Fair Weather

Ichiro felt so full of nerves so early in the morning, though he covered it with a stoic face.

They had arrived at the park bright and early on the following Sunday morning, brimming with excitement and anticipation. It was quite the large group, too. Several of Hina’s friends and a couple of Ichiro and Takuya’s teammates joined them at the entrance of the park. They casually chatted amongst themselves while they patiently waited, seeming like the most relaxed and normal teens there. That was most of them, of course.

The one outlier in this group of teens was Izumi. While she awaited the opening of the park gates, she bounced around in her seat while studying the map of the park to figure out a route to get the most out of her day.

“So we start with the Slingshot.” She had spread out the map over her lap and began aggressively pointing out the different rides across the map. “Then we work our way over to the Hi-Dive. Then the Devil Rattler. Then we will have some time to hit up the Haunted House before we-”

“I am already struggling to keep up with her energy,” Takuya, peeking over her shoulder, couldn't help but wonder how she managed to sustain such relentless excitement.

“Are you sure she’s OK?” one of Ichiro’s teammates leaned closer and talked quietly, “I don’t know man, she might be cramping our style today.”

Ichiro gave a slight shove, hoping it would be taken playfully. A strange look was given back, but a small smile was on his lips. “Don’t worry about her,” he put his hands in his pockets and shrugged, “If anything happens, I’ll take care of it.”

“Whatever you say, man.”

Shortly after, there was a loud chiming of a bell as the front gate attendants began unlocking the entrances and welcoming everyone in with warm calls. Excitedly, the group of teenagers moved in, taking in the amazing sites of the rides in the park. As they began to disperse into the crowds and lines, they came across a surprise no one was expecting.

It was a sight to behold, with even the most athletic among them finding themselves outpaced by a petite girl in a wheelchair. Her eyes sparkled with sheer joy as she propelled herself forward with determination, taking in every detail of the park. The others could barely keep up as she steered them towards their first chosen ride.

In the early hours of the day, they managed to secure a spot on the first ride. Its design involved starting off close to the ground before propelling passengers high into the air, bouncing them around on rubber lines that connected the compartment to the sides of the ride. Thus, the name Slingshot being very apt.

However, Izumi encountered her first challenge here. After patiently waiting in line, she found herself face to face with her new adversary. Well, sort of.

Across from her stood a lively cartoon display of Wonder Bear, the park's goofy mascot. With a wide grin and a raised hand, the bear seemed to mockingly declare, “All boys and girls must be this tall to ride this ride, haha!”. It didn’t take Ichiro long to realize that this was the same bear that was the charm on her cell phone. He stood back and watched as the rest of the group went on up ahead to get on the ride itself.

Positioning her wheelchair next to the plastic standee of Wonder Bear, Izumi looked up and saw the bear's hand towering above her head. Even when she raised herself up using her arms, she fell short.

Frustration washed over her, but fortunately, the ride attendant noticed her struggle. Sensing her determination, the attendant retrieved a measuring stick specifically designed for wheelchair users. To Izumi's relief, she just barely met the height requirement. With one hurdle conquered, she now faced the next.

Approaching the front of the ride, Izumi realized an issue she hadn't anticipated. How was she going to get into the ride on her own? The attendant kindly offered to hold her chair, but if she couldn't get in independently, she wouldn't be able to ride.

Summoning her courage, Izumi signaled a thumbs-up to the attendant and prepared herself to transfer from her wheelchair. Pushing up with her slender arms, she managed to gain some height but couldn't move any further. She remained motionless, her arms trembling and a constipated expression on her face as she desperately willed herself to the side, to no avail. The literal uphill battle ended with her just being too short to maneuver her body over to the slightly higher seat than she could push herself up to.

Meanwhile, inside the ride compartment, the rest of her group observed Izumi's valiant effort with some snickering. Takuya and Hina, sitting across from her, couldn't help but stifle their laughter at her struggles. Whispers began to roll in from the teens, ones of frustration on how long it was taking for the ride to start. Followed then by more laughs.

Suddenly, without any conscious thought, Ichiro sprang into action. Reaching under Izumi's arms, he effortlessly lifted her into the compartment next to him. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized she was being moved, while her face turned increasingly crimson.

