"Come on, guys, this is bullshit!" Beca loudly exclaimed while waiting in line for the newest and biggest roller coaster in the amusement park her group of friends dragged her to for the day. "You know I didn't even want to go on this ride, and now you are forcing me to be the single rider? How is this fair?"

Due to their uneven number of people, one of their group would need to go in the single riders' line of the coaster. The group had unanimously chosen Beca to mess with her. And, they weren't backing down. Giving her friends one last glare, Beca slinked off to the back of the single riders' line and sighed.

"We'll know if you don't go on the ride, Beca!" Jesse shouted after her. "We can see the pictures at the end!" In return, he saw Beca flash the middle finger as she walked away.

Shortly after she got in line, a cute redhead joined behind her and gave Beca a small smile as she played with her phone while waiting. The queue steadily moved forward, and before Beca knew it, she got into a car with the redhead behind her. Glancing at the girl, Beca sighed again and pulled the safety bar down over her shoulders.

"Nervous?" The redhead asked.

"Fucking petrified," Beca replied. "I hate roller coasters, and my friends forced me on this one. Not to mention, they are all together while they stuck me on the single riders' line just to fuck with me. They are terrible, terrible people."

Beca's companion chuckled. "I'm also the odd one out of my group, but I volunteered to go by myself. I love these crazy roller coasters, and the rest of my friends are such babies about them. I'd rather enjoy this myself!" After seeing Beca's incredulous look, she added, "don't worry. This one is not as scary as it appears to be."

The ride attendant then appeared beside them to check their safety locks. Clearing them, he moved on. "Well, here goes nothing," Beca mumbled as her hands turned white as she gripped onto the safety bar. Glancing to her left, all she saw was a pair of sparkling blue eyes ready for adventure.

A computerized voice came across the speakers, "Hang on! Blast off is in 3 – 2 – 1…" With a low pitched tone, the line of cars lurched forward and up the first hill. The height of that hill would provide the momentum for the rest of the ride, including the triple loops. The chain beneath the cars caught on the hook and jerked the riders up the steep hill with a loud clank, clank, clank.

Ducking her head and tucking her face into the corner of the car, Beca ensured she was unable to see anything. "Gawd, the anticipation has to be one of the worse parts," she muttered to herself. When a hand unexpectedly landed on her thigh, Beca jumped.

"It's okay," the redhead yelled over the noisy chains pulling them into the sky. "Two and a half minutes and this will all be over." Beca opened her eyes a slit to see those bright blue eyes peering at her. She drew some comfort from the stranger's kind face.

Until. The train jerked to a halt. Quiet stillness.

When the hand on her thigh gripped to the point of pain, Beca braved the pit in her stomach and opened her eyes wide. "Ummm, why aren't we moving?" Beca looked around and noticed the train was almost to the peak of the first hill yet sitting still. At this point, the car should have crowned that crest and been well into the terrifying trip down, up, and around its path through hell. The roller coaster height didn't bother her; it was the weightless feelings of the drops and the centripetal forces pressing her into her seat through loop-the-loops. So now, Beca was just irritated.

A small whimper snapped Beca's attention from looking across the park from her high viewpoint. Her seatmate had slid down as far as her seatbelt and shoulder straps would allow. "No, no, no, no." Her blue eyes were clamped shut, and now her fingernails were digging into Beca's thigh.

"Hey, hey, hey now. Don't panic! Oh, shit, you aren't supposed to tell someone who is panicking not to panic" Beca tried to slip her hand under the redhead's to keep the woman from breaking the skin on her thigh. The over-confident thrill seeker sitting next to her had turned into a mess. She put her other hand beneath the woman's chin and lifted her head. "Ummm, open your eyes; look at me. Come on, open your eyes." When the woman finally did, Beca smiled at her. "Hi there. I'm Beca. What's your name?"

"Chloe." Her voice was timid, soft, nothing like the one belonging to the confident seatmate before the train started its trip up the fateful hill.

"Well, Chloe. I thought you loved crazy roller coasters and all that jazz." The redhead released her iron grip on Beca's leg and seemed content into holding the stranger's hand. "What's wrong?"

