He Left Me on the Launched Drop Tower for His Bestie’s Laugh Chapter 01

He Left Me on the Launched Drop Tower for His Bestie’s Laugh Chapter 01

Before the Drop Tower launched, my best friend Rory Quinn shot a look at my boyfriend Ethan Cole.

Without a word, they unclipped their harnesses in sync and bailed.

I was left sitting there alone on the ride, frozen.

Ethan stood in the safe zone, grinning.

“Blaire says you’re way too jumpy, and the only cure is scaring you even worse. So—you get to ride solo.”

The ride started lifting.

Blaire doubled over laughing, snapping photos of the ridiculous look on my terrified face.

Ethan said something I couldn’t hear and steadied her phone with a resigned smile.

I couldn’t make out the words, but I knew exactly what he was saying.

“Okay, you got your laugh. Give her a break next time. Willa’s already scared out of her mind.”

I’ve always been timid.

For twenty years, growing up together, this was how they helped me “build courage.”

When we were kids, Blaire would throw rocks to lure stray dogs.

Ethan would boost her onto a wall, leaving me to get chased all over the yard.

In high school gym class, during vaulting, Blaire suddenly yanked the mat away.

Ethan laughed and kicked the tumbling pad aside, watching me crash down and gouge two bloody holes in my knees.

In college, on a night hike, Blaire purposely ditched me.

Ethan followed her into the bushes, rustling branches, leaving me alone in the dark, gasping for air.

Every time I trembled in fear, Blaire burst out laughing.

Ethan stood behind her and always said, “Okay, okay. Just—not next time.”

But his “next time” always turned into fresh amusement for Blaire.

The Drop Tower climbed to sixty-five feet.

The weightlessness hit the back of my throat.

But suddenly, I felt like there was nothing left to be afraid of.

The ride touched down.

Two pairs of hands reached out to help me.

I pushed them away. “I don’t need you guys to toughen me up anymore.”

***

Ethan laughed and ruffled my hair.

“Willa, did you totally freeze up there? Guess the toughness training didn’t stick. You just look more freaked out than ever.”

Blaire jumped in with their usual banter. “Well, I’d still help her get better, little by little.”

I pressed my lips together and stared at the two of them, serious. “This isn’t helping me. You’re bullying me.”

Blaire’s smile froze. “Wow, Willa. That hurts. I spend all this time helping you, and you call it bullying?”

“Fine. I’ll go ride the thing I’m most afraid of. That makes us even, right?”

She started walking toward the roller coaster.

Ethan shot me a frown, then grabbed her arm.

“Don’t be stupid. You cried last time. I’ll go with you.”

I stood there.

Just moments ago on the Drop Tower, he’d told me, “You can’t be this childish. Needing someone to hold your hand on a ride.”

After the roller coaster stopped, Blaire was chirping.

“It’s so much fun when someone rides with you! See, Willa, it wasn’t scary at all!”

But nobody rode with me.

Ethan looked at my blank face. “If you’re still mad, we can do the Drop Tower again with you.”

But this time they picked the tandem Drop Tower—the ‘Lover’s Leap’ seats. You had to sit face-to-face, holding tight, or the seat would tilt on the way up.

The ride had a slogan etched into it, [The deepest trust for the one closest to you.]

When the operator said they could fit one more, Ethan glanced at me. “Willa got spooked last time. Let’s not push it. I’ll ride with Blaire.”

They sat down face-to-face, laughing.

So strange.

When they needed entertainment, I wasn’t allowed to be scared.

But now, suddenly I was?

I stared at them buckling their harnesses.

“Ethan, the engagement party in five days? Let’s call it off.”

Ethan’s face shifted when he saw how serious I was.

“Willa, don’t do this. Just wait till I get down!”

After the ride cycle ended, they finally caught up with me outside our neighborhood.

My mom was sitting outside the building chatting with some neighbors.

She frowned when she saw me.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t have fun?”

Blaire latched onto my mom’s arm, suddenly looking hurt.

“Mrs. Hart, I tried to help Willa toughen up, but she said I was bullying her, and now she wants to break up with Ethan.”

Ethan stepped up too.

“Mrs. Hart, Willa doesn’t have to do it if she doesn’t want to. You can’t just throw around a breakup.”

My mom’s face went dark.

She grabbed my ear and twisted. “You’re calling off the engagement just like that? Are you trying to ruin everything?”

Neighbors gathered around.

My mom’s voice got louder.

“This girl’s always been spineless! Ethan and Blaire go out of their way to help her, and she throws it right back in their faces!”

“What, you wanna hide inside your whole life and end up a total loser?”

Watching the neighbors gossip, my face burned like I’d been slapped.

Ethan stepped in front of me, shielding me a little. “Mrs. Hart, it’s okay if Willa’s like this. I’ll protect her.”

That only made my mom angrier.

She dragged me upstairs.

The door shut.

My tears hit the floor before I could stop them. “Mom, I’m your daughter. Why do you always believe everyone else?”

My mom let out a cold laugh. “I raised you. You think I don’t know exactly what you are?”

“Scared of everything since you were a kid. Not like Blaire. Can’t do anything right—just like your pathetic dad.”

Her words carved into my bones.

But I wanted to be brave, too.

When I was little, money was tight.

Mom had high ambitions and saw Dad’s steady nature as weakness.

She screamed that it was why he’d never make anything of himself.

So she started “toughening me up” early.

At three, I was scared of the dark. She locked me in the storage closet.

I cried until my voice gave out, and when I came out, I got hit.

I was scared of water.

She held my head under in the basin.

If I didn’t hold on, I got another beating. She called it “exposure therapy.” But it just made me more afraid.

Because getting it wrong meant punishment, and punishment proved I was worthless.

When I was eight, my dad chose to leave my mom—even if it meant leaving me.

After that, I was afraid of everything.

I was terrified that if I made a mistake, my mom would leave me too.

But Blaire, who grew up alongside me, was confident, sweet-talking, and charmed every adult.

My mom always said she wished Blaire was her daughter.

Eventually, she just made it official and took her in as her goddaughter.

She told me to get in my room and think about what I’d done. “If you leave Ethan, who else is going to do charity work and settle for you?”

She called Blaire and Ethan, her voice so sweet it was like a different person.

“Blaire, sweetie, I will make Willa apologize. Come over for dinner tonight.”

I leaned against the door, wiped my tears, and called my friend Rory Quinn.

“The teaching trip to the mountain school leaves in five days. Still need people?”

“You sure? There’s no signal, no internet, and snakes. You’re not scared?”

“I’m not scared.”

“What about your engagement? How are you going to explain this to your mom? She’ll kill you.”

I gripped my phone. “Rory, I want to run away. I want to be brave for myself just once.”