I don't mean to speak in fairy tales, but we have had some heaven and some hell

When the Ferris Wheel pulled to a stop, and Nick and Holly got off, Holly was all smiles. Her smile was shaky, though. As if she was happy, but she felt guilty for being happy. That’s what Mary picked up on when she rejoined the crowd.

“How was it?” She asked, rushing over to her friend.

“It… it was something,” Holly murmured. Her expression took on a wistful allure, and her eyes glazed over slightly as she looked off into the distance. Mary noticed her smile turn up a little, and that filled her with joyful relief.

Holly might not want to go into specifics about what happened, but it was clear that whatever had happened, it had made her happy. And that made Mary happy.

The curly-haired girl removed the white blouse Kim had loaned her, and handed it over to the schoolgirl. Kim accepted it with a red face. Her arm was enough to cover her modest chest, but it was clear that in spite of her new penchant for revealing outfits, her chest wasn’t the only thing modest about her. She was a bundle of complicated emotions, feeling both relief and disappointment as she put her shirt back on and did up the buttons.

“You guys get up to any sexy shit?” Gina pressed, leaning in eagerly.

“Gina, stow it,” Nick snapped, joining the crowd. “Can’t you keep it in your pants for five minutes? Don’t bother her.”

Gina’s eyes flared and she smirked. “That should be what I’m asking you, you know,” she pointed out with a sly smile. “You and I certainly got up to a lot of-”

Nick clamped his hand over her mouth to shut her up, but there was really no point. Everyone kind of already had a feeling about where she was going with that, and they all kind of knew that she was telling the truth.

Still, the silence was appreciated.

“…So what now?” Marley asked. She glanced over at her sister and Dani, who were still surrounded by a cloud of awkwardness. She really wanted something that would help them all relax, and maybe break the tension between them. “Any ideas for what we can do?”

“It’s getting late,” Dawn said, looking up at the sky. “We probably don’t have time for a lot more rides. Probably just one.”

“It should be a good one, then,” Gina said, twisting out from under Nick’s hand. “You know, something fun that we can all enjoy!”

“What about a roller coaster?” Morgana asked. Her eyes were shining.

Everyone stared at her in surprise.

“…Wh-what?” She stammered, looking around.

“No, nothing, it’s just… we were surprised to hear you suggest that, that’s all,” Kim said, shaking her head incredulously.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Morgana?” Rose asked seriously. “If you go on a roller coaster, there’s a good chance you might throw up. I don’t think you should.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Rose is right,” Dawn agreed. “Morgana, if that chair ride this morning made you sick, then a roller coaster definitely would.”

Morgana shook her head. “It’s fine!” She insisted adamantly. Her eyes jumped over to Nick for a second before returning to look at the others. Her pale face was unusually flushed with health and excitement. “I can do it. I feel as good as new, like I can do anything now!”

Dawn recognized that look of flustered adoration in Morgana’s eyes. She’d seen it on the goth girl before, back when she’d first arrived on the show. When she was completely infatuated with Nick, and practically worshipped the ground he walked on.

In other words, she seemed to be regressing towards a line of thinking that Dawn wasn’t entirely comfortable with at the moment.

But at the same time, it wasn’t her business to say anything, either. It was clear that something had happened between the two of them when they had been on the Ferris Wheel together, and going any further would mean prying into her friend’s business. And she wasn’t interested in doing that at the moment, not with how things were.

“…I think, honestly, that should be fine,” Dawn said instead, wisely choosing to play things off and not make a big deal out of this. If something was going to go to shit, well… Morgana was clearly intent on it happening. She knew better than to try to talk the goth out of something when her mind was made up, especially when there were only a few hours left until her night with Nick, and she could enjoy herself all she liked.

“Great!” Morgana brightened, glad that Dawn was willing to let her prove herself.

“So what ride are we going on, though?” Mary asked. “The roller coaster we went on last time was pretty fun, but… it was really intense.”

