text: [Themes: love & dating]
  
  I walk around enjoying the atmosphere. Carnivals always have wonderful atmospheres. Children are running around with joyous smiles on their faces, the smells of popcorn and fried food loft through the air, electronic sounds of rides blast throughout the entire park, and the warm summer sun is touching my neck.
  
  However, I would not mind if the rides disappeared. Why? It is because...
  
  "Hey Ethan, do you want to ride on a roller coaster now?"
  
  "For the seven-trillionth time, no. I will not, Ginny."
  
  "Oh come on, It'll be fun!"
  
  "Yes, it would be very fun for you. You probably will be hysterically laughing. I, on the other hand, will be having a miserable time."
  
  "Please... I promise that I would never ask you about it again."
  
  "You said that last year as well."
  
  "I don't remember it that way."
  
  "Ug, fine. But, I will ch-"
  
  It would have been wonderful if I could have finished my sentence, but alas, it could not be. I am instead being dragged to most likely the most insane contraption in this park.
  
  Why am I letting her do this? She is two years younger than me, and I am one of the tougher Juniors in school. Though, I do not want to hurt her feelings. I feel so sickened when that happens, but I cannot figure out why. I do not feel that way with any of my other friends.
  
  Well, what are you going to do, Ethan?
  
  > How bad can it be?
  I will just get it over with. Perhaps I could make her sign a contract legally stating that she agreed to never drag me on one of these wild machines again... That is a good idea.
  
  Then, I see it.
  
  My head looks high into the sky. This monstrosity is touching the heavens above... I have to stop this from happening.
  
  "Ginny, we should not..."
  
  "Thank you so much for coming with me!"
  
  I cannot. Even as we walk through the line, I do not flee. I also do not say anything, but that is because my mouth has become too dry to speak. Well, I could speak, but it would probably be trembling. Did I mention how I hate roller coaster? Well, I do hate roller coasters.
  
  "It looks like we are about to get on The Widower."
  
  I merely nod.
  
  "Are you going to scream like last time?"
  
  I muster up enough strength to say, "I did not scream."
  
  "Uh, yes, you did."
  
  "It... it was more like a... yelp of surprise."
  
  "Do yelps last more than two minutes?"
  
  "You screamed. Case closed."
  
  The line moves forward again, and unfortunately we take our seats. They are second to the back... Maybe the ride will break so I would not have to ride it. But... but perhaps it would break when I am riding. Then, I would die.
  
  I begin sweating even more. My breathing almost becomes hyperventilation. My heartbeat rises to an intense level.
  
  "Hey bro, are you okay?"
  
  > Are sort of scared.
  "Umm, I am... a little scared."
  
  "What?! You are..."
  
  "Yes."
  
  "Hey, it's okay. We can get off if you want."
  
  "I do."
  
  It is too late. The Widower has started. We are pulled by a flimsy chain to the first hill. I begin to freak-out.
  
  "Ethan, we'll be fine."
  
  She puts her hand on mine. I do not because I am desperately clutching the seat belts.
  
  We gow down the hill, and I feel horrible. My entire body feels like it sinks; I become squashed when we reach the bottom. I feel better as we climb another hill. I look over at Ginny and force a smile. She smiles back. Then, we plunge down another hill.
  
  The process repeats dozens of times, but I never scream. I would not want to do it again, but the ride was not tortuous. In fact, I enjoyed having her hold my hand, though I would never tell her that.
  
  When the ride stops, I try to unbuckle; however, it is stuck. Ginny helps me get it off. I suppose she is more experienced with those things.
  
  As I stand to my feet, my legs are wobbly, but I force myself to get away from the ride.
  
  After getting far enough away from the ride, I turn my attention to Ginny and say, "Thank you for all of that... I mean it... But, can we do something I like now?"
  
  "Sure."
  
  > go to the food.
  "We should go eat somthing."
  
  "You can eat after being on a roller coaster? I thought that you would not be able to eat for days."
  
  "Very funny."
  
  We head on over to a concession stand. Ginny wants a pretzel, so I buy it for her (like a gentleman). I buy myself a hot dog. I wonder if it has dog meat in it.
  
  We sit at a table and eat in silence for a moment until Ginny asks me through her chewing, "So, why don't you like those?"
  
  "Because it feels bad."
  
  "Well, you might be scared for a moment." She pauses to swallow. "But, that's the great thing. Things seem so much better after..." She swallows again. "You've been feeling bad. Does it feel better to be born into..." She gulps down the rest of the bagel. "wealth, or doesn't it seem so much better to work up from poverty?"
  
  "I would rather just be on solid ground, so I would know what is coming."
  
  "Yes, that would also be boring. Experience life, bro."
  