“Huh!?” she squeaked once her safety belt was fastened around her, bewildered and looking in all directions at once, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Ichiro, on the other hand, maintained a stone-faced expression, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, keeping his gaze fixed forward after getting into his seat afterward, facing Takuya.

Before Izumi could even pose her question about what he was thinking, or before Hina could properly react aside from being awed and then quietly pouting to herself, the attendant signaled a thumbs-up to the operator.

Without another word, the ride was launched high into the air. As the ride soared to its zenith, a chorus of ecstatic shouts filled the air.

“Whoo!! HAHAHA!!” Takuya's voice resounded with unbridled joy as they reached the top of the ride and slowed to a halt.

“AHHHH!!” Hina struggled to contain her excitement as they rapidly changed course and quickly descended again.

“Huh!? Huh!? Huh!?” Izumi squealed with a mix of confusion and exhilaration each time they bounced back up.

Ichiro remained silent, his eyes fixed forward, gripping the safety bar tightly with white-knuckled hands.

The others in their group were also having their fun while the ride slowly descended back to the ground safely. Hopping off the ride quickly, they made their way towards their next ride.

Ichiro stuck behind as his friends all walked off, being loud with excitement. Izumi was having a hard time getting out of her seat, though she had already waved off the ride attendant who offered to help her. Then her eyes went wide as she lost her balance and went tumbling towards her chair.

She winced and braced for impact, but her landing was softer than expected. Opening her eyes, she realized that once again Ichiro had his hands under her arms and was lowering her down to her seat. She felt like a little child in his hands.

Once she was seated, she began swatting her arms at him, “I told you not to do that to me!”

Ichiro kept his face solid as he looked down at her. “It's OK to ask for help when you can’t do something. It’s what I promised you, right?”

Izumi’s face flushed bright red as she grumbled under her breath, unlocking her chair to catch back up with the group again. Shaking his head, Ichiro followed along slightly behind her.

They took longer than expected to meet up with their group, so they were already on the next one when they arrived. Sitting out and watching the roller coaster rattle and roll across the track at a faster speed than Ichiro had expected it to run at. He could feel sweat trickle down his neck as he thought about riding it.

Off to his side, Izumi sat slumped over her knees with her elbows propping her head up. A completely miffed face causing her brow to twitch in frustration. The air was quiet between them as the theme park buzzed with excitement.

Several minutes that felt like a near eternity, they saw the other teens coming out of the exit of the ride, still all giddy, though some shaking, from the excitement of the ride.

They moved on to the next ride without even trying to regroup with Izumi and Ichiro, who both quickly moved to catch up as they went to the next ride. But once they made it to the front of the line where yet another Wonder Bear was located, Izumi froze. She watched as the others walked by undeterred, a few even patting the cartoon bear on the head as they made their way onto the ride. The attendant gave her a look, wondering if she was getting on, thus halting the ride for the time being.

“Maybe I will sit this one out,” Izumi chuckled, trying to hide the trembling in her voice as she backed slowly away before pivoting away from the line back towards the entrance again. The others gave small chuckles as they went back to getting ready for the ride.

“I think I am going to sit this one out too.” Ichiro waved at his friends as he also started to make his way from the ride.

“What?” Hina called out to him as her safety belt was being checked by the assistant, “You aren’t going to ride with us?”

“I don’t do well on extreme rides,” Ichiro shook his head before heading out towards the waiting area at the end of the ride. He could hear murmurs from everyone, wondering what he was doing right before the ride started, and those whispers turned to cheers instantly.

Though he wasn’t looking towards the ride, Ichiro could still feel a pair of eyes watching him as he walked away.

Once he was out on the main walkway of the park, he found Izumi sitting by herself at a table near one of the food stalls. She was twirling a straw around in her lemonade while she laid her head down over the table.

She was shaken awake by him pulling up a chair and sitting across from her. He wasn’t looking at her, but rather up at the top of the roller coaster just as the others began their plunge down the track.

“Not joining your friends?” She mumbled to him with cut and irritated eyes.

“I don’t like extreme rides,” He sighed, leaning back and placing an arm over his eyes as he looked skyward. “I was barely able to keep my breakfast down on that first one. Anymore and I might actually puke…”

“Sounds lame.” Izumi grunted before taking a sip of her lemonade.

“Having fun yet?”

Izumi’s eyes fluttered as she nearly choked on her drink. Glancing sideways at the boy still with his arm up over his eyes, “Who me?”

