To the park.

Sarah and I were well aware that going to the theme park with her siblings meant the experience was 100% meant for them to enjoy, not us. The most obvious part of that is that you have to be over 1.60 meters tall to get on most rides. If you’re not, then there are the kid’s rides, which are on the other side of the park. It wasn’t a problem for Robert and Violet, in fact they were pretty excited about it. The issue was that Cola really was getting closer to that awkward age where it’s embarrassing to enjoy ‘kid’s stuff’, but you’re also not old or tall enough to experience the stuff for grown ups. The kid had grown taller, yeah. He used to reach around my chest when I first met him, but now he reached a little past my neck. Talk about a growth sprout, but even then, he still wasn’t tall enough to get on the bigger rides.

Families walked past us, mothers and fathers with their kids riding on their shoulders, holding hands, running ahead… You know, the usual. I looked around out of curiosity, but I didn’t see any other people our age around this sector. Not that it was weird. I just noticed.

“Do you guys want to get on the roller coaster?” Sarah asked them, pointing to it as we walked closer.

“Yeah! Yeah!” Robert said, jumping in excitement.

“Is it too fast?” Violet asked nervously.

“Not much. Only in that drop. See?” The roller coaster in this case was small, with short climbs and drops and soft curves.

“Th-Then yes, I want to go!” Violet said, giggling.

“...” Cole sulked quietly, hands in his pockets as he looked at the ride. “I’m good.”

Sarah sighed. “Cole…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay with him while you three get on. I’ll record you.”

Sarah smiled. “Thanks.”

They got in line to wait while Cole and I waited behind the railing, watching the dragon-shaped train. “Don’t like roller coasters?” I asked him.

“This one’s for kids,” he said, confirming my suspicions.

“Yeah, but the ones for adults are a little too intense for me,” I told him. “Still, give it another year and you’ll be able to get on those.”

“...”

“Where do you want to go next?”

“All the stuff here is for kids. It’s all boring,” he said, almost pouting.

“Are you sure? The bumper cars don’t have a height restriction, and you’re tall enough to get in one on your own.”

“...I forgot about the bumper cars.”

“And we’d have to go all the way back to the adult area, but there’s this one where you get on a raft and go down a huge water slide. You can fit six people in the raft, so we could all go together.”

“...Could we get wet? It’s kinda hot today.”

“You’re right, it is. But if you want to get wet, then there’s this spot at the end of one of the rides that splashes a huge wave of water that leaves you drenched from head to toe. With how hot it is, we’d be dry in 20 minutes.”

“Oh, I want to go to that!”

“Cool, me too. Let’s try to convince your sisters,” I told him, grinning.

“Yeah, Robert will join us immediately. Violet might get scared.”

“What do you feel like eating later? I hear the hamburgers here aren’t very good.”

“...Can we have pizza?”

“Sure. There’s a food court, so we can all order whatever we want. Seriously, though, don’t get a hamburger. I trust my sources.”

My source in this case being Kevin. He told me he had a hamburger here and got sick just 10 minutes after. Lena teases him that he threw up because of the rides, but Kevin insists it was the hamburger. Whatever the case, not taking risks.

Sarah, Violet and Robert got on one of the carts, all three of them together in a single one, and soon after the ride started. I got out my phone and recorded them as they went past us. I sent the video to Mr. and Mrs. West immediately. Mrs. West answered with a heart emoji, while Mr. West asked me how Cole was doing. Told him he was beside me and that he wanted to go to the bumper cars next. He thanked me, which was unnecessary.

Violet and Rober exited the ride, jumping and giggling. “What’s next? What’s next!?” Robert asked.

We went to the bumper cars, just as promised. I got in a car with Robert while Sarah got in one with Violet and Cole was allowed to drive his own. He made it his mission to chase his sisters, while Robert and I hit whoever was in a bad spot.

After we got out, we went to that spot I mentioned before, the place where a wave of water splashed people after a big raft drove through.

“Be careful,” Sarah said. “The water hits a bit hard. Stand firm so you don’t fall.”

Violet looked nervous as the raft approached, so I stood behind her and held her shoulders. “Don’t worry. Just close your eyes. I’ve got you.”

She nodded at me and closed her eyes shut. The wave hit us, leaving us dripping. We waited for another one to splash us on our backs, then went over to the water slide.

I don’t think Cole even noticed when he started to have fun. We tried to earn some prizes at a shooting game, we rode a train that circled the entire park and then went to the food court to eat. I warned everyone about the hamburgers.

When we were close to finishing eating, Sarah sneakily sent me a text. I checked it.

-Sarah: This seems like a good opportunity. Want me to give you a moment alone with them to talk?

I felt my chest freezing, but I met Sarah’s eyes and nodded her way. Right after, she excused herself to go to the restroom and left me alone with her three siblings.

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