Cassie turned to me, her eyes sparkling and her hair whipping in the wind. “Don’t worry. We’ll be okay.”
We started to climb a steep hill, gravity pushing me back against my seat. I turned to Cassie, determined to talk to her as much as possible. I didn’t know how much time I had.
“Are you happy where you are now? Are you in heaven?”
Cassie laughed, the sound carefree and melodic. “Typical Maddie. We’re in the middle of a rollercoaster ride, and you’re still asking questions.” Her face glowed. “I’m happy. I don’t really know what it’s called where I am, but I’m finally happy.”
We reached the summit of the hill and paused. I squeezed the bar in front of me as tightly as I could, and then we were plummeting down, wind rushing past my face as my stomach dipped.
“Scream!” Cassie ordered above the sound of the wind. “Let go!”
I screamed and immediately felt a lightening of my soul. I felt free and euphoric. I was laughing when we reached the bottom, feeling happier than I had in a long time.
“I forgot how much fun this is,” I admitted. Cassie smiled but didn’t say anything as the rollercoaster rounded a bend. “I wish I could stay here with you.”
Cassie’s expression sobered. “It’s not your time yet, Maddie. As much as I want you to stay, you need to go back.”
The thought of going back to the mess of my life made my heart sink. I had no one to love and no one to love me. I could be happy here with my best friend, forever on a rollercoaster.
“There’s nothing left for me.”
Cassie shook her head. “Of course there is.” Her serious expression was replaced by one of glee. “Oh, my God, there’s a huge drop coming up.”
We were starting to climb a hill that made the one we had just gone on seem like nothing. We ascended to the crest, and then we were soaring. I closed my eyes, screaming into the wind. I was no longer on a rollercoaster. I was flying.
When we got to the bottom, I opened my eyes, laughing. I turned to tell Cassie how amazing this was and my heart wrenched. The seat beside me was empty. Where was she?
“Cassie!” I yelled out, twisting in my seat to see if I could see her below on the ground, but there was no one there. I was grief-stricken. There was still so much to say. I didn’t want to leave her.
“Cassie!” I was screaming, tears running down my face. The rollercoaster abruptly slowed down, making a horrible screeching noise as metal grinded against metal as the brakes engaged. What had felt like an incredible ride now felt like a nightmare. I closed my eyes again, willing myself to wake up.
My eyes flew open and I squinted against the harsh light. I heard a beeping noise and turned my head towards the sound. It was a monitor and I followed the line to my arm, where I was hooked up to it. I closed my eyes again, feeling exhausted and drained. Images started to rush through my head. Cassie on a rollercoaster, and then Kristina pointing a gun at me. I gasped and opened my eyes again, frantically searching the hospital room to see if she was waiting to finish me off. I was relieved when I saw it was empty.
The door to my room opened, and relief flooded through me when I saw Emily.
“You’re awake!” she exclaimed as she rushed to my bedside. Her face was drawn and lines of fatigue were evident.
“What happened?” I croaked.
Emily bit her lip. “You don’t remember?”
“I remember Kristina. That’s about it.”
She gave me a puzzled look. “What about Kristina? I’m the one that found you when I came to drop off Lola.” She took my hand and squeezed it. “Thank God I did. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t found you when I did.”
I wrinkled my forehead. Kristina had pointed a gun at me. Had she shot me? I looked down and patted myself, but I didn’t feel any wounds. My mind was foggy as I tried to grasp onto the memory of what had happened.
“Did I get shot?” I asked, despite not having found a bullet wound.
Emily frowned. “You don’t remember taking the pills?” she asked gently.
“What pills?”
She took a deep breath before replying. “You took a bottle of sleeping pills. They had to pump your stomach.”
“No,” I said. Emily must be wrong. There was no way I would have tried to kill myself. I rubbed my forehead, trying to get my thoughts straight. “Kristina was in my apartment with a gun.”
Emily’s expression didn’t change but I saw the concern in her eyes. “Madison, you left a note explaining why you did it.”