Bittersweet Page 5

  Me: u can’t have both.

  Candie: :(

  I rolled my eyes. This would’ve been the summer of hell no matter where I’d been. It was loads better here than having to stomach Candie and Zane. She wouldn’t have stayed away from my house. And Zane was an asshole.

  If I stayed here, then at the end of the summer I’d have enough money to do my Europe tour. I really, really hoped that Grant had reconsidered firing me.

  My phone buzzed again. I thought about ignoring it, assuming it was just Candie still trying to get on my good side, but it could have been someone I actually wanted to talk to. Like Dallas.

  It was my stepmom.

  Gina: I really hope you’ll reconsider Christmas. I’d love to have you there. I miss you.

  I sighed. At one point we were super close, I liked her better than I did my own mother most of the time. But now, whenever we spoke my dad hung in the air between us until there was nothing left to say. Plus, she was moving on, getting married and forgetting that we’d ever been a family. Why’d she want me there anyway? I stared at the text for a minute longer, then deleted it.

  The door handle jiggled and Grant walked in carrying a pizza. He set it down and I grabbed the plates. He didn’t say anything, so I decided to wait before bringing up work.

  The pizza was my favorite. Plain cheese and gobs of it. Maybe he was feeling guilty for firing me. Perhaps the situation wasn’t nearly as dire as I thought.

  “Did you get garlic sauces?” I asked.

  He pulled two cups out his pocket. I smiled. Minneapolis wasn’t that bad. Grant was better than my mom. Dallas and Julia were better than Candie and Zane.

  I was halfway through my third piece when Grant broke the horrible, no good news.

  “I called your mom. I can’t get off work, so she’s going to have to come up here. She said she’ll come get you this weekend. Try to be nice to her.”

  I spit out the bite I had in my mouth.

  “No, call her back. I don’t want to go home.”

  He creased his eyebrows.

  “I thought you hated it here.”

  “I do. But it’s better than home.”

  “Well, your obvious hatred of everything is wearing on everyone. You can hate home all you want, but I won’t let you continue to abuse myself or my employees. I thought you just needed time to adjust, but what you pulled today was unacceptable.”

  After the conversation with Candie I couldn’t bear to go home and face them. My emotions were finally starting to come back and if I left I’d have to go home, back to the sheer nothingness.

  “Look, I’m sorry. I know I’ve been a bitch, but I’ll change. I swear. If I can’t work at the park then I’ll get a job at Ikea or the mall. Please don’t make me go home.”

  He shook his head.

  “People don’t change overnight. You can’t just magically be someone new and I don’t want to be your guinea pig.”

  I clenched my fists. I thought about the letter from my dad. Time to bear a little.

  “Can I explain about today? It’s not what you think.”

  He nodded but looked wary. I twisted my hands together.

  “You know about my hearing aids, right?”

  “I don’t know much about them except that they help you hear.” He took another bite of his pizza. If he was concerned about the conversation he didn’t give any indication.

  “So they can’t get wet. At all. One drop and poof, the electricity is fried. One time, when Teddy was two and still drooling he kissed me on my ear and we had to send it off to be fixed. Most of the time I just deal with it. I put a hood on and hope for the best. But today it was pouring and I was scared that water was going to get under my hood. I couldn’t just stand around and wait for someone to come relieve me. I panicked and ran.”

  “Why didn’t you tell Becca? It was raining since the park opened this morning. She could’ve put you somewhere else.”

  I sighed. How to explain about mean girls and pride?

  “I did tell her. She wouldn’t listen. In the past week it’s rained several times and every time I tell her she rolls her eyes and drags her feet. HOLE doesn’t have too many dry spots and I didn’t want to be a whiner.”

  He folded his hands in front of his face and thought for a minute. I continued with my pizza. Maybe I’d convinced him to rethink sending me home.

  “What about the spitting incident?

  I pouted. “He spit first.”

  He smiled. “How old are you?”

  “Only a few years younger than you. How’d you get to be so old at twenty seven?”

  He narrowed his eyes. Maybe that wasn’t the best thing to say. I backtracked.

