Self

Chapter 20

Rainie handed Yara the snowy white fox headband and kept the blush- pink one for herself

When she noticed Yara had not put hers on yet, she nudged her. ” Come on! What are you waiting for?”

Yara did not have a choice, so she slipped it on.

Rainie stepped back to examine Yara closely and nodded, pleased.” It’s fluffy and cute; it gives off a fox vibe.”

She grabbed Yara’s hand, all excited. “Let’s hit the road! I’ve got the whole day planned out. Today, I will make sure we have the time of our lives!”

“Argh!”

“Help!”

The screams were nonstop, ringing in Yara’s ears for an eternity–or at least five minutes. Yara rubbed her tingling ears, glancing at the now ghostly pale, post–puke Rainie, and could not help but chuckle. and feel sorry for her as she patted her back.

“Feeling any better after that?”

“I- Ugh-”

She was leaning over the trash can again, so Yara quickly grabbed a tissue and a water bottle. After she was done, Yara handed her the water. Watching Rainie rinse and not throw up again, Yara finally relaxed.

“This roller coaster is called the Devil’s Paradise for a reason. I get why now; it’s like a trip through hell. Scared me half to death.”

Rainie was a mess, dabbing at her mouth with a tissue and clutching

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her chest.

Yara could not resist teasing her, “Who was all gung–ho about pushing their limits? You did this to yourself.”

Rainie was not great with heights, yet she insisted on going through. with it. She was brave and foolish, all in one.

She whimpered. “Well, I’m regretting it now, aren’t I?”

She leaned against Yara, trying to catch her breath.

After a short pause, Rainie felt her energy bounce back to almost full.

Lunchtime had rolled around, and Yara thought they should hit up a

spot to eat.

On their way, they noticed a bunch of tourists halting to snap pictures of the sky.

“Look at all those balloons! Is this some grand opening surprise?”

“Wow, they went all out! It must have taken hours to blow up all these

balloons!”

Yara glanced skyward and saw a sea of balloons drifting in the cloudless blue, like an ocean wave. The ribbons fluttered down, twirling in the wind like dancing butterflies.

People scrolling through their feeds on their phones commented with a hint of jealousy.

[Mystery solved! A rich kid’s throwing a birthday bash for his girlfriend over at Central Square.]

[Damn, why do I never get to experience such romantic gestures? I don’t even get to see other people’s extravagant love stories firsthand!

Rainie was not into showy displays of affection and poked her

friend’s arm. “Come on, I’m starving.”

“Okay‘

The weekend crowd at Universal Studios was thick, especially around. the pirate ship ride near Central Square

Yale was in line while Xandra grabbed an ice cream and eyed the swarm of people ahead. “Just ten more to go. We’ve got this!”

The temperature had reached a scorching 32 degrees Celsius, and Yale had shed his jacket and slung it over his arm. To pass the time, he was mindlessly scrolling through his phone.

A buzz started among the bystanders, and Xandra followed their

stares.

Just by the carousel, a cascade of balloons was making its ascent, and a guy with a bouquet of red roses approached a lady. They hugged each other–straight out of a romantic fairy tale.

“Is this for a birthday? It’s like something out of a dream.” Xandra was excited–it was her birthday, and she could not help but wonder if Yale had any tricks up his sleeve, something more than just a present.

Yale glanced half–heartedly in her direction before dropping his gaze back down, his face a blank slate.

Romance? To him, it was just dull.

He knew what Xandra was hoping for, but fancy frills had never been. his thing–not with Yara, and certainly not at that moment.

Why change a habit of a lifetime?