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Maybe the ride named ‘EVIL TORNADO SPIN-STER HELL’ was not a hyperbole. Definitely a warning.
One that none of them heeded. Logan was talking to the operator about letting him back on to look for his glasses, which flew off.
Taylor violently heaved into a trashcan while Ben tried to hold her hair out of her face. Ashlyn struggled to walk straight with how dizzy she was.
Aiden shook his head like a dog, as if that’d cure his wooziness. It did not, but his smile stayed all the same. Tyler was similar with Ashlyn in trying to get his footing.
“So what’re we riding next?” Aiden asked, too soon. Taylor, adrenaline from the ride released with that corndog and funnelcake she had a few minutes ago, resisted tackling him. More so, her body kept her in place as she drooled into the trash. Too dizzy, too sick to move.
Tyler squinted up at the tall ferris wheel, the focal point of the amusement park. They’d been intending to go on it sooner, but each time they neared it they realized the line would be two hours to get through. So they waited.
Their patience was proven to be prosperous, because now the line was so short. Maybe 7 people at the most, which was easily 3-4 carts.
Tyler had to acknowledge how surely no one but Aiden wanted to ride something now. Ben looked green himself, and Taylor was still leaning over a bin. Ashlyn found the ability to stand straight, but looked heavily disoriented. Logan was struggling to find his glasses on the ride.
He sighed, somewhat recognizing he-himself also wanted to top the night off with one last ride.
”Me and you can go to the Ferris wheel, but I don’t think anyone else is interested.”
“To ride with just you? On a ride as romantic as a Ferris Wheel? Oh Hernández, if you’re gonna ask me to marry you, I’d prefer it on the ground.”
Aiden thought he was so funny. Tyler rolled his eyes and started walking in the direction of the Ferris, disregarding Aiden’s “Wait that doesn’t mean I won’t go!” as he scurried to catch up.
Neither were surprised when none of their group tried to join them, no offense taken.
.
The wheel was slow. Maybe it’d be beautiful and peaceful when it was sunset, but it was about half an hour past that.
Aiden had maybe forgotten his only fear. He loved the rush of certain things— of almost everything, but … Heights made up the short list of things he could not find joy in.
The ride clicked as it lifted, the cart swaying. Aiden felt his stomach curl. His grip on the side of the seat tightened. He tried to maintain his smile, hoping it’d mask the terror that was starting to find settlement in his bones.
He looked straight at Tyler, who was sort of leaned over the side and waving to the ground. Aiden assumed the wave was to the others, but was unable to look and check. Frozen with fear.
The sky was just lit enough to clearly see the clouds, that got closer and closer and closer. Aiden tried to pull all his focus onto anything but his surroundings to try and forget where he was. The only other thing to look at was Tyler, who was busy enjoying the view. The ants of the people below were probably fun to observe.
Aiden would not get to know. :(
His leg was bouncing, shaking the cart ever so slightly. Tyler was about to yell at him to stop, before witnessing seeing the state Aiden was in.
His smile was not the mask he thought it was. His ‘smile’ was not even a smile at this point. It looked like invisible hands were pinching his cheeks, keeping them taut and pulled up. He was staring at his shoes, arms crossed in a way that bordered hugging himself. His eyes were wide, almost impossibly so.
”Are you good, man?”
No. No, not at all. He wants down. He could handle the spinning ride because it wasn’t tall. It was just spinning. Argumentatively, this ride was also just spinning, but upwards. …Aiden still hated it.
”Yup.” Voice far too strained and shake-y to be believable, he shut his eyes in further attempt to mentally leave this place.
“You scared of heights?” Tyler laughed, expecting Aiden to jump to his defense and prove the opposite; that he loved heights like he loved his mother.
… poor analogy. He really had no beef with his mom.
He did not expect to watch Aiden’s posture tighten and for him to hum nothing. A whine almost.
“Are you serious? I wouldn’t have said we go on the tallest ride here if you were actually scared of heights! How are you scared of heights?!”
Tyler’s sudden fervor shook the cart more than Aiden’s bouncing leg had been. Aiden crossed his arms around himself tighter and slid off the bench and onto the floor of the cart. Tyler stopped immediately. If he strained, he could’ve almost heard Aiden’s little whisper asking him to stop. Ashlyn certainly would’ve heard it.
And— offhandedly, Aiden could feel the edges of his mind fuzzing. Not even the edges, the entirety of his head was muddled at this point. Such a childish fear deserved a childish response, right?
Tyler was at a loss. He’d never seen Aiden like this. Not so… cowering. Because that’s truly what he was doing. He tried to pat his shoulder, to console him, but almost yelped when his hand was grabbed. Aiden held onto Tyler’s wrist with shaking hands.
Why was he always shaking when he was afraid? Always. Without fail. Did everyone shake like this?
Tyler’s first instinct was to try and rip his hand away, but the way Aiden grabbed onto him and held, like Tyler had the ability to fly them both out of here and to the ground…
It’d just be cruel.