“Who else would I be talking to here?”

Turning her eyes back down to the sweet drink below her, she hesitated for a moment. “Don’t worry about me. You should go on having fun with your friends.”

“Like I said, I don’t like being sick.” He lifted his arm up just enough to look at her again.

“That’s not what I meant…” She spoke very softly, near silently, before finishing off her drink again.

Slightly off in the distance, she spotted the group exiting the ride and moving onward just as she finished her drink.

Izumi’s eyes sparkled again as she moved her chair to meet up with them again. Moving alongside Hina, she spoke with an eager voice, “Next up is the Ferris Wheel. Who is excited about that one?”

The boisterous voices of the group suddenly simmered down as confused and bemused glances darted about. Some turned towards Ichiro for a hint as to what to say. In reply, he only shrugged his shoulders, basically saying, “Well are you?”

They turned to look at Hina, who had stopped and was looking down at the still excited girl before her. They locked eyes for a hot second before a smile crept its way over her lips. “Sure yeah, let’s go ride the Ferris Wheel now.” She spoke sweetly.

Some of Ichiro’s friends began to nudge him and make him join up with Hina. “Here’s your chance man,” They swooned behind him mockingly, “Get a gondola alone with her and seal the deal man!”

“Come on, Nakagawa,” Hina offered out to the wheelchair bound girl as she moved out towards the large metal circle out in the distance, standing boldly against the overcast sky. Izumi was left flabbergasted for a moment before she energetically nodded and followed behind her.

The rest of the group seemed to also be slightly confused as they stayed still, exchanging looks to one another as they wondered what had just transpired. They didn’t start moving until Ichiro had already begun moving first, trying to quickly catch up to the other girls who were already about to line up.

The groups were made ironically by gender. First on the ride was Hina and Izumi, who strangely got their own gondola, followed by Ichiro and his teammates. Hina’s friend group had their own at the end of the line.

Feeling the swing of the gondola under him, Ichiro felt slightly queasy but was able to hold it down by leaning against the railing with his head resting on the back of his hands.

“Dude, you are so lame!” Takuya laughed at his friend while still looking out the windows at the cityscape spreading out below them.

“Shut it, I am not in the mood right now,” Ichiro grumbled, covering his eyes with his hands.

“Why didn't you just say that the rides would make you nauseous before we even got here?” One of his friends leaned over, shaking his head at the miserable teenager.

Ichiro lifted his head slightly, wincing in discomfort as he answered, “Everyone looking forward to this, I didn't want to ruin that.”

Takuya's smile faltered for a moment. “Is that what you thought was happening?”

“What are you-” Ichiro began to raise himself up to get a better look at his friend after hearing that remark. But before he could properly question the other teen, a shudder moved through his body, causing him to duck his head back down.

Sighing and shaking his head frustratingly, Takuya answered the start of a question, “I can’t believe you just let them go.”

Takuya's sudden words penetrated Ichiro's thoughts, snapping back to reality. Glancing at his friend still seated on the bench across from him in the gondola, who was shaking his head, he watched as he leaned down, resting his arms on his knees.

“Why not?” Ichiro questioned while holding his nausea at bay, his eyes subtly narrowing with a hint of resentment at Takuya's implication. “They both wanted to go.”

Takuya raised a hand to the bridge of his nose, pressing lightly as if trying to ward off an impending headache. “Not the way you think they do.”

“Izumi did-” Ichiro retorted quickly but was swiftly interrupted by his friend.

“Geez, man, that’s the problem.”

As Takuya spoke, he sank back into the seat, letting his body go limp as he emitted a long, drawn-out sigh. Ichiro felt his brow twitch in frustration at the sight. “What's the matter, dude?” he called out to his friend, his words laced with thinly veiled irritation. “You've been acting weird for a while now.”

Takuya rolled his head forward just enough to gaze down his nose, firing back a response. "I'm not the weird one here, dude.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Ichiro could feel his jaw tightening as he pressed his friend for more information.

“You've been following Nakagawa like some lost puppy for a while now,” Takuya answered, leaning forward once again, his brow furrowed as he sat up straight for the first time during their conversation. “You've even been going out with her a couple of times.”

He gave a harsh look to all of his friends, as if questioning them as to the meaning of what he was hearing. The others on the ride threw up their hands. “Hey, man, we offered to ditch her, you wouldn’t bite.”