“There are a few roller coasters,” Kim said. “You guys went on the one that moves you backwards. And then there’s the really light one, not too intense. That would be fine for Morgana, I think. I didn’t go on it, though.”

“Oh, I saw that one, bleghk,” Gina said, making a face. “It doesn’t even have any points where you go upside-down! No, thank you. Pass.”

Nick rolled his eyes. Of course that would be the criteria.

“What about the last one?” He asked, turning to Kim. “The one you and I went on, for our date?”

Kim cracked a grin. “Oh, the Body Shaker? Yeah, that was a blast!”

Rose tittered when she heard the name and Holly cracked an amused smile. It was the kind of name that would sound innocuous under most circumstances, but given the fact that this Amusement Park was located at Harem Hotel, there was only one reason that a ride would be named something like that.

“I think that’s just swell!” Mary nodded, trying not to let on how scared she was- or how excited she was. When she’d gone on the Beast with Two Backs, she’d been worried about going through with it because of how intense the ride was, but coming off of it?

What a rush! It was like having sex all over again, she was scared of it happening but when it did, it was the best experience ever!

“I think that’s a good decision,” Dawn agreed. “As long as you’re okay with it, Morgana.”

“And as long as they let you on the ride, my girl,” Sylvia chimed in. She’d been keeping to herself for a little while, just looking for the perfect opportunity to insert herself into the conversation with a particularly goading comment.

Dawn looked at her and rolled her eyes, letting out a tiny snort of disgust. Just what she didn’t need at the moment.

“What about you guys?” Nick asked, turning to Dani and Carly. Knowing both of them, he expected that they’d be perfectly fine with a roller coaster, but he still needed to ask. Mainly because of what he’d seen before, and was still seeing now. He’d suspected something was up, but now it was clear that the atmosphere between the two girls was really unstable.

He wanted to know what had happened, but pressing them about it right now, when they were all trying to come up with plans, was more likely to blow up in his face than not, so he kept his thoughts to himself.

“…I’m fine with it,” Carly said, trying to smile. It was a strange sight, to say the least. Normally, smiles came to Carly as easily as breathing, but this time it seemed as if she was trying to face it, which was a first.

“Sure, whatever…” Dani shrugged. She wasn’t even looking at Nick. She was lost in thought, which was another rare occurrence in a day full of them.

Again, Nick knew better than to press the issue. He’d gotten an affirmative, and as for what was going on with Dani and Carly… well, it was always something with the two of them, right?

Still, there was something he needed to be sure of. So while Kim and Sylvia led the way towards the Body Shaker, he pulled Dani aside.

“Dani, is everything okay?” He asked.

“Huh?” Dani stiffened like a board, inadvertently answering his question.

Nick bit his lip.

“I’m sorry for not checking in with you before,” Nick apologized. “I was really worried about you, though. Are you feeling okay? After falling into the water like that… it must have been really scary to go through that.”

“Hey, Nick, come on!” Dani tried to laugh it off. “It wasn’t like I actually drowned or anything, don’t worry!”

Then she saw the flash of pain arc across his face and realized the problem with what she’d just thoughtlessly said.

“…Oh, gosh, I didn’t even realize,” she winced. “Sorry. Yeah, that must have been hard… what, with Dakota and everything…”

“It’s fine,” he said sharply, shaking his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Seeing how uncomfortable that statement made Dani feel, he quickly softened. “Look, yeah, I was freaking out a little,” he said, his voice turning gentle. “But the truth is, I’m more worried about your mental state. I can imagine that almost drowning… and because that siren tried to lure you into the water, that must have been…”

His voice trailed off as he saw the stony expression cross Dani’s face.

“That wasn’t what happened,” she said, turning forward to stare at the other girls. “She didn’t try to drown me. She saved me, actually.”

“O-oh,” Nick said, surprised. “I-I didn’t know…”

“No, you didn’t,” she said sharply, sliding her eyes over to glare at him. But she couldn’t stay mad at him for long, not after what he’d been through. “…But hey, it’s fine. No big deal, right?” She said, cracking a smile and elbowing him in the side. “I get it. You’re worried and scared. That really must have freaked you out, huh?”

