Waking up Saturday night was not what I wanted at the moment.

Heaving myself off my bed, I try to stand. Bad idea.

I fall to my floor, instantly regretting last night and early this morning. Something vibrates in my pocket, that must be what woke me up from my amazing slumber.

I pull it out of my back pocket, and lazily answer it. "Hullo?" I say, surprised words can even form out of my mouth.

"Jeez, Gem. You sound like you just woke up. Are you sick?" Aria asks, not sounding the least bit concerned.

I groan into the phone. "Both." I say, leaning to grab the metal bucket next to my bed.

I heave up whatever I drink and ate last night, not realizing that Aria is still on the phone. "Gem, I'm coming over and I'm going to show you how to have fun without waking up like a dead animal."

I don't know where her analogy came from, it make little to no sense, but in a way I understood. I did feel like I was dying.

"You still there?" Aria asked through the phone.

I nod and remember she can't exactly see me. "Yeah. I'm going to need—" the heaviness in my limbs came back and I roll off the bed.

Aria sighed through the phone. "You're lucky I know how to deal with these situations."

I silently agreed as she hung up the phone. Groaning I fall back on the floor and pass out once again.
***
I jolt up, a headache rocking through me in waves, as someone bangs on the door.

"Agh." I rub my temples, fighting back a cry. "Come in." I say, not knowing who it was. My guess is Aria, but it could be Arius, Leona, Aquaria. Any number of her friends.

Someone bangs on the door again. "Real smart Gem, the door's locked." Aria says on the other side.

I push my weight down on the side of the bed to help get me up. I suddenly regret the satin sheets.

Slipping, I stand on two feet and tumble to the door. Aria bursts in after hearing the lock click open.

"I brought some breakfast, and some Gatorade." She announces.

She throws some food onto the small desk I have in my dorm, and a blue Gatorade next to it.

I hate glacier freeze. Worst flavor there is. But I greedily drink the only gross flavor there is of Gatorade.

"Easy tiger, don't drink too fast." She pulls the bottle away from me and sets it on the table. "Some party last night, huh. I heard Virginia actually fell down the stairs."

I shake my head. "Wouldn't laugh about it in front of Cora." I say, barely recalling what happened last night.

Some things— most things— were hazy about last night. I remember Chancler, sadly, driving Arius to the hospital, Cora yelling at me. But not much inbetween.

Aria chuckled. "Nah, Scorpios are all talk no game."

I roll my eyes. I don't want to stay on the subject of my drunk happenings and I ask what I've been meaning too. "Where are we going?"

She smiles. "Speaking of Scorpios, I have a friend that works at Sling... Were going there."

I shake my head. "No no no. I would like to keep all of my body parts intact." I disagree with Aria and her smile fades.

She grabs my arm and thrusts me forward, making my headache worse, and opens the door. "Where do you park your, never mind I found it."

I pull my arm from her grasp with what strength I don't have. "I hereby say that any Aries is not allowed to drive my car. I like it very much and in one piece."

Aria scoffs next to me. "Fine. My car will do. Call Leona, see if she wants to go." She tosses me her phone and it opens up to her contacts.

Sighing I follow her down the steps to the parking lot while calling Leona.

Her voice comes groggy. "Hullo?" She asks, just like me.

I smile, glad to know I'm not dying alone. "Hey, it's Gem, Aria is taking us to Sling. Get ready, be there in five."

Below me, I see Aria already knocking on Leona's door. She answers much quicker than me and already looks picture perfect.

She smiles up to me. "You good after last night?" She asks me.

I nod and wonder to myself how she got ready in five seconds.

Shrugging it off, I walk to Aria's bright red Jeep.
***
When we arrive at Sling, nobody is there save for another couple.

A couple with a man that looks vaguely familiar. I turn to leave but Leona stops me. "I see him, I see him. You'll be fine. He's not gunna do anything."

Chancler sees us and casually jogs up, a girl holding his hand.

He smiles at me. "Hey, guys. You going on Sling?" He says, pointing the four giant beams sticking from the ground.

I nod sheepishly and start to walk forward. Chancler walks next to me and grabs my hand.

I pull it away immediately and glare at him. "Don't ever touch me!" I yell.

He puts his hands up in defense. "I just came to apologize. I was just drunk last night." He puts his hand to his bandages nose and black eye.

He must be bruised everywhere. Good, he deserves it.

"I don't even know what I was thinking." He says, and smiles. "I deserved this." He points to his busted lip.

I nod once and continue to the booth.

Leaning up against the ticket booth, I wait as Aria and Leona finish talking to Chancler and whoever the girl is.

I feel my back pockets for my wallet, noticing it's not there.

"Damnit." I his under my breath. "Forgot my wallet."

I go to window part of the booth as a guy sits counting money. He doesn't look up before he speaks. "No cash no ride." After I don't leave, he looks up and we both jump in shock.

"Gem!" Cor says, shoving money back into the register. I smile at his red and white colored baseball hat. He would never wear such a thing.

He frowns at me and and sighs. "Welcome to Sling, how may I help you?" He says in a monotone voice.

The group has made it to the booth and all start pulling money out. I smile a huge smile and look at Aria. "I forgot my wallet!" I say happily. "Looks like I can't ride now!" I pretend to care and slump against the glass separating us from Cor.

