What's So Fun About Amusement Parks?

If I didn’t answer that phone call, then I wouldn’t be here. Seeing all the lights merge together as the rides whirled round in the wind made me feel sick. The dark background gave the setting a somewhat romantic scene, or even some comfort, but it wasn’t enough comfort for me. This whole trip has been a pain in my head and even the music was thumping through my ear drums. How can people enjoy this so called light hearted music? It was irritating to listen to, especially when you have to listen to it over and over again. The constant thud of the same beat was just drumming on me.

“Come on Jenna!” I heard my friend Courtney call as she was entering a line to go on the swings. I scoffed my face at her; I did not want to sit on swings, being swung up in air, getting as much air as I can. “Come on! It’ll be fun!” She continued to call out to me, and all I could do was to scrunch up my face as I looked up at the ride. There was no way that could be fun. It’s only sitting down, collecting air!

She gave up on calling me over, after she seen the disgust that was shown on my face every time I looked at any ride in this amusement park. I knew she was trying hard for me to have fun, but I wasn’t fussed. Give me the candy floss and that’s plenty of fun for me. I shifted over to a wooden bench to rest my legs that were next to the tall bushes that were opposite to the swings.

I laughed as soon as Courtney squeezed into the tiny seat. Sure she wasn’t skinny, but she wasn’t big either. She smiled and waved at me, soon to be distracted by the tug of Alex by trying to swing to her seat and grab it. She looked really happy, pretending to be all hurt and bruised just to get sweet attention from him. I laughed at their little scene, only to sigh wishing I had something like that.

As soon as the ride lifted off, and started to spin the people on it, I lifted off my seat to wonder around. The only stuff that interests me here was the food and drink stands. All the junk that I could eat was the most enjoyable thing of any amusement parks. It was no surprise that my feet trailed to a food store; the dry mud provided an automatic walk way to the store. It was fate as I seen the candy floss hanging from the top, with all different colours.

I managed a smile, the first genuine smile I made, I think, since I came to this damned place. I ordered blue candyfloss and gave the lady, who was in middle 30’s, my money after digging through the pockets of my jeans to find it. I smiled and thanked her after she gave me my change. I turned my back to the stall, with candy floss in one hand, and my other hand digging through my other pocket trying to drag out my phone.

I was letting whether my legs took me when I slid opened my phone. When my phone was unlocked, I went to contacts and found my way down to Gregg straight away, not even hesitating to call him or not. As soon as I pressed the call button, the phone couldn’t be any closer to my ear than it could have been. I lifted my other hand up, just to stick my hand over my unoccupied ear and letting the candy floss fall by the side of my face.

The call was made, but it went straight to answer phone machine. I slid my phone back down ferociously, before shoving it in my pocket violently. It was either I shoved too hard that I fell to the floor, or the male who was standing tall in front of me either tripped me up, or I bumped into him. I would say the latter. He reached out his hand, and all I could see was his brown silky hair dancing in the wind. I grabbed his hand to support myself standing up.

Now that I was almost level with him, since he was about 3 inches taller than me, I could see his features better. Forest green eyes to die for, slender but muscular build. His eyes were so gentle, so warming. Once I found myself staring, I gave myself a mental slap to stop it.

“Sorry about that,” I was embarrassed as he continued to look at me. “Ah bugger, my candy floss!” I looked at it and it was in a pool of mud. I knew it was in a bag, but the bag sometimes have holes in. I don’t want to chance eating muddy candy floss. It just wasn’t worth it.
He laughed at me once he seen the concern on my face, “That’s alright, it was my fault really. Do you want another one?”
“Yeah, but I used all the last of my money buying that one.” I pointed to the one that was floating in the mud.
He smiled at me, a really cute smile, “Come on, I’ll buy you one.”

I followed him as he led me back to the stall where I just brought my bagged candyfloss. “Can I have two fresh ones darling?” He added a little wink at the end for more character, the women just laughed at him, with him laughing back at her. To my observation, they knew each other.

As he grabbed the two sticks with candyfloss on top, pink ones, he guided me away. “So, who was that?” I asked curiously.
“Oh, it’s my aunt Linda.” He smiled at me again, and looked at me with those perfect eyes. It was like he was looking through you and seeing everything that people say is beauty on the inside, “I was just trying to impress you.”
I giggled, getting all flustered. I haven’t been like this in ages, “Well, I think it worked.”
“Well, I’m Justin, that’s if you wanted to know.” He smirked at me and I nudged him, “Hey! You might drop that one too!” We both laughed as I took a piece of my candyfloss only to let it dissolve sweetly in my mouth. My tongue has never found anything more pleasuring than letting candyfloss dissolve on it, “What’s yours?”
I smiled at him, “Jenna. Short for Jennabel” I didn’t like my full name, but people always knew to call me Jenna just from my induction.
“I’m going call you Jennabel just to be different. So, what brought you here?” He asked bravely, as it wasn’t a question I would answer politely.
I tried to contain my anger, but let it out with a sigh, “My friends. I had nothing to do so my best friend talked me into coming here, against my will though. I feel like a third wheel” I looked down at the floor; I did not want to explain it.
I felt the gap between us get thinner as he moved closer in, “Do you not have someone else you could have brought here?” He sounded intrigued to know.
I stuttered. I should have no hesitation, but I didn’t want him to know I have a boyfriend. “Yeah, but his phone’s been broken for 3 days now so I haven’t been able to get in touch him with.”