“Yeah,” Nick admitted with a nod. “The last thing I need is another best friend getting into an accident in the water.”

The fact that Dani could still crack jokes like this made it clear that things weren’t as bad as he’d feared at first. That was a good thing.

“So you’re really okay?” He pressed. “You’re not freaking out, or upset, or anything like that?”

Dani shook her head. But he saw a pained expression cross her face for a moment. “It’s fine, really, it is,” she said, but her voice had a hollow tinge to it. “It’s just… dealing with some personal stuff right now, that’s all.”

“I see…” Nick nodded sympathetically. He could tell it involved Carly, but he didn’t want to say anything about that. Instead, he asked “Is there anything I can do to help?”

She turned to him and smiled. “You’re sweet,” she informed him. “But honestly, no. This is the kind of thing where we have to figure our shit out for ourselves.”

Then she flashed him a smile, a genuine “I’m-Doing-My-Best-To-Be-Happy-Because-Fuck-Yes” Dani grin if he’d ever seen one.

That was enough to make him drop it. If Dani could smile like that, then everything would be okay. Whatever it was, she’d be able to work it out herself.

The Body Shaker was just as cool-looking as Nick remembered. It was one of the two really intense roller coasters in the park, and it had its own quirks. Unlike the Beast with Two Backs that sent people flying backwards, this one was purely about the speed and the sharp turns.

And to Gina’s delight, there were definitely a couple loops where you went upside-down.

“What do you think, Morgana?” Gina laughed, slapping the goth in the back. “Look like something that you’d enjoy?”

“Uh… y-yeah…” Morgana stammered. Her smile and the confidence it had brought had faded, and now she was looking at the ride with newfound concern. Her stomach started to do flip-flops as she considered what she was getting into. “Um, actually…” She swallowed.

“This is going to be so much fun!” Sylvia gushed. “We’re all going on the roller coaster together! Another awesome ride we can all enjoy!”

Nick smiled, glad to see that she was enjoying herself.

“We still need to work out the seating, though,” Dawn pointed out.

“That shouldn’t be too hard,” Rose said, shaking her head. “We have an even number of people, and there’s two seats per car, so let’s just do the buddy system. That’s a reliable way to work it, don’t you guys think?”

Mary stared suspiciously at her.

“I don’t have a buddy, though,” Holly pointed out.

“Well, you could partner up with Sylvia,” Rose suggested. “She’s the Auditionee, so she doesn’t have a buddy, either. And then Carly and Marly could pair up, too, since we can’t exactly fit three to a car…” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. Then, her expression lit up.

“Oh, hey, Nick, that means you and I are the only ones who don’t have partners!” She said this brazenly, as if she was just realizing this fact and hadn’t been angling for this outcome from the start. “I guess we’ll just partner up with each other!”

Nobody bought it for a second.

“Rose…” Dawn sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Was Rose still trying to push that idea? She’d done the same thing that morning! Mary scoffed and rolled her eyes incredulously. The other girl really needed some new material.

“What?” Rose raised her shoulders in a resigned shrug. “It was worth a shot.”

“While I appreciate the thought, Rose, it’s not necessary,” Nick said, patting her on the back. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he did. “I’ll be pairing up with Sylvia for this ride, if that’s okay with everyone.”

“Really?” Dawn was surprised to hear that.

“Really!?” But not any more than Mary.

“…Really?” And the most surprised of all was Sylvia, who stared at Nick in muted shock. She looked like she was too scared to hope to be happy about it.

“Really,” Nick said with a nod. “I mean, if you want to, of course,” he hastily added. “If there’s not anyone else you’d rather sit with.”

“No, not at all!” Sylvia shook her head frantically from side to side, and nearly threw herself into Nick’s arms. “I’d love to go on the ride with you, Daddy! Can we sit right at the front?!”

“And, there you have it,” Nick said, offering Rose a shrug. “Sorry. And I don’t think we’ll have time for everyone to get their chance sitting at the front, either.”

