line of so many people that the lines intertwine and wrap around each other. While we wait in line, Daniel patiently listens as I talk about whatever pops into my head. I tell him all about a pair of socks I’m embroidering as a present for my cousin and how I think watermelon is great in theory, but the texture is overrated. He laughs when I do my impression of Kermit the Frog, and he reminds me to move forward every time someone ahead of us takes a step.

He doesn’t say much, but his gaze never wavers from me, like he’s taking in every word that comes out of my mouth. But finally, he asks me, “Have you thought of anything else to add to your list?”

“You mean I need to do more than this?”

He nods. “One day isn’t enough.”

I sway in the line, tugging at the pockets of my overalls. “You know what I really want after this?”

“What?”

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, imagining it. “Shaved ice. Mama always complained about the dyes in them, but you know what? I’m going to eat as much shaved ice as I want tonight.”

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