“So?” Ichiro retorted, raising a hand in confusion, unsure of where this conversation was headed. “It's not like we're dating or anything. We're just friends-”

“I don't care what you think at this moment, dude,” Takuya interjected, raising his palm flat toward Ichiro. “Hina has seen you two together, and it's been tearing her up.”

“What does she care?” Ichiro arched an eyebrow, puzzled by this accusation. “It's not like we're a couple. So why would she care if I hang out with someone else from time to time?”

“You, dude,” Takuya clenched his fist and pointed it towards his friend, his voice stern and annoyed as it rose in volume. The sudden movement caused the enclosed space to sway. “She cares for you. And she has for a long time now. She's been clinging to you for the past couple of years, and you've barely noticed her.”

“We've just been friends,” Ichiro snapped back, his eyes narrowed, his focus solely on Takuya at this moment. “Plus, she hasn't said anything to me about it. So I-”

“Does she have to say something for you to notice her feelings when she's been clinging to you every chance she gets?”

Those words hung heavily in the air, creating an immeasurable moment of tension. Biting his lip, Ichiro struggled to find his next words. “I just thought that was how she normally is,” he sighed, sinking firmly into the bench and turning his face away from Takuya. “I've let her do that to be nice.” He knew it wasn’t true, but he couldn’t bring himself to think of another reason why.

“Geez, you're such an idiot,” Takuya sighed, assuming a similar posture to Ichiro.

“What do you want from me?”

“Just be honest with her, man,” Takuya cut in, his voice softer but still carrying an edge. “If you only have eyes for Nakagawa, just tell Hina that. It might hurt to hear, but at least she'll know instead of being led on like this.”

“I'm not leading her on. I-” Ichiro jumped to his feet, ready to defend himself, but was once again interrupted in the conversation. However, this time it wasn't Takuya who silenced him.

The ride had come to the end of and the door opened for them to exit. Shooting angry glances at each other, the two of them made it off the ride silently. As they made their way to the exit, the thought that Hina and Izumi had to have exited first crossed Ichiro’s mind. But as he scanned the crowd, he saw no sign of Izumi there. But There was Hina standing tall with her arms crossed under her chest, a stern look on her face.

Following her gaze, he saw Izumi pushing her chair away from them, towards the exit. It was only just a glimpse, but Ichiro swore he saw a tear go down her cheek as she was leaving.

Instinctively, Ichiro’s feet moved as fast as they could carry him towards Izumi. Glancing back to Hina for an explanation, she gave him no response, merely standing there silently.

Frustration surged within Ichiro as the situation deteriorated. He could only release a frustrated grunt and swiftly turn on his heels, giving chase to Izumi. “Why are you leaving? Hey, wait up!”

“I'm going home now,” her voice wavered but remained clear in that fleeting moment.

From there, he had pursued her relentlessly as she hurriedly left the amusement park, amazed at the swiftness with which her petite arms propelled her forward. Finally spotting her, he ran with all of his might to catch up to her, desperately trying to engage her in conversation, but she refused to stop or even slow down, leaving him breathless. The only time she paused was at a traffic light that prevented her from crossing.

He had pursued her relentlessly as she hurriedly left the amusement park, amazed at the swiftness with which her petite arms propelled her forward. Finally spotting her, he ran with all of his might to catch up to her, desperately trying to engage her in conversation, but she refused to stop or even slow down, leaving him breathless. The only time she paused was at a traffic light that prevented her from crossing.

“What's going on?” Ichiro asked, resting his hands on his knees while his chest heaved with each labored breath. “Why are you leaving?”

“I'm done for today. Going home,” Izumi replied curtly, her gaze fixed on the traffic light, waiting for it to change.

“What happened?” he pressed, hoping for more answers.

“It doesn't matter,” she finally responded as the light turned green, and she began to move. However, her progress was abruptly halted once again. “Let go of my chair,” she demanded without even looking back, knowing that Ichiro was holding on, preventing her from leaving.

“Not until you tell me what's going on,” his tone remained firm and unwavering.

“Let go, or I'll start yelling and screaming for the police.”

Ichiro furrowed his brow, released his grip, and let out a defeated sigh. Izumi, feeling her newfound freedom, began to push herself across the now empty street. With her safely on the other side, the lights changed and a stream of cars created a barrier between them.