He expected Rose to put up a fight over it, which was why he surprised when she offered a good-natured smile and a shrug.

“Eh. It is what it is,” she replied, not too fazed. “I say we shouldn’t be bothered by something like that! Holly and I will get along just great, won’t we?”

“And why do I have to pair up with you, again?” Holly sniffed. Then she cracked a grin. “…It’s okay, I’m just joking.”

“Oh, phew!” Rose wiped her forehead exaggeratedly. “You really had me worried there.”

“Hey, Dani,” Kim said, approaching her buddy with a smile. “You up for this?”

“Yeah!” Dani was brimming with enthusiasm, but Kim could tell it was ****. From her years working the counter at various jobs, chatting with her fellow cashiers, she knew when someone was forcing a positive attitude.

So she did the same thing. “Well, great,” she said, nodding. “Should be fun, then.”

“Sis?” Marley turned to her sister. If anyone was going to be uncertain about this, it was Carly. Marley didn’t know what exactly had gone down with her sister when she and Dani were on the Ferris Wheel, but whatever it was, it was clear that it was big.

She just hoped that her sister wasn’t moping around about something avoidable, and that she’d be able to work through the complex emotions that she was no-doubt feeling.

“It’s fine,” Carly said, taking a deep breath and then exhaling. “Let’s do this! It should be fun!” Marley could see from her sister’s flustered cheeks that she was almost… embarrassed? That would certainly be a first.

“Great!” Sylvia chirped, clapping her hands together as best she could with one arm looped around Nick’s. “Then let’s get this ride started!”

Nick and Sylvia had already called dibs on the front car, so that’s where they went. Gina wasn’t about to let that stand, though.

“Come on, Mary,” she said, grabbing the redhead by the arm and dragging her after them. “If we can’t be at the front, then we’ll be right behind ‘em.”

“Hey, wait!” Mary screeched. “I-I have to put my shirt away in the cubby!”

Everyone turned to look at her. The people who’d been in the other group were specifically surprised to hear that.

“Uh… what?” Dawn blushed a little. She’d only put her glasses away in the cubby so as not to lose them, not her… Mary was going to put in her shirt? Which was nothing compared to how red in the face Morgana got when she heard that.

“Wow, Mary, that… wow.” Rose made a little pouting face. “I see how it is. Trying to win Nick over with sex appeal, huh?”

“No!” Mary screeched, her face turning red. “I just-!”

“Mary, Mary, Mary, taking your top off in front of everyone?” Kim clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“You-!” Mary pointed a finger at Kim. “You know exactly why I’m doing it! Stop teasing!”

“…Sorry,” Kim apologized. She couldn’t help but crack an amused grin. “Just having a little fun, that’s all.”

Mary puffed up her cheeks. “…Well, stop it,” she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s not nice!”

Then she turned to Rose. “And you should really think to do it yourself,” she advised. “The roller coasters, well…”

She tugged at the knot in her shirt, and Rose realized the reason why Mary was giving her that advice. She swallowed and nodded.

“Yeah, um… maybe… maybe you have a point…” She said, glancing down at her own clothes. She shot a furtive look at Nick, considering it for a second. But then she decided that even she wasn’t bold enough to risk losing her shirt just to win him over (which might not even work in the first place) and went over to the cubbies.

Holly followed after her, showing none of the same hesitation. With a sly smile, she stripped off the top of her skimpy maid costume and gave Rose a saucy wink. She went to go sit behind Gina, leaving Rose to take the spot behind Mary when the redhead finished taking off her own shirt.

It took both hands for Mary to cover up a significant enough portion of boobage. But Rose managed it with one… albeit, just barely.

“H-hey,” she stammered, shooting a hot look at Nick as she sat down two cars back, her face a furious scarlet. “You don’t need to stare…”

As the other girls sat down in their own cars, Nick quickly averted his eyes, turning forward so she couldn’t see him blush. Rose trying to be seductive was powerful. But secretly, Nick found that when she was shy and ****, that was when she was at her most attractive.