The girl felt a bit guilty from the boy’s words, but as soon as she thought of her girlfriends’ ridicule, she bit her lip and resolutely said, "I don’t want to hear you say more. If you truly love me, prove it by going on the roller coaster with me."
Seeing the girl firmly insist on this demand, the boy let out an ambiguous cold snort, and the affection in his eyes waned, replaced by some disappointment.
He wanted to break up, yet couldn’t let go of the girl. Perhaps carrying some self-destructive tendencies, the boy agreed to the girl’s demand.
"Fine, if you really feel this way, I’ll go with you."
Seeing that the boy agreed to her request once again, the girl showed a smug expression on her face, and the guilt in her eyes vanished.
"You should’ve agreed sooner; we wouldn’t have wasted so much time. Hurry up and queue; what if we miss our turn?" the girl instructed the boy as if it were only natural.
The boy closed his eyes, paused for a second, and approached the queue with a resolve as if going to his doom.
Coincidentally, the girl and boy ended up right behind Xu Ke and Ariel in line.
On the roller coaster, Ariel excitedly fastened her seatbelt.
"This is my first time on a Chinese roller coaster. Do you think it’s more thrilling than those in America?" Ariel eagerly asked Xu Ke.
"I’ve never compared them, so I don’t know, but I guess we’ll find out today," Xu Ke said as he checked Ariel’s seatbelt to ensure it was secure.
Xu Ke’s considerate gesture made the girl behind look on with envy.
She wanted similar treatment, but the boy beside her had become unusually tense since boarding the roller coaster, clutching everything he could, his face pale before the ride even started, and his eyes already tightly shut.
Seeing the boy’s cowardice, the girl felt dissatisfied.
She sharply poked the boy’s arm with her slender fingers.
"Can’t you have a little courage? Look at others, why can’t you be like that? Having a boyfriend like you is my biggest mistake."
When the boy didn’t respond, the girl turned away angrily, refusing to look at him.
The girl decided privately that unless the boy apologized and bought her favorite things, she would not forgive him.
Once everyone was ready, the roller coaster started moving.
As soon as it moved, the boy sitting behind Xu Ke let out an involuntary scream, startling everyone, including Xu Ke and Ariel.
Xu Ke turned back in surprise and, seeing the boy’s behavior, remarked, "If you’re scared, you should get off while it’s still just starting; otherwise, it won’t stop once it gets going."
Though Xu Ke meant no harm, his words made the girl feel embarrassed and awkward.
"He’s fine," the girl quickly said, her eyes momentarily dazzled by Xu Ke’s looks.
For a moment, the girl was thoroughly annoyed with the boy, contemplating breaking up and getting Xu Ke’s contact information instead.
Just as the girl wanted to continue the conversation, the roller coaster fully started, leaving no room for anyone to back out.
The night breeze brushed over their faces gently, the surrounding scenery continuously receding, accelerating from slow to fast.
Soon, the view transitioned from the ground to mid-air. Xu Ke and Ariel were unfazed by the height, their expressions calm and poised, as if watching a movie.
The boy behind them, however, was not so lucky; despite tightly shut eyes, the sense of insecurity from having his feet off the ground and the clear awareness of rising engendered a momentary trepidation in his breathing.
"Are we at the highest point now?" the boy asked, his voice trembling.
The girl next to him, seeing his fearful appearance, only felt ashamed, wishing she could pretend not to know him, much less answer his questions.
"Answer me, why aren’t you responding? Are we at the highest point? Are we about to go down?" the boy bombarded her with questions.
The boy tried to talk continuously to alleviate his fear, but instead of receiving soothing comfort, he got the girl’s impatient growl, "Why are you so annoying?"
The girl’s reaction silenced the boy.
At that moment, the roller coaster had already slowly climbed to the highest point.
Ariel’s eyes brightened even more, her breathing slightly rapid, not from fear but excitement.
"It’s coming soon, I’m so happy!" Ariel giggled, tightly holding Xu Ke’s hand.
Without any warning, the feeling of weightlessness came swiftly and unexpectedly.
The night wind turned fierce, striking people’s faces like light whips—not very forcefully, but somewhat painfully.
This feeling was bearable, but to the boy, the hardest to endure was the fear from the weightlessness.
In the instant of the roller coaster’s descent, the boy felt as if his body and soul had separated; his body moved down with the ride, but his soul remained at the top, concurrently a strong pain began spreading from his chest.
This pain came with difficulty in breathing and a quickened heartbeat; the boy even felt a metallic taste of blood rising in his throat.
But he couldn’t speak; his eyes remained shut, his mouth just as tightly closed, with hands gripping the seatbelt, knuckles white from the strain. He was truly tense, so tense that even screaming was a luxury.
The boy indeed went all out to accompany the girl in this game, but she remained ungrateful.
For the boy, the roller coaster felt eternal, but for Ariel and Xu Ke, it was fleeting.
After the ride, Ariel got off, her face flushed pink, her blue eyes veiled like with a mist, becoming even more enchanting.
"Ah, after riding the roller coaster, I feel so refreshed."
"Do you want to ride again? If you do, I can accompany you as many times as you want until you’re satisfied." Xu Ke said, noticing Ariel’s joy, a barely visible smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.