"Wow!" Remi’s eyes lit up as she skipped ahead through the gates. "I’ve only ever seen this place on flyers, but it’s even bigger in person!"
"Which one’s first?" Chloe demanded, pointing dramatically at the towering roller coaster that cut across the skyline. "That one."
Mia’s stomach dropped just looking at it. "Absolutely not."
Remi grabbed her hand with a grin. "Co on, Mia, live a little! What’s the worst that could happen?"
"Death," Mia said flatly. "Instant, terrifying death."
Yohan chuckled under his breath. "Relax, Mia. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll sit with you. That way if we go flying off the tracks, we’ll die together."
Mia smacked his arm. "You’re not helping."
Chloe was already marching toward the ride’s line. "You three can argue all you want, but I’m getting on it. Front row."
"Front row?" Remi squealed. "Yes! That’s perfect!" She hurried after Chloe, practically bouncing on her toes.
Yohan and Mia exchanged a look, hers sowhere between terror and resignation.
"You know they’re not going to let you back out now," Yohan said.
Mia groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Why did I agree to even co...?"
Still, she followed them into the line.
Mia groaned, but the line shuffled forward and before she knew it, they were being ushered into their seats. Chloe and Remi shot straight for the very front row, practically elbowing each other out of the way, while Yohan gently guided Mia toward the middle.
"I can’t believe I let you talk into this," she muttered as the attendant buckled her in.
"Correction," Yohan said with a grin, "you let them talk you into it. I’m just here for emotional support."
"So support," she muttered, gripping the safety bar until her knuckles turned white.
The ride lurched forward, the clatter of chains pulling them higher and higher into the sky. Chloe threw her hands up with a wild laugh, Remi squealed so loudly the people behind them started laughing too, and Mia’s eyes squeezed shut.
"Open your eyes!" Yohan shouted over the rattling noise.
"No!"
"Do it! You’ll miss the view!"
Mia peeked, just for a second, and instantly regretted it. "Oh my God, we’re so high—"
Then the coaster plunged.
The world dropped out from under them, air whipping past their faces, screams and laughter tangling in the rush of wind. Chloe laughed like a maniac the whole way, Remi’s squeals ca out in bursts of joy and terror, and Yohan shouted along just to keep Mia from noticing how tightly she clung to him.
When the ride finally screeched to a halt, Chloe jumped out, hair wild and eyes shining. "That was AMAZING!"
"I think I left my soul back on the first drop," Mia gasped, wobbling as she stood.
Remi laughed, still clutching her stomach. "Let’s do it again!"
"Over my dead body," Mia snapped.
Yohan chuckled, putting a steadying arm around her shoulder. "Alright, no repeats. Let’s get sothing to eat first. Who’s hungry?"
"!" Remi raised both hands. "Corn dogs, cotton candy, funnel cakes—let’s try everything!"
"Good idea," Chloe said with a mischievous grin. "Then after that, the haunted house."
Mia groaned again. "Why do I feel like today is going to kill ?"
Yohan smirked. "Because it probably will."
They all laughed together as the sll of fried food and the sound of carnival gas pulled them deeper into the park.
"I want cotton candy!" Remi announced, darting toward the nearest stand like a child.
"You’re going to get sick if you eat that before real food," Mia scolded, but Remi was already collecting it.
"Relax," Chloe said, snatching a corn dog from another stand. "This is real food."
Yohan chuckled and bought himself a funnel cake, powdered sugar spilling across his shirt the mont he took a bite.
"ssy eater," Mia said with a smirk, holding out a napkin.
"Thanks, Mom," Yohan shot back, which made Remi giggle through a mouthful of pink fluff.
They strolled between stalls, eating as they went, until they ca across a row of carnival gas. Chloe’s eyes lit up instantly at the sight of the oversized plush toys hanging as prizes.
"Oh, I’m winning one of those," she declared, marching straight to a ring toss.
"You sure?" Yohan teased. "These gas are all rigged."
"Not for ," Chloe said confidently. She tossed the first ring—it bounced off. The second—missed again. By the fifth try, her glare could have set the bottles on fire.
"Almost had it," Yohan teased.
Chloe shoved the last ring into his hand. "Fine. You do it then, smart guy."
Yohan arched a brow, tossed it casually—clang—it landed perfectly. The stall worker rang a little bell and gestured toward the prizes.
Remi clapped. "No way! You actually did it!"
Chloe folded her arms, scowling. "Beginner’s luck."
Yohan grinned and handed the giant teddy bear to her. "Here. You earned it."
For a mont, Chloe’s cheeks ward, but she quickly covered it with a scoff. "Hmph. Don’t think this makes us even. I’m still mad you didn’t tell us there was no work today,"
Mia shook her head, smiling despite herself. "You two are impossible."
Remi was already bouncing again, pointing toward a building at the end of the row. "Haunted house next! Haunted house next!"
Mia groaned loudly. "Why do I feel like I’m going to regret this..."
"You are," Chloe said with a wicked grin, hugging the teddy bear like a trophy.
Yohan chuckled, brushing sugar off his shirt. "Alright then. Haunted house it is."
The four of them headed toward the looming facade of the attraction, its fake cobwebs and eerie green lights waiting like the gateway to another world.
This place reminded him of his past life, when he worked at a park just like this. Long hours, loud music, and the endless sll of fried food—yet the money he made was barely enough to scrape by. He had no one waiting for him at ho, no one to laugh with or share his burdens. Just the sa empty routine repeating day after day, a cycle that felt more like surviving than living.
Now, everything was different. He had people who cared about him, who laughed and argued and dragged him into roller coasters he never would’ve touched before. He wasn’t counting pennies anymore; he had more cash than he ever thought possible back then.
A proud smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he watched Chloe clutching the giant teddy bear like it was her crown, Remi skipping ahead with cotton candy still stuck to her cheek, and Mia sighing dramatically but staying close to the group anyway.
’Yeah’ he thought. ’This is the kind of life I never thought I’d have’
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