The space between us widened. “So, what brought you here then?” I asked, trying to recover from the last question. I didn’t know what it was. It was like an aura around him that just instantly made me trust him and find comfort in him.
He stopped and thought, “Well, besides trying to pick up hot taken girls,” We both laughed at this and the mood was once again lifted, “Nothing. No one. I needed to get out the house, and I thought I’ll come here to take my mind of things. I haven’t even gone on a ride yet, you know, I don’t like looking lonely.”
“So that’s why you bump in to ‘hot taken girls’ so you don’t have to look lonely?” I jabbed him on the side of the arm friendly and he tackled me. He pushed me into a group of teenagers, who looked about two years older than us, and all we could do was laugh and say sorry... and run away since they were quite mean looking.

We finally found a bench we could sit at. We revised the scene before, laughing our heads off at the teenagers’ faces. “You know, this is the most time I’ve had fun at one of these” I took deep breathes so I could stop laughing. We were both in a laughing fit, but we both managed to calm down with deep breathes.
“Ditto” He smiled at me and I’m sure the gap between us closed in. “Fancy going on a ride?” His eyes were now burning into mine, searching for any desire that I held for him. I couldn’t keep my eyes off him, but I found myself shaking my head. “Why not?”
I looked away from him, anything to keep me off his eyes. I looked at the ride in front of us – a merry go round. The chimes were playing loudly, which my ears didn’t react nicely to. It was just all noise, one big annoying noise which I forgot about since meeting Justin. “I just don’t like them.” I coyly said, not wanting him to dig deeper.

He was now close enough to smell my hair, and the coconut shampoo and conditioner that I just recently used on it. “Well, looks like we have to find something to do, unless you want to be brave and go on them?” He pointed to the horses at the merry go round.
“Are you joking? It’s a kid’s ride!” I explained with such colour in my voice.
He used his laugh to charm me, “Be brave!” He shouted at me as he stood up, “Overcome your fear!” He spoke in like a Spartan tone.
“You’re such an idiot.” I punched his stomach softly as I got up, “As long as you stay by me, okay?” I did not like scenes, and I had a feeling he was going create an even more embarrassing one if I disagreed with him.

He held my hand and I felt the touch of his soft skin, which sent electricity all through me. Now, this is exciting. I didn’t want to let go, all this energy, I wanted to keep feeling like this. It was like I felt like I was lifting off my feet. We stood in the queue in silence, it wasn’t a harmful silence, but a silence that we couldn’t explain how we’re feeling... one conversation that we should avoid.

I took one last look around our surroundings before going next to enter the ride. Suddenly, my hands just lost their muscles and we were no longer holding hands. “Jennabel, are you okay?” I heard him whisper to me, but it was like a million miles away.

What I seen in front of me was shameful. Fair enough I’ve been holding hands with someone, but it wasn’t going get further. Gregg was occupied by entwining his tongue with someone else’s! I stormed over, and I could feel Justin follow shortly after me, shouting my name but I could not hear him. I was now standing in front of the couple, who looked up once they felt a presence.

“Jennabel!” He jumped out his skin once he saw me.
“Do you know her?” The female scoffed her face at me and I could only open my mouth to form an ‘o’. No other words would come out, no insults, no nothing. I was speechless.

I felt her eyeing me up, looking in disgust. My boyfriend jeans and converse were no were near as flashy as her three quarter jeans with stiletto heels on. Who wear heels to an amusement park anyways? I just wanted to scream.

Then I realised something. Gregg called me Jennabel. No Jennababy. For some reason, this made me feel like I was on fire, like someone just put me in a pan over exposed flames to let me boil like water does in a pan.

“Jennabel?” I asked him, with anger clouding my voice, “No Jennababy? Or are I’m not good enough of a kisser so you have to have another?”

I felt an arm around my shoulder, and I knew it was Justin. I couldn’t have been Gregg to comfort me. The girl next to Gregg moved away from him and looked like a mirror image of me just before, when I was speechless.
“Oh yeah, did he not tell you he had a girlfriend for 6 months? I think it might have got lost on the tip of his tongue.”
“Come on Jennabel, let’s go.” I felt Justin tag at my waist, but I did not want to. I wanted to see what Gregg had to say for himself.
“And who is that!?” Gregg raised his voice to me like I had done with him. Soon the girl beside him stood up gracefully and slapped him.
Her eyes were full of water, and I actually felt sorry for her now, “For 5 months you’ve been saying I was the only one! That you loved me!” She was babbling, trying to hold back the threat of tears that were a danger to falling on her cheeks.
“Join the club I guess.” I turned to her, but anger wasn’t in my voice, it was sorrow. How could he have played us like that? “And you know what Gregg, I knew something changed. That one night you were ready to make love to me, but then got a text and after that everything changed. You distanced yourself from me. Let me guess, your phone isn’t even broke is it?”