  "I can experience it from down here just fine."
  
  "Or, you could experience it so much better up there." She points to The Widower.
  
  I shake my head with a grin. We are both too stubborn for our own good.
  
  > One Year Later
  Our legs may be sore from our journey here, but we are at the carnival again. I cannot help but smile. Not only do I have a wonderful time here, I also made Ginny sign a contract. I have ensured that she never breeches the agreement.
  
  "Ginny, remember the deal."
  
  "Yep, I will not force you onto a ride."
  
  "Okay, now lets have a great time"
  
  "Okay, so what do you want to do?"
  
  I think for a moment. I am not hungry yet, so I will not do that. I do like that spinning thing... as long as nobody hurled on it yet. I probably should do that one soon. I could also be a gentleman and let Ginny decide.
  
  What do I want to do...
  
  > go on the Barf-A-Ton
  "I think we should get on the Barf-A-Ton before anyone... Well, before anybody barfs on it."
  
  "Aw, fine."
  
  Ginny does not like spinning rides much, though I cannot figure out why. She still gets on them, but she never has that beaming grin whenever she is on a roller coaster (while I watch from a safe distance).
  
  We get in line while my friend shifts around nervously. I cannot help but ask, "Now who is the one that is afraid?"
  
  "Ha ha, shut up."
  
  "Ooh, no comeback?"
  
  Perhaps, I should have been kinder.
  
  "Ginny, we could do something else if you want."
  
  "No, I am fine."
  
  The ride stops. People get off, and one of them rushes to a trashcan before spewing out what appears to be popcorn into it.
  
  The line moves forward, and the two of us are the last to make it into the Barf-A-Ton. It is a massive circle with seats that, at first glance, appear backwards; however, after the ride starts, everybody knows why they are this way.
  
  Each of us put a buckle over our backs before the ride whirls to life. The Barf-A-Ton spins counterclockwise going faster and faster. Everybody gets squished into the front of their seats as people begin to yell and scream. Even Ginny gives out a high pitched yelp at one point. I just bask in this oddly wonderful feeling.
  
  Then, it ends.
  
  As we head off, I ask my friend, "So, what now?"
  
  "How about we not go on a ride for a while. I'm feeling dizzy."
  
  "Okay." I look around for a moment. "Hey, there is a big tent over there. We could go check that out."
  
  "What? Wouldn't you normally not do something random?"
  
  "Why not?"
  
  "Um, fine."
  
  I actually know that it houses jewelry, but I would not let Ginny know that. She tries to act like a tomboy all of the time, though I can see through her charade. She still loves to look at pretty things even if she never buys one.
  
  We walk into the quite populated tent, and I notice that it sells more than jewelry. There are a;sp trinkets and souvenirs of all sorts as far as the eye can see... They are probably all overpriced.
  
  Ginny seems content to look through the items, so I try to do the same. Bah, this is all boring stuff for me, but it is worth making her smile.
  
  "Is that your sister?"
  
  I look up to see an older man sitting behind a table. He probably saw us come in. It makes sense that he was watching us, for we are the youngest two in the tent right now.
  
  "No sir, but I get that comment frequently."
  
  "Well, would you like to give her something she'd like?"
  
  "Uh, we are just friends, and I spent all of my money on the tickets to get in here, anyway."
  
  "Here's a piece of advice, never stop something beautiful from growing. Here. Take this. I'll make it free for you."
  
  "Um, thank you, sir."
  
  He puts a small necklace in my hand. I read the inscription on the small, circular medallion. It says, "Forever."
  
  He probably gave it to me because it is too cheesy for anybody to buy... though it does not seem to be plastic.
  
  "Hey Ethan, let's go. I couldn't find anything. Hey, what's in your hand?"
  
  "Ummm."
  
  > Oh, nothing.
  "Oh, it's nothing."
  
  I discretely hide it in my back pocket.
  
  We continue on with the carnival for hours, and we both had a great time...
  
  > But all things must end.
  I shake my head waking myself from my daydream. I occasionally think of our moments like these, for times were simpler and happier back then. We grew up faster than we could imagine and eventually went of to different colleges.
  
  I normally do not daydream like this, but I met Ginny at a class reunion the other day. She just finished going through a nasty divorce, and now calls herself by her proper name--Virginia. She recently got a new job as a park ranger and is quite happy with it...
  
  I look up for a moment to check on the drunk guy, though he is still sitting in his cell. These night shifts become quite boring.
  
  I work at a police station in an extremely small town. It has highs and lows. This is one of the lows... I got stuck with guarding this dude until Bill comes in the morning. I drift back to my childhood. Back then, my future looked bright. Now, it is... boring.
  
  I cannot help but wonder, could things have been different between Ginny and I?