The Road Trip

Chapter 32

The huge castle that is seen before all Disney movies and is in their insignia loomed over me.

After making it through that huge amount of traffic, we dropped Leo off at the pet care center and entered the park after presenting our pre-bought tickets. Corbin, Levi, and Eric had really shown some planning skills with that decision. Without those tickets, we would have had to wait an hour and a half in line to buy tickets.

Inside the park, I took my time and just turned in a complete circle, taking in the park. I was in awe, everything looked the exact same as it did in all the commercials.

After a few more minutes of silence, Corbin had to say something.

“So, where to first, guys?” He looked at all of us expectantly. I thought for a second and looked at my map of the park. After staring at my map for a few seconds, I closed my eyes.

“What are you doing, Den?” Levi asked me, her voice quizzical.

“It’s much easier to pick what to do this way,” I replied calmly.

“Uh, but you can’t see the map.”

“Exactly.” I began to spin in a circle quickly, with my eyes still closed, and then abruptly stopped and pointed in a random direction. “That way!” I exclaimed, and then I opened my eyes.

I had pointed to a ride with large, oversized teacups, fit to be drunk from by a giant. After staring at the ride I had chosen for a few seconds, I began to hop up and down excitedly. I grabbed Eric’s hand and pulled him towards the ride. “Let’s go, guys, come on!”

The others laughed at my enthusiasm and then quickly joined in. Four overenthusiastic teenagers hop-skip-and-jumping towards a spinning teacup ride. Gives a nice prelude to the rest of the day, right?

We were as jittery as caffeinated chipmunks as we got into those turning teacups of terror.

“You ready? This is going to be awesome! Best ride of our lives!” Levi was saying. “Let’s get PUMPED!”

“Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo!” We all shouted together, preparing ourselves for the ride.

We said our last ‘hoo’ as the teacups began to slowly build up in pace and speed. I bounced up and down in my seat.

“I’m so excited, doo, doo, doo, and I just can’t hide it!” I sang loudly, my voice charged in anticipation. “I’m about to lose control, and I think I like it!” This is going to be awesome, my first ride in Disney World!

We spun around and around and around. Everything was a blur outside of our little teacup.

“Around and around we go, where we stop, nobody knows!” Corbin cackled gleefully. We laughed at him and enjoyed the ride.

“Woo hoo!” Eric yelled. ‘Woo hoo’ indeed. This ride was awesome.

After about 2 minutes the teacups began to slow and finally stop. One-by-one we all filed out of the cup dizzily. The world felt like it was actually spinning for once. We were all giggling as we tripped over one another all the way to the exit.

“So this is what it’s like to be drunk,” I commented looking around, my head still reeling from the fun ride.

“No, not drunk, this is what it’s like to be high,” Corbin corrected me. I shot him a look that said ‘don’t ruin my happy time’, but then after sending the look I thought about what he said.

“Yeah…” I started slowly. “High off life.”

}..{

After the teacups, my friends and I stumbled from ride to ride, laughing constantly. By the time it was lunch, we had ridden half the rides in the park and gotten pictures with 5 Disney characters.

As we walked to the picnic area, I clapped my hands together.

“Good progress, all, we might just be able to go through the entire park before it closes.” While Eric’s and Corbin’s responses were as happy as they were when we first began, I noticed Levi begin to drag her feet a little.

“Oh, gosh, what’s wrong, Lev?” I asked her gently after slowing to her pace. Please don’t say you’re tired, please don’t say you’re tired.

“My feet hurt!” She whined dramatically. I rolled my eyes. Never mind, please say you’re tired.

“We’ll be to the picnic area in a few minutes Levi,” I told her patronizingly. “But now do you see why I tried to set you up with my personal trainer?” I asked with a raise of my eyebrow. She scowled at me as she continued to drag her feet.

“Your personal trainer’s idea of “starting off slow” included doing 4 continuous circuits of 50 mountain climbers, 125 pushups, 150 jumping jacks, and a whopping 200 sit ups!” She exclaimed, repeating the argument she’d had since she refused to go back to my gym after half a visit. “I refuse to go through that torture, I am not freaking Mia Bacon!” I sniggered at that.

“Uhm, first of all, it’s Mia Hamm, not Mia Bacon. Secondly,” I gestured to myself with a smirk. “You don’t get this without some sweat. And thirdly, did you try telling him you weren’t comfortable with doing all those exercises?” I asked pointedly. She looked down and shuffled her aching feet.

“Well… I… Well…” She mumbled. “No, I didn’t say that to him,” she admitted quietly.

“What was that?” I asked leaning in, though I’d heard her perfectly. She glared at the smug look on my face.

“No, I didn’t say that I was uncomfortable.” I smirked.

“And what did you do instead?” I prodded knowingly. She looked down at the ground once again.

“I did the jumping jacks and one pushup, then collapsed.” I laughed.

“Yes, continue.”

“And when I came to, I started yelling at him and poured the protein shake he had bought for me over his head…” I was about to reply when she decided to continue. “And then I walked out of the gym, went to a tree outside, and grabbed a squirrel.” My smug expression turned to confusion being as I’d never heard this part of the story. “Then, I broke into his car and stuck the squirrel in it.” My jaw dropped.

“You stuck a squirrel in his car just because he tried to get you in shape?” I was flabbergasted. Levi nodded guiltily.

“Is that why he came to my next session with bumps all over him and why he was so on edge?”

