Three Minutes of Eternity
Prologue
Seven hours at an amusement park is about five too many. Especially as I would not be able to leave for another three hours. And even more especially as five of those seven hours so far, were spent in line. Lines for rides, for food, for restroom use. But lines, nonetheless.
And I hated waiting. As a naturally impatient person, theme parks just about killed me. Especially Harrison Extreme Theme Park, on a Saturday afternoon. On a hot Saturday afternoon.
However, it had recently turned eight o'clock. Due to Southern Californian weather, the elusive twilight period was still tinged with sun kissed air intermingling with a cool breeze blown in from the west. The crowds at Harrison had slightly dispersed, and lines were gradually shortening as couple by couple, family by family, people began to trickle out, until the only people left were the rambunctious teenagers.
My group was one of them. Rambunctious teenagers, I mean. We were in line for one of what they called, an "'X-TREME ride' – the rollercoaster of rollercoasters". Clever, I must say. The real name of the rollercoaster was Projection, and we were about ten minutes from actually being able to board the ride. It was always at about this time that we had to decide who was going to sit with whom, whether it would be toward the front or back of the rollercoaster that we would board, and other exciting details such as those.
I was at Harrison with four other people; despite what we had learned early on in junior high, we were here, yet again, with an odd number of people. And from the way it seemed to be working out, it was going to be my turn to sit alone.
Whines of "but I sat alone on the last one!" and "But I never get to sit with Jase!" would soon be ringing in my ears, unless I diverted them- and quickly.
Don't get me wrong; I love my friends. But seven hours of the same conversation kills.
"Guys, I'll ride solo on this one," I volunteered, hopeful. My best friend Tyler breathed a sigh of relief and I grinned, knowing that he had felt the same as I had.
"Who are you, and what have you done with Alina?" Another close friend, Ami, good-naturedly asked.
Truth be told, we were all very close, the five of us. There was one other in our little group actually, but Kimrey couldn't come today due to an appointment. Though if she had, we'd never have had that entire episode in the first place.
By this point, we had reached the top of the line, and were led to the very back by Jason, who was ignoring the groans of Ami- who very much preferred to sit in the middle of the cars, which she deemed "safe".
We took up the last three cars; Jason and Tyler were in the second-to—last car, because they were convinced that the closer to the end a car was, the faster it flew. Ami and Derek were in the one in front of Jase and Ty, and I sat alone in the very last car, because it was like an unwritten rule: the person riding alone got the last car, except in the case of Ami. It was just cooler.
There were two open cars in front of Ami, and I could hear people yelling at the group that was currently in front of those lines to "get the fuck on". As the attendant approached that group- another group of five, I noted- they made a quick decision. Four of them boarded the two cars and the one left hesitated, before jumping in next to me.
As the safety restraints bucked down and the cars began their long journey of what always seemed like a mile of crawling up the hill not two miles per hour, the guy next to me turned to grin.
"You're the odd one out too, I see," he laughed.
"Definitely," I agreed.
He was cute. Scratch that, he was pretty damn hot. His hair consisted of dozens of colors, ranging from pale gold to a deep auburn. Longish hair, tousled no doubt from a day filled with drops and loops, provided a backdrop for beautiful green eyes as dark as a forest at midnight. His grin was slightly lopsided, with a deep dimple.
He was wearing a black At the Drive In t-shirt, and he was talking to me- and I'd totally missed it.
"I'm sorry?" I offered.
He grinned again. "I said that this is an unconventional way to meet someone."
I had to agree. "Is this your first time at Harrison?" I asked keeping an eye on the top. About ten seconds or so left, I guessed.
"No, I come here quite a bit, actually. You?"
Eight seconds. "Same as you."
Five. Four. Three. I chanced a glance over at him, sitting next to me, counting silently. He was leaning out to the side, enjoying the perfect view we had. Laughing to himself.
Two. One. As the entire train perched on the turning point for an exhilarating half second before flying down, I said softly, "Hey."
He turned with an inquiring look as the first of the cars began to tumble down.
"I love At the Drive In," I yelled as the last car, our car, flew down the steepest drop.
The tracks twisted, making me slide onto him, as this ride had no shoulder bars. "You're great," he yelled back to be heard over the rumbling of the train.
"You too," I yelled as the rollercoaster dropped again, my stomach flying up to meet my heart.
We abruptly came to a halt, before beginning another ascent.
And we conversed. There's nothing like talking to a stranger, especially in a location where you can't even be sure if they other person heard you.
We spoke of everything and nothing. Family. Academics. Friends. I told him of having divorced parents, about my father's remarriage to a total slut. He told me of how his mother had died, and how he was always alone.
We crammed an eternity into three minutes, and it was forever.
And he asked me, the very last thing he ever said to me, "Will I ever see you again?"
"No," we both agreed.
It was the last drop. Both the longest and shortest moment of this eternity, as he leaned into me. His lips brushed mine, and at the first touch starts burst out in fireworks of gold as his lips firmed and mine softened. He lifted a hand to cup my cheek and the other to wind around my waist.
Flashes of light swam in my closed eyes as we slowed. He lifted his face, and smiled down at me. Beautiful green eyes crinkled as he whispered, so softly that I barely heard him, "You know more about me than most other people in this world." He got out then, as the rollercoaster came to a full stop, and bas rose.
I stood too, and took a hold of Tyler's hand as he jumped out and offered it to me. We all got out then, stumbling slightly down to the exit where we paused to search for our pictures.
I saw my own, in Display 29. lips locked with his, caught on film for the world to see. For me to see, forever.
I bought it, of course. A memento of the boy that I wouldn't ever see again.
Three minutes was all it took.
And I didn't even know his name.
A/N: I can't believe that I started another story when I don't even update the ones I have up, but it was dying to come out. Do me a favor, please, and review, letting me know what you think, honestly. The rest of the story won't be as… corny, fluffy, etc. as the prologue was; it was meant to showcase the contrast between this time and when the story really starts.