  “I’m sorry. That wasn’t nice.”

  He sighed. “It’s true. But that’s beside the point. What about your hateful attitude at work?”

  “Done. I promise.” I smiled to show I was sincere. Smiling wasn’t something I’d done much of recently.

  He got up and put the pizza box in the trash.

  “It’s been a long day. Tomorrow, put in a few applications at the mall and I’ll see what I can do at the park.”

  I squealed and gave him a hug.

  No reason not to lay it on thick.

  I did not want to go home.

  I PUT IN SIX APPLICATIONS that day at various boring clothes stores and Godiva. If Haunted Valley wouldn’t work then surely I could spend the summer in a chocolate shop. At least I’d still be able to save enough to go to Europe.

  I was nervous when Grant came home that night. My stomach was knotted and I was jittery. I brought home Chinese takeout from a restaurant at the mall. It was weird, but now that I’d made my decision to stay, I wanted to continue working at Haunted Valley. It had nothing to do with a certain hottie named Dallas. Nothing at all.

  Grant set down a series of ride safety manuals in front me as I was opening the box of cashew chicken.

  “You’ll start training on the Demon Drop tomorrow.”

  I looked at him warily as I dished out our food.

  “What about rain?”

  “Only one position is out in the open for The Demon Drop crew and they’ve received instruction that you are not to be placed there if it is likely to rain. Both team leads and area managers have been informed. Do your best to memorize these books and you’ll report to work first thing in the morning.”

  I closed my eyes and tried not to smile.

  “Thanks,” I muttered and clutched the books to my chest. Once in my room, I dropped the books on my bed and did a little happy dance. No going home for me. I would not screw up this time. I finished dinner with Grant and was unsuccessful at keeping the smile off my face. Grant offered to clean up so I escaped back into my room to read the manuals.

  It turned out the Demon Drop crew operated two rides, the Demon Drop and Cyclops Revenge. The Demon Drop was a fast giant wooden coaster. I grimaced. Not getting on that one. Ever. I almost took the books back to Grant and said “no thanks.” But I figured after everything else that I’d done, he’d just send me packing. Between the choice of facing my own demons or facing Candie and Zane I’d choose my demons. At least they were predictable.

  Cyclops was like those pirate ships you ride at the carnival, except this one went upside down. No memories there. Dad didn’t like the small rides so we never rode them. I hoped that I could just pass off test rides to someone else for the Demon Drop.

  Seemed like a pretty easy gig. Plus less puke potential than The Lurking Dead.

  The next morning I dressed quickly and made sure my watch completely covered my tattoo. I wasn’t always careful but I didn’t want to screw this up. The locker room was still empty when I reported to the Park Ops office. The manager on duty looked up and I could tell it took a great deal of effort for him not to roll his eyes at my arrival. Apparently stories of my antics had spread to the office. I hoped the Demon Drop crew had not heard of my desertion. I wanted a fresh start. I paced in front of the office an
d waited for my trainer to arrive.

  A few minutes later, Karl walked up to me with his hands on his hips. He’d dyed his hair and it was now a dark brown. The blond looked better on him but I didn’t say anything.

  “Guess I’ll be training you today. Try not to mess this one up too bad.”

  So much for starting over. Karl sometimes treated me worse than Becca. He turned and walked out to the patio for the morning meeting. I slipped my apple into my otherwise empty bag and followed him. The air was stuffy and warm. No rain today. Karl didn’t speak until we arrived at the picnic tables. He pointed to a small group of people.

  “That’s your crew over there.”

  I shoved my hands in my pockets and followed Karl over to the tables. He stopped at a four-top that was full of sleepy girls.

  “Hey ladies,” Karl said. “This is Savannah, she’ll be joining you. Savannah, this is Angelica, Deanna, Shelby, and you know Becca.”

  I opened my big mouth. “Why are you here, Becca? Shouldn’t you be over with the HOLE crew?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Yes, I should. But I’m not. Thanks to you.” I started to ask why when Karl grabbed my wrist and dragged me over to the next table.

