The place was enormous. We stopped for a moment so I could take in the spectacle of it all. There was a giant two-story movie theater, a crazy-looking alien-themed miniature golf course and stores and restaurants everywhere. I could see Margaritaville, Bubba Gump's and The Hard Rock Orlando. Music blasted out of speakers, making it feel like we were in one big party."Come on," Dean laughed, dragging me along by the hand. "We're going to get you a hopper pass, so we'll be doing both parks, but first, we're going to hit Islands," Dean explained as we strolled along.
I nodded, overwhelmed by the crowds and jostling bodies as everyone hurried to their destinations. Two weeks ago, I would have freaked at the constant bumps and accidental touches as the large crowd bottlenecked near the entrance to Islands of Adventure.
Dean stepped up to the will-call booth and pulled out a credit card from his wallet.
"Hey, you don't have to buy my ticket," I protested, pulling out my small change purse.
"I didn't, although I would have. When my parents heard you'd never been to a theme park, they all but demanded I take you, claiming it was a travesty or something. It's their treat."
"What?" I asked, shocked at their generosity.
"They said to consider it an early birthday present."
"My birthday is in May," I squeaked out.
"Well then, consider it an early Christmas present, although I'm quite confident they'll get you something then too."
"That's ridiculous. They don't even know me."
"They do know you. They know you through me. Plus, they met you last night," he chastised me as we had our tickets and thumbs scanned to get in.
"But…" I said, letting my voice trail off as a noise as loud as a freight train rumbled through the space we had just entered. Awestruck, I looked up at the massive green track that looped over a small body of water. I watched in fascination as another roller-coaster car shot out of the chute like a cannon, barreling around the track. Its speed was exhilarating to watch.
"The Hulk?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the green monster in front of me.
"Yep, The Hulk," Dean crowed. "Ready?"
"Hell yeah," I said, letting him drag me toward the entrance.
The line inside was shorter than I expected and I could see them boarding passengers up ahead.
"It's kind of off-season right now, so the lines aren't that bad," Dean said, reading my mind. "During the summer, the line would be all the way outside," he added.
"Seriously?" I asked, thinking of the long trek through the maze of bars we had walked through to get here.
"Yeah, usually we buy the skip-the-lines passes during peak session. That way, you get on quicker."
"That's crazy. I bet people are stuck in line forever."
He laughed. "I once waited two hours to ride this," he said proudly.
"You're insane."
"We'll see what you say after you ride it," he said knowingly as we edged closer.
"How many?" a bored ride attendant asked.
"Two," Dean said.
"Row two," the attendant said, pointing us toward the big number "2" stenciled on the ground.
The ground beneath our feet rumbled as a new car pulled up to our holding corrals. Excitement hummed through me as we boarded the car and pulled our shoulder restraints down until they locked into place. I gripped the metal handrails on my shoulder restraints and looked over at Dean.
His excitement matched mine as he reached over and patted my knee. "You ready?" he asked as the car slowly pulled away from the loading platform.
"Hell ye…" I started to say as my words were ripped from me when our car took off like a jet. Our green Hulk car barreled down the tracks making my teeth knock together as we were flipped upside down in one of the big loops and then another shortly after that. Everyone was screaming, and the wind blew against my face. I had never felt so alive. Before I knew it, the ride was slowing down and we were back at the start.
"Holy crap balls, let's do it again," I said, climbing out of the vehicle with my legs shaking when the ride finally jerked to a stop.