Cor shakes his head in his glass box. "Don't worry, Gem." He pulls out his own wallet, chained to the belt loop of his pants, and drags out a twenty. "On the house. And I'll even keep the change as a tip." It takes six  to ride, and it makes me wonder why he pulled a twenty.

If I was violent I would have punched him through the glass, but instead I unhappily thank him.

Cor counts all of us and sighs. "Need six to ride..." He says.

Aria slaps the box, but Cor doesn't even jump. "It's shatter proof, Aria." He says simply.

She pounds the glass again. "It's not me proof! And since when has it been six to ride? I've gone by myself before!" She growls and Cor should be happy there is glass separating him from Aria.

Cor smirks and to most girls, me included, it's  what we think would end wars and solve hunger. But Aria just gets mad. She isn't like most girls.

"I know why you work here, Cor. I'll tell Dean Murph if you don't let us on!" She slaps the glass again and Cor leans forward. "Let us on the damn ride!"

"You have no proof." He leans back into his comfortable looking chair, looking victorious. "But... I guess I could be the sixth person in your group." He hops out of his chair and opens up a back door to meet us outside.

Aria nods and yells an excited whoop. She leads us to the metal gate that opens up to the scariest ride in our city.

The Sling

Four white beams stand slanted over a square hole in the ground.

It's dark. It's high. It's not something you want to ride after a hangover, my stomach is telling me that.

I stop at the stairs, not wanting to go down them. Have I mentioned my fear of heights? That would be important information, right?

Cor slides his hand onto my shoulder and slightly pushes me down the stairs. "You'll be fine. Nobody's died on this ride. Yet." He chuckles to himself and I start climbing my way back to the top.

He wraps his arm around my waist and walks with me down the stairs. My face heats when as he doesn't move his arm.

"Alright!" Cor announces when we sit in the seats. "Here's how this goes. You will buckle in tightly, I'll check the buckles. You'll wait patiently for the timer to go off in any time between a minute or five. You'll ride the Sling and scream your lungs out. I wouldn't recommend puking on the ride... But most don't follow that guideline. I'll be your host for today's trip. But I'll also be riding so... There's that." He walks us to the giant circle with padded chairs connected all around it.

I'm shaking and I'm sure I'll die. Nobody should be allowed to ride this. This should be banned from every city in the world.

Cor notices me and pats my leg as I sit next to Leona, who now looks scared to. "Gem, are you okay?" He asks, buckling himself in seat next to me after checking everyone else's belts.

I shake my head and I almost cry. "Scared of heights..." I say.

Cor looks at me sympathetically. "I'll be right he—" his words are cut off as we start ascending slowly. "Here." He finishes.

He is shaking too and I notice everyone looks terrified except Aria. She looks fine. Bored, actually.

"Have you guys done this before?" I ask, clenching my eyes shut just trying to talk so I'm not so scared.

Everyone, excluding Aria, yells no.

I'm shocked as I turn to Cor, my breathing rapid. "Never rode, scared of heights." He says and turns to me. He sticks his hand out, palm up, offering me to take it.

I grab it and I notice we're both sweating like a marathon runner on a hot day.

We stop moving up and are paused in the air. I let out a whimper and shut my eyes again. Cor groans next to me and he turns my face to him with two fingers. "Look at me." He says unsteadily.

I look at him, focusing on his eyes; A dark, dark, brown color. "We'll be Fi—"

We suddenly drop, free falling into what looks like a black hole.

I scream louder than my throat can take, cussing every person on the ride. We bun jee up with the cords, and were back to free falling.

Fear consumes me like ferocious fires, burning in a forest.

Cor sounds like someone is murdering him, but it's normal because so does everyone else.

But in the midst of the cursing and screaming, Aria laughs her head off. Typical.

I grip Cors hand harder than I should and we suddenly stop at the bottom. I breath for a second. Only a second before my breath hitches in my throat.

We're rising again.

"I want off!" I yell, struggling in my seat.

Cor puts his free hand on my shoulder and tells me to calm down. "This is the highest we'll go, this is the last free fall. The big one." His voice is dry, like he's already lost it, and he stutters out his sentences.

"The last one wasn't the highest?!" I shriek.

Aria laughs across from me. "Now were going to the top. You should see the look on your faces!"

Leona's hair is wild, like a lions mane. Her face is red, exasperated. "Fun," she says simply. "I'm having so much fun!" She sounds angry, and her voice sounds dead just like Cor's..

I look back at Cor. "We're going to die." Millions of worse case scenarios go through my head at once. The breaks, the cords, I'll fly out of my seat.

Cor wipes his palm on his jeans and then twines it with my other hand. "I could be in worse positions when I die! At least I'm here with someone who isn't going to cry on this!"

I realize quickly that he's talking about Cance. "At least you're not laughing at me like Arius would be!" I sigh, making myself and Cor laugh.

Aria groans. "You two like eachother!" Is the last thing said before we plummet to our deaths.

OMG I'm so sorry! I thought I posted last week... Anyways, I'm finally getting to the storyline now all my major characters have been introduced. My plot can start!!! Yes! I promise to update more often I've just been working on something else.......  So the ride mentioned in this chapter, is real. Although, it's called the Slingshot. I would recommend riding it, it's actually really fun. Thanks for reading and

As always, stay happy stay gold
-Dani_Kail