  Karl sat down and held his fist up for a bump. One boy, his nametag read Paris, bumped his fist and grinned at Karl. He was cute in a boyish way, with wild curly brown hair, and he oozed friendliness. The other boy, Jeff, scowled and looked away from Karl. Karl frowned and dropped his hand.

  “You know, Jeff, that’s not very nice. Especially in front of the new girl.”

  Jeff glowered. It occurred to me that sometimes I acted exactly the same way and I immediately disliked him.

  Karl looked genuinely hurt and for a second I felt bad for him. Jeff didn’t have to be such a jerk. Was I really like that? No wonder my other crew hated me. I vowed to be nicer to everyone, except Becca. I needed to have someone to be a bitch to or I’d die of niceness. Better than dying of the curse though.

  The girls didn’t even look at us. But I could hear them muttering. Due to my hearing I’m not a very good eavesdropper, but that’s not for lack of trying. I caught a few words, like lurking, bald, and rain. I knew they were talking about me. Not that I cared or anything.

  I scratched at the peeling paint on the picnic table and waited for the meeting to begin. It was cool underneath the pavilion, which I appreciated.

  As usual, Grant led the morning meeting and he droned on about safety, height checks, and customer service. I’d heard it all before. The entire crew would be shocked if he said something we didn’t already know. After about fifteen minutes, he dismissed us to open.

  Angelica, a girl who was five foot nothing and had super thick brown hair, bounced over to our table. She had the rotation paperwork and keys in her hands and wore a team lead nametag.

  “Karl, I assume you’re having her open Entrance?”

  Karl nodded.

  She handed the friendly boy, Paris, one set of keys.

  “You’re opening Cyclops with Jeff.”

  He glared at her and then glanced toward Jeff who was already on his way to the ship.

  “You mean I’m opening Cyclops by myself,” Paris said.

  “If that’s what you think.” She snickered and pointed to the ship. Paris sighed and left, his curly hair bouncing as he walked. Then she handed another set of keys to Becca who glared at me before she left. What was she doing working The Demon Drop?

  “Karl, can I ask you a question?”

  He nodded as we walked toward the wooden coaster. I tripped over the curb and grabbed his arm to steady myself. He shook me off and snorted. I ignored him and pretended like I hadn’t just done that.

  “How come Becca is here? I thought she only worked the HOLE rides.”

  He frowned.

  “Well, Grant was pissed at her for not listening to you about the rain, and demoted her. This was her original area before she became a Team Lead so he put her back here.”

  Oh lord, as if she needed another reason to hate me. I thought things were going to get better but this could be just as bad. Plus the whole crew would know what I did over at The Lurking Dead. I could not catch a freaking break.

  All of the Demon Drop positions were under the cover of a huge barn-like platform. The wooden coaster was raw and a soft brown. The track ran through the middle of the barn and a gleaming blue train was parked there. The empty station smelled of oil and metal. I pushed down a feeling, didn’t even want to take the time to identify it. Sadness maybe. Regret. Guilt. I didn’t know and I dismissed it as quickly as it came.

  Karl and I opened the entrance position. The entrance person had an excellent view of the line. It was situated at the top of stairs, next to a turnstile. After guests passed through the turnstile, they chose a row and waited in a small line.

  Karl pointed at the turnstile. “This is the point where you decide whether or not they are allowed to ride. No one passes here who cannot ride.” He then waved toward the empty station.

  I nodded. “Got it. Forty-eight inches, like the Executioner. I read the book.”

  He frowned, not expecting me to be prepared. “Exactly, except there are a couple of other things to watch for. People will try to sneak kids on these rides. Watch for little girls with high heels and tall ponytails. If you are suspicious, you can ask them to take off their shoes and measure them that way.”

  I almost grinned at that. Dad and I had used that trick. We never got caught. Then my stomach tightened. What if other little girls came through the line with their Daddies? Would I be able to even look at them? I shook my head. Focus. Eurochocolate. No screwing up.

  “Watch for sneaky kids. Got it.”

