Begin - Nervously

The fair smelled like it always did — fried batter, diesel, and the faint chemical sweetness of candy floss — but this year someone had clearly skimped on umbrellas. Chloe shrugged out of her jacket almost as soon as we'd parked. "Bar never fits right over sleeves," she said, tying it round her waist, "and someone's got to hold the shoes." She said it like it settled something, though I hadn't asked. She towed me past the coconut shy with the single-minded determination she reserved for rides she'd already decided we were doing.

"Let's do all the rides once" Chloe said confidently.

"You said that last time," I replied, "and last time I got soaked *and* motion sick."

"You loved it."

"I threw up behind the waltzers."

"Character building." She grinned back at me, unbothered, and kept walking.

"Come on, Emma!" Chloe yanked my arm excitedly. "Let's go on the Star Flyer!"

I looked up, watching twenty pairs of feet dangling two hundred feet above the fairground. The whole tower was lit up like a beacon as the chairs swung wildly into the night air, suspended by nothing more than thin steel chains.

It looks fun, I lied to myself, my stomach doing a slow flip. If you ignore the part about being spun around in the sky. And the fact that it's looking like rain. And windy. And getting cold. A nervous flutter started somewhere deep inside me—a feeling not entirely unpleasant.

But Chloe had already grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the entrance where a bored-looking guy was operating the ride, oblivious to our anticipation. He didn't even glance up from his phone as we climbed the wet metal stairs to our seats.

The safety bar locked into place with a satisfying click, trapping us in our seat. My hands gripped the chain tightly as we waited for the other riders, trying to appear nonchalant despite the rising tremor within me.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this!" I said to Chloe. I noticed a couple of cute boys trying hard not to be noticed as they glanced at us a few times, their eyes lingering on something that made my cheeks flush slightly.

"I know! It's the highest ride of the fair, Hannah recommended it," Chloe replied, kicking her legs happily. She wore low-rise jeans and a white strappy top—a bolder choice than my own sundress, probably not the most practical given the weather. A little pang of envy hit me; she always seemed so effortlessly confident.

As the ride started its initial ascent, I felt my stomach drop, but there was a strange excitement bubbling underneath the fear. We rose slowly upwards until we reached the top platform. Then came the worst part: the pause. A long, agonizing moment where everything stopped moving and you could look down over the entire fairground stretched out below—a dizzying panorama of lights and laughter.

My knuckles went white gripping the chains. I glanced down and saw those same boys staring up at our feet from way down there, a playful smirk on one’s face that sent a jolt through me.

Then the chair began to swing, first slow, then faster until the wind was blowing through my hair. The cold rain stung my skin, but I found myself shivering with something more than just temperature.

We tilted forward, then back, gaining momentum. Wind blew against my face as we spun through the warm air. Below us, the lights blurred together into streaks of color. Above us, the cloudy sky pressed close.

And then something happened.