Parker and Jackson. Raven and Maddox. I looked behind me and find no one there. I sigh yet again. I'd be on the contraption alone. I stare at the ground and walk forward every few steps before the man tells me to get into a cart. I notice Raven striding away from the ride and I stare at her for a few seconds before I follow the guide's instructions. I slowly and cautiously step into the half capsule, biting back a snivel when the booth quietly groans beneath me. I immediately want to get out once I notice Maddox sitting on the other side of the compartment. He's resting back with his arms outstretched on either side of him. He has a blank look on his face as he watches me. As the guy started up the ride, I tighten my grip on the bar holding me down. My fingers are digging into the metal and I feel my nails bending but I don't care. The knot in my stomach only tightens as we rise higher and higher, causing my heart to pound in my chest like a drum. The ride seems to get slower and slower the closer we get to the top. I exhale slowly, listening to my my breath shake as I stare at the floor of the compartment, cringing whenever the wheel makes an odd noise. "You're scared of heights," Maddox notes once we're halfway to the top. I swallow the lump in my throat and nod. There's no hiding it now. "Yeah," I admit. It's all I can say. Slowly, the small booth begins rocking and I let out a whimper as my fingers tighten around the bar. It continues to shake and I look up at Maddox. He has a grin on his lips as he slowly sways back and forth, causing our small compartment to shake. "Stop," I hiss as loud as I can. "Why should I?" he wonders as he continues to move back and forth. "Maddox, stop," I plead through gritted teeth. I close my eyes as I grip the bar. It only makes things worse, creating the sensation that I'm falling. I immediately open them and look around, making sure to keep my eyes off of the ground below us. "Why should I?" he repeats. "Please, Maddox," I grunt. "Look over the edge," he insists. When he sees that I'm motionless, he begins to rock the compartment even more. "Look over the edge." "Okay, stop!" I respond. I slowly raise my eyes and look over the edge of the Ferris wheel. My eyes widen and my throat feels as if it's closing. I immediately looked back at my feet. "You're such a jerk. I hate you." "Good," he concurs. Slowly, the booth stops shaking and we begin descending from the top. Once we reach the bottom and the man opens the door to our cart, I immediately released the bar and hop out. Maddox, however, takes his time getting out, making sure he had everything in his pockets and even bothered to fix his jacket. Everyone's waiting for us and I approach them with my hands shoved in my pockets to hide the shaking. Maddox follows behind me with a stupid smirk on his lips. I really hate him. + + + We're walking around in a group towards the booths where you win prizes for playing games and I can't be more relieved. Nicholas is on his phone, texting away rapidly. "All you've been doing tonight is texting," Maddox snaps as he yanks the phone from Nicholas. Nicholas, who looks annoyed, glares at Maddox and reaches for the phone. Maddox locks it and waves it around. "Who are you even texting?" he wonders. Maddox, who doesn't know about Nick's lock screen, I'm guessing, presses the home button when he sees that Nicholas has received a text. The picture of us kissing flashes across the screen and Raven's eyes widen when she notices. Her gaze turns to Maddox and I immediately look away, knowing I'm not the one that needs to be explaining. I'm not in a relationship with her. But then again, Maddox apparently isn't either. "Dude, change your lock screen," Maddox snaps as he tosses the phone back at Nicholas, who catches it. "That's weird." Raven, who stomped away from Maddox only seconds before he spoke, seems to be going in the direction of the parking lot. We have to cut our time short as we follow her towards the cars. While we're preparing to leave, I'm informed of the changes to the carpool. Because Winona would be spending the night at Cassidy's house, she's no longer going to be in the car with me, Raven, and Maddox. I send her a pleading look and she simply smiles at me, telling me that at least they won't be flirting. She assures me that Raven won't say anything and I grunt before getting into Maddox's car. I crawl into the backseat like a child. Because Raven lives closer, we'll be dropping her off first. I have the idea in my head that she was at Maddox's house long before six o'clock. Or maybe he was at her house. Cringing at the thought, I pull my hood over my head and draw the strings, only leaving enough room for my eyes and my nose. Fifteen minutes later, we're dropping Raven off at an apartment complex. My eyes widen when I'm hit with the realization that she probably lives on her own or with a roommate. I doubt she lives with her parents. She gets out of the car with a sour look on her face and she doesn't bother to say goodbye to either of us. Maddox mumbles something under his breath with a scowl on his face. I repress the urge to sigh in relief. How tense. I get out of the car and move into the passenger's seat, slamming the door as I do. He flinches at the sound of his precious door crashing shut. "Don't slam the doors." I simply ignore him and look out the window, still mad at the stunt he pulled on the Ferris wheel. We drive back to our familiar neighborhood and he pulls to a stop in front of my house. It takes me a minute to get my seatbelt undone and I have to untie the drawstrings of my hoodie in order to see. "What? Are you waiting for me to kiss you?" he asks impatiently. "You're going to take my second kiss, too?" I retort angrily as I manage to fix the strings of my hoodie. "That was your first kiss?" he gasps, seemingly shocked. I scowl at him, providing him with a silent answer. He shrugs and glaces at the steering wheel. "At least it was with someone hot." "Get away from me, Maddox," I snap. "Get out of the car and you'll be away from me," he responds blankly. I groan and glare at him. "I hate you." "For now, you do," he replies with a sigh. "No, I'll hate you forever," I bite as I get out of his car. "Forever and always, Olive?" he asks as if making a promise with me. "Shut up," I snap as I purposefully slam his car door. "I like you more when you're mad!" he calls back as I walk up to the house. I yell back some impolite words before entering the house and locking the door behind me.