“I don’t think there’s any hope for you,” Leland says.
“No! There’s hope,” Cassel cries as the instructor shows me what to do and checks that my gear is on properly.
“You ready?” he asks.
“I guess!”
“Just remember that I’m in there with you. If you have any questions or feel uncomfortable at any point, just let me know,” Ronny says.
“Thanks.”
He guides me into the tube and I realize that I had nothing to worry about at all.
Floating in the air is wildly fun. It’s so strange having this feeling of being able to move so freely… well, eventually. Right now he’s showing me the basics, teaching me how to turn this way and that, and then he pulls me up higher while holding on to me. I have to admit… Leland really knocked this one out of the park.
After we all get to go a couple more times, we head out to the van.
“Did you see how high he took me up?” Cam asks.
Waylon nods. “I want to learn how to do those flips and stuff the instructor was doing. Did you see the way he did that?”
“You can ask Leland, he once rode a tornado,” Cassel sarcastically says.
“I will mess you up,” Leland threatens. “I don’t care how tiny and cute you are… I will?—”
“There are children here,” I remind him.
“Oh right… I will… hug you, Cassel,” Leland says.
Cassel’s face scrunches up. “I’d rather you mess me up.”
“I will portray my love for you through the ultimate hug of affection,” Leland says, snatching up Cassel just as we reach the van. He says something in Cassel’s ear that makes him squirm even harder.
“Jeremy, save me!” Cassel cries.
“Jerebear, you don’t want to save him. I promise you,” Leland warns.
“You guys hungry?” Jeremy asks, giving zero fucks about whatever is going on over there.
“I am,” I say. “We could get pizza or something. I think we drove by a place.”
Leland looks disgusted by that idea. “Hey! Stop! I haveplans, dammit… I mean… uh… what’s another word that is proper for fragile ears?”
“There is nothing you can say that we haven’t heard in public school,” Waylon says.
“Is that a bet?” Leland asks.
“Get in the van,” I say as I push him inside.
“Fine, fine. So feisty! Waylon, where’s your birthday hat?”
Waylon does some strange show of patting his head. “I… uh… must have left it inside. Oh, no.”
“That’s okay, I got you another one,” Leland says before he pulls out a “Bride to be” crown and pops it on Waylon’s head. “Perfect.”
“I should have kept the other hat on,” Waylon realizes as Cam laughs and takes a picture of him.
“I’m sending it to Sally,” Cam declares, and boy does that make Waylon react more than anything Leland’s done to him.