”You here with me?” Tyler had to check to see if he was still… associated? Non-disassociated? Not having a panic attack, at the least.
Aiden hesitantly nodded, mumbling ‘uh-huh’ for some verbal recognition as well.
“… And regressed?” Tyler slowly added.
Aiden paused. How did he know? Did Ashlyn and Logan tell him? Or was it that obvious?
He winced painfully for a second, registering how hard he was biting his thumb. …maybe it was obvious.
He didn’t have the willpower to deny it, and probably lacked the ability to lie through it, especially with the state he was in. Not that he had a reason to lie through it, other than for the sake of just lying.
He nodded and mumbled again. His eyes still at the floor, his grip still shaking and grappled onto Tyler. His hand has shifted though, now moreso grappling the sleeve of his wrist rather than the wrist itself.
He felt calmer atleast. Not calm, not at all, but closer to it than it was a singular minute ago.
Tyler shuffled, looking over the side of the cart again.
”Okay, uh…” He didn’t know what to do. If it were Taylor regressing, it’d be different. —She also wasn’t afraid of heights. And Ashlyn was unbothered by everything while regressed, so Aiden was just giving Tyler a situation he had never prepared for.
“You gotta sit back on the seat, they’re gonna let us off soon.” Tyler doubted that the operator would let someone sitting on the floor rather than the bench, go un-reprimanded.
Aiden shook his head.
It was not a question though. It was instructions. Tyler felt himself get a bit exasperated and struggled to remind himself of Aiden’s mindset.
”Nope, you gotta. C’mon,” Tyler tried to pull his arm up, thinking maybe Aiden would follow it. He did not. He stayed still, letting the sleeve fall out his grasp.
“Or they won’t let us off the ride, come on,” Maybe lying was mean. But it worked! Aiden, oh so slowly, shifted back up on the seat. His nailed dug into the soft plastic of the bench, threatening to poke holes in it.
His eyes were so wide. Uncharacteristically, his smile was gone. Tyler’s stomach tightened at seeing how horribly a Ferris Wheel effected him.
But also, he was having a difficult time maintain a strong flow of sympathy. If you knew you were so scared of heights, why go on a ride where it’s entire selling point is the height?
Their cart clicked to a stop as they returned to the platform. The gate opened and Tyler had to physically pull Aiden up so that they could get off.
Everyone was waiting for them, recovered from their last ride. Taylor’s excited face, happy at their return, slipped away fast. Logan finally got his glasses back, at least! No visible cracks, maybe the frames were bent though.
“Did you know he was scared of heights?” Tyler asked Ben, letting go of the back of Aiden’s shirt to let him sit on the bench with Ashlyn and Logan. Aiden wanted to yell that he was not scared of heights and that the cart was just shaking too hard. Anyone would have some anxiety during that situation.
He did not yell.
Ben shrugged and looked to the side, barely nodding.
Everyone else looked a bit confused.
”Well he is. And regressed too.”
”Aiden regresses?” Taylor asked, offering a sympathetic look to him. He was busying himself with kicking the grassless, sandy ground. His eyes weren’t as wide, and you could almost see him trying to put a smile back on—despite how clearly he was not in his usual smiley mood.
Only Taylor looked surprised. Ashlyn, Logan, and Ben all looked a bit guilty and worried.
“Why wouldn’t you guys tell us? It’s not even that serious—“
Tyler was somehow getting too riled up. Probably his nerves still stuck on how hard Aiden was shaking a minute ago.
”It’s not that serious. It’s not like we were keeping it a secret. Me and Logan didn’t know until like… a week ago,” Ashlyn tried to settle him. It worked, he stopped pinching the fabric of his jacket and slowed his pacing.
”Whatever,”
Ashlyn scoffed at Tyler’s attitude. She didn’t have the patience right now.
Silence settled and tried to fester, but—
“I’m boorreedd!” Aiden groaned.
“You were just—“ Tyler was immediately interrupted,
”Let’s play some carnival games! But it is getting kinda late. We could also just leave,” Taylor offered, happy once more.
Aiden cheered, now back to his normal-ish self. He was all smiles again, his ‘swagger’ returned, but regression clearly over took some senses. He was wobbly when he stood, got distracted by nothing and would stare at nothing, and struggled to precisely pronounce some sounds of words.
And, of course, the carnival games they played dragged on too long. By the time they all decided to head out, everyone with a cheap prize —mostly won from the aim & precision games by Logan— Tyler was having to essentially drag Taylor. She was so, so tired.
Aiden had the most stuffed animals balanced in his arms, varying in sizes. The largest as so big that it was a 2 person job, with someone — Ashlyn— holding the legs of the giant stuffed bear from behind to keep it from dragging through the dirt. He also had blow-up balloon hats on, layered in a horrible fashion-offense.
Ben, among the stuffed animals he also held (guarentee to be given to Lily once he sees her again), got an over decorated, fuzzy pen, with so many charms that clinked and jingled. For sure to be annoying to write with, but he thinks it’s cute in the corny way.