  “You know the rule about shoes. But there is something that is unique to The Demon Drop. No one with a cast or brace is allowed to ride. Even the knee sleeve you buy at Walmart is considered a brace. Keep your eyes open. Anyone who can’t ride can exit down the other set of stairs.”

  He pointed down to end of the station where the control booth sat. Next to it was another set of stairs with a chain. This was going to be a nightmare. At the Executioner, people argued with me all the time about wearing shoes and obvious height problems. Now we had to argue with them about braces and casts as well. How was I supposed to catch them all?

  There were some good traits I inherited from my father and there were some bad ones. The bad—selfishness, the family curse, and the ability to rear end a bright red Porsche and not see it until after I crashed into it. So much for not screwing up. If I couldn’t see the Porsche, there was no way I’d see all the casts and braces.

  “Are there other rides that don’t allow casts or braces?” I asked.

  Karl grinned. “Nope, we’re it.”

  “Well that’s dumb.”

  He nodded. “We gotta follow the rules though.”

  The weather was nice, not a cloud in the sky. Summer had officially started so there were no more school days. After an hour with no problems Karl left to go fill another position. He said he would be back after the next rotation to train me on Entrance Loader.

  Within thirty minutes we had a line outside the turnstile. The stench of sweat was already in the air. The whole situation sucked because I had to try to make small talk with guests while they waited to cross the turnstile. Not exactly my strong suit. That was one of my dad’s gifts and I didn’t inherit it.

  A few minutes later, a little girl came through the line and I had to stop her because the station was packed. She was hyper, bouncy and chatty. Within seconds I knew how old she was (eight), her mom was divorced, and this was her first roller coaster ride. She paused for a half second then put her finger dangerously close to my face. She pointed toward my ear. I backed away a little.

  “Do you have gum in your ear?”

  I rolled my eyes and looked at her mother. Sometimes kids got curious. I knew I should be all understanding, maybe even take out my hearing aid and show it to her and act like it is the coolest
thing in the world. Instead I just looked at her mother and waved them into the station. The girl was quickly distracted by the ride and forgot about the oddity of my ears.

  This position was definitely a yawn fest. I found myself barely looking at the line as they shuffled through. A few minutes later Becca came up to me with a scowl on her face. I wondered what she looked like with a smile. She might be pretty.

  “You let a thumb cast go through.”

  Really. She was going to freak about a thumb cast.

  “Uh, I’m sorry. I must not have seen it.”

  “Yeah, well they hate to be told once they get in the car that they can’t ride and I had to deal with the little brat. That’s your job. Catch the casts and the braces. Got it?”

  Wow. Her temper got worse. I didn’t think that was possible.

  “Ooookay. No casts or braces. Got it.”

  There were a lot more casts and braces than I ever thought. I sort of understood the cast thing. The ride was bumpy and we didn’t want to be responsible for a break getting worse. The braces, however, were a complete joke.

  I got in more arguments that morning about who could and couldn’t ride than I had in the entire two weeks I’d worked HOLE. That’s saying a lot, considering I’d argued with my co-workers everyday.

  A quarter to twelve I was tired, craving chocolate, and ready to train on a new position. I kept my eyes peeled for Karl. But I was pleasantly surprised when Dallas showed up in the queue line holding his iPad.

  HEY SAVANNAH. I’ve missed you.”

  I had to suppress a happy sigh. I hoped I wasn’t grinning like an idiot. At least words didn’t escape me this time. Maybe I’m more like my dad than I thought. He always had a line ready.

  “I’m definitely missable. What are you doing here?”

  “The Demon Drop line is the best. I can get thirty surveys done here in ten minutes. But it’s my secret. Don’t tell Julia.”

  Once again he smiled that devastating smile of his and I heard the girl standing in line behind me giggle. Some girls had no self-control.

  The train left the station and I had to let more people in. Dallas worked the mini lines and was so freakin’ distracting (okay, so maybe I didn’t have much self-control either). I tried to keep my eye on the line, but my gaze kept drifting toward Dallas. He caught me once and smiled.