He swallowed his words down his throat. What could he say? I must have been right, “My friends knew you were a waste of space, only I couldn’t say that. No wait, I could but I didn’t want to admit it.”
“Come on Jennabel, calm down.” Justin whispered to me. His voice did calm me down. Only hours of knowing him and I warmed up to him, heck I was attracted to him majorly. He was more attractive than Gregg. His dirty blonde hair that were shortly cut to his head, almost bald; his mean looking face as if he never smiled; his distrustful brown eyes. Everything about him was dirty and mean looking. How could I have fallen for a dude like that?

I put it down to being lonely. I was lonely, and I wanted someone since I wasn’t the third wheel to Courtney and Alex, and they ever long relationship. Poor Justin had to witness all this, and he barely knew me. I don’t even want to think about of what he thought about me now.

I let Justin led me away, my eyes now filling up with water. I didn’t make eye contact with Justin, and I didn’t even speak because of the fear of tears. I didn’t want Justin to see my tears, well at least not yet. It was only a few hours we knew each other; it takes me at least a couple of months to feel comfortable crying around.

I couldn’t contain it. I was now babbling, letting the tears flow down my face. I crutched my stomach, the reality has set in. Now it felt as if someone took a knife and stabbed in it in my stomach, slowly twisting it around causing me more pain. I collapsed to the floor as my legs were limbless. Justin crouched down straight away when I dropped to the floor, leaving me hand resting on the wooden fence.

Nothing around me mattered. All I felt was the pain. I seen Justin tried to lift me up, but my body would not move. It was like it was in auto shut down. Suddenly I heard a familiar face becoming closer as they shouted, “Jenna!” I heard Courtney in the distance and then I could see her. She pushed Justin out the way ferociously. She must have thought she had something to do with me.
“N-n” was all I could manage out of my mouth. I tried to defend Justin, but I couldn’t force any words out.

Justin looked at me sorrowful, and I seen him. I couldn’t keep my eyes of him. I heard him explaining what had happened, and Courtney took me in her arms. She rocked me like a mother would cradle a baby. “It’s going be alright” She sang to me like it was a lullaby. My tears were drying up and my babbling has stopped.

Finally, it all stopped. Courtney smoothed me all the way through it, telling me he was a jerk and I deserved better. I believed her, who would cheat on someone? I finally managed to pull myself up with my hand resting on the fence, but Courtney helped me and Justin rushed to my side.

“T-th-thanks guys.” I stuttered after hearing my voice for what seemed like ages. My mouth was dry and so was everything else. I leant on Justin for support as Courtney followed my side.
“See, I don’t pick up hot taken girls. They turn single when they meet me.” Justin whispered to me and winked and then I just burst out into laughter like nothing had happen. After the laughing stopped though I felt the loneliness that was inside of me.

It was like a black hole in the pit of my stomach, just growing each time it eats at something. This is what heart break is. I never realised I cared this much... I thought that since we were distancing, this would be easier. I was wrong. I felt lonely, yet I had two friends, plus a possible friend around me. No matter how I laugh, the black hole sucks it all up to leave me with the loneliness.

“Are you okay Jennabel?” Justin asked me as I was just staring off in the distance. I heard Courtney gasp.
“You don’t call her Jennabel! She hates it!” She playfully slapped him like she’s known him for ages, and he just took it as it was meant: playfully.
I swallowed, “No, its okay.” I managed to get out, with my voice all hoarsely.
I saw Courtney point to the big wheel, “Alex! Let’s go on!” She jumped up and down excitedly, before asking my permission to go on. I just nodded what else could I do?
“Do you not want to go on?” Justin turned to me as they ran towards it. I knew I didn’t want to, but something was telling me to. I decided to use my head and say no. “Come on, I’ll let you cry on my shoulder.” He was comforting me, and it felt good. I needed a good cry, but on his shoulder?

Maybe I needed to let things out. I mean, I’m not scared of heights, and since I have someone by my side, I might not get kidnap, especially since it was a built up male.
“Okay.” I simply said. Unlike Courtney and Alex, we didn’t run over. We took a slow walk, closing the gap between us. “Promise me one thing though?”
I caught Justin off guard, “hmm?”
I sighed heavily before letting the words reach the tip of my tongue, “Don’t walk away tonight, and stay in touch?”
He smiled and hugged me; “You’re not getting rid of me that easy, pet” He winked at me yet again and with that, the loneliness faded away.

We walked in the direction of the big wheel, against the romantic sky.