“Probably… unless people stick furry animals in his car on a regular basis…”

“Levi Gregory! What is the matter with you!” I was so surprised, she had kept this part hidden from me until now, and this had happened while school was still going on. “Jeff did not deserve that kind of harsh treatment!” I lectured. “What have I told you about using furry animals to help you dish out revenge?”

“That it’s sick and wrong to scar an innocent animal for my own twisted needs,” She recited obediently.

“And what have I told you about overreacting to situations and working yourself up into a hissy fit?” I continued aghast. “Jeff did nothing wrong, you red-heads are so rash with your punishment.” She perked up at this part of my scolding.

“Ahem, partial red-head, thank you very much,” she corrected about her strawberry blonde hair.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, point is, you acted without thinking and that is?” I left a blank for her to fill. However, she didn’t appear to catch on as she just watched me silently, apparently waiting for me to continue.

“And that is?” I repeated.

“Go ahead, I’m listening,” Levi responded.

“What do you think it is?” I said through gritted teeth. The realization hit her face of what I had wanted her to do and she chuckled nervously noticing her folly.

“It is bad.” She looked very proud of her answer, so I patted her head.

“Yes it is, good girl, and you will in the future?”

“I will try harder not to act rashly like a stereotypical red-head.” I nodded, finally satisfied, and we ran to catch up to the guys who were laughing loudly and playfully punching each other.

In the near distance, I saw the picnic tables materialize and I jumped up and down. The relief my tummy felt, spread throughout my entire body.

“I know that face,” Eric said while looking at me and chuckled.

“What face?” I asked innocently, this made him laugh even more.

“The face that means Denny’s tummy is about to be satisfied,” He replied with a wink.

“Aw, you know me so well!” I cooed, appreciative of his perceptiveness.

“Mhm, not exactly surprising,” Corbin butted in. I stuck my tongue at him for ruining the moment and he made a funny face at me in return. I was about to send another weird face of my own, when a light bulb went off in my head. I slowly turned to face Eric.

“Eric,” I began with my eyes wide and my mouth in a small shy smile. “Can I have a… piggyback ride?” I asked sincerely. I saw him hesitate a little, so I turned up the acting. “Pretty please, Eric?” I said while rushing towards him to give him a big hug. I waited a few seconds as he thought about my request. Any second now…

“Well… alright, to where?” He gave in. I smiled brightly up at him.

“Just to the pic-a-nic tables, please kind sir.” I climbed up onto his back after he knelt down. As he stood up, I began to truly understand how tall he was.

“Holy doodles! I can see the Empire State building from up here!” I teased.

“Yeah, you get really great clarity from this height, unlike those down below,” Eric joked in response. I gave him a light kick in the side and then giggled.

“Giddy up, horsey!” I then lightly tugged his hair towards the picnic area.

“Whoa, whoa,whoa! Careful with the hair there princess. It took me a whole 30 seconds to do this morning!”

“Compared to your usual 5, I suppose?” I retorted kindly. I felt his whole body sag in pout.

“It’s fine, Eric, 5 or 30 seconds it always looks nice,” I told him to boost his confidence and make him happy. Not like I had to lie, I loved his hair.

“Thanks, Den!” He replied brightly and we cheerfully walked towards the picnic area.

Behind us we heard the complaints of Levi.

“Corbin! Why don’t you give me piggyback rides?” She questioned sadly.

“Because you’re too darn fat, woman!” He exclaimed, gesticulating wildly as though he was serious, though we knew he wasn’t. Levi on the other hand appeared to take him seriously and abruptly stopped in the middle of a stream of people heading to the same place we were.

She hardly even noticed the dirty looks she got as people were forced to walk around her.

“What was that Corbin? Care to repeat it?” She dared him with a murderous glare on her face. Corbin faltered and backtracked.

“Levi, I was just joking. You aren’t fat at all, in fact you’re nice and cute and petite. Please forgive me, I meant no harm! Spare my soul!” Corbin frantically apologized, most likely fearing for his life as any commonsensical person would do in this sort of predicament pertaining to Levi. Levi smirked at his cowering figure and walked over to him.

“I will if you do one thing.”

“What is it? I’ll do anything!” Corbin proclaimed.

“Give me a piggyback ride.” Corbin sighed.

“Fine.” Levi clapped her hands happily and her whole demeanor changed as she hoisted herself onto Corbin’s shoulders.

“Whee! Let’s go, Corby! Let’s go! Yippee!” Levi exclaimed a Corbin began a fast paced walk to catch up with Eric and I. Corby? I mentally vomited and outwardly smirked.

“Having a good time, Corby?” I mocked once they caught up to us. Corbin scowled up at me.

“Yep, just peachy.”

}..{

After eating our fill of funnel cakes, hot dogs, French fries, and popsicles shaped like Mickey Mouse, we were all stuffed.

“Muh, my tummy hurts!” “I can’t eat another bite!” “I’m never going to eat again!” “I’m gonna puke!” We all proclaimed different things to express our full status. We decided to just sit at our table for a bit and allow our food to settle before we went on any more rides. Well, most of us did.

“Come on, guys! It’ll be fun! What’s life without a little risk?” Levi was trying to convince us.

“No way am I going on a ride in this condition,” I stated bluntly. I readjusted my position to one that provided more comfort to prove my point. Levi glared at me, but I held my ground until she rolled her eyes and attempted to appeal to Corbin and Eric. I watched as she utterly failed and chuckled to myself as she grumpily marched off to, and I quote, “have fun by herself”.

I yawned.

“Hey, don’t you think it’s funny how she’s the one who wants to go on the ride and she the one who said she was going to vomit?”