The redhead's voice was shaky. "I love the adrenaline, the rush of it all. The heights, not so much. Those are simply a means to an end." She was not looking around, trying to keep her eyes glued on Beca's.

Suddenly a voice came over small speakers. "Attention riders. Attention riders. We apologize for the delay. We are trying to clear a mechanical error by rebooting the computer. Once all other trains have made it safely back to the station, we will begin the reboot process. While you may see workers walking up and down the catwalk, please do not attempt to exit your car. I repeat, please do not attempt to exit your car. Thank you for your patience."

Beca gulped and glanced at Chloe, who had now visibly paled, but at least she wasn't hyperventilating. She thought for a few minutes what to do to keep Chloe from her panic and fear. "What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?" Beca's eyes widened with the strangeness of the question that came out of her, but it had the desired effect. Chloe turned her head to stare at Beca for a second.

"What?"

Beca shrugged. "So, what is it, the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?"

"My parents tricked me into eating octopus when we were in Japan. It was so nasty. Slimy and with an odd taste."

"You've been to Japan?"

"Yeah… My dad gets transferred a lot due to his business. We lived there for about two years when I was thirteen. They have a lot of interesting food combinations there."

"Octopus?" Beca scoffed. "Really? Haven't you ever had calamari? I am talking about WEIRD foods!"

"Uh, then I guess I don't have any. You?"

"Sure, my aforementioned terrible, terrible friends often dare each other to eat disgusting food combinations. But the weirdest one I ever ate was definitely a peanut butter and pickle sandwich." Chloe stared at her in disgust, and Beca laughed. "Yeah, I puked after it. I don't recommend it."

Chloe laughed for the first time since they halted to a stop high in the air and on an incline. Beca knew she had to keep talking and keep Chloe distracted. Before she knew it, another question vomited out of her mouth. "You seeing anyone?"

Chloe smiled as Beca turned a shade of pink. "You offering?" She teased gently.

"Uhhh, making conversation?" Beca's voice pitched up at the end, making the statement a question. Chloe giggled again.

"No…I'm not. My girlfriend, well, ex, and I broke up a few weeks ago. Let's say irreconcilable differences. What about yourself?"

"Girlfriend, huh," Beca thought in her head, definitely surprised but happy at the nugget of information. "No. Nope. Not for a while. Can't seem to find any girls who want to put up with me." She smirked.

"Girls. Well, that's convenient that we are stuck together then, huh? And both single. Maybe we should make out to pass the time." An abrupt choking fit followed her sentence. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Yup. Fantastic," Beca sputtered out.

"I was only kidding, you know. About the making out part." Chloe seemed a lot more at ease since the strangers had been talking. "Unless you are interested, of course."

"Ummm, errrrr, ahhhh." Chloe's seatmate was speechless.

"Relax, Beca. I don't bite." When Beca relaxed some, Chloe continued, "unless you want me to."

"Maybe later, when we aren't stuck." Beca was trying to overcome her shyness. "This reboot is taking forever." Chloe had buried her face in Beca's side so she wouldn't accidentally look down. Beca craned her body around and looked behind them like she could see what was going on in the control booth. "They need to give us an update."

The seatmates visited a bit more about their lives. Beca learned that Chloe was in her last year of grad school. "It's Spring Break right now, so my friends and I are here for one last hurrah before adulthood starts."

"I went to college for a year then ran off to Los Angeles to get involved in the music industry. I am only here visiting the few friends I made during that year." She explained that her main focus was on producing music for a small studio, but she was a songwriter on the side. "I don't do much with the songs, though; they are mostly for me. Fun, I suppose."

Beca caught a worker's attention who was walking the catwalk. "Could we get an update, you think? This computer reboot is taking an awfully long time." The worker assured her he'd find out what he could and have another announcement made.

A few minutes later, another announcement blared through the ride's speakers. "Attention riders. Attention riders. We apologize for the delay. Please be assured we are doing our best to clear the mechanical error as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued patience."

As soon as the announcement finished, Beca could feel Chloe tensing up. The musician eased into the next best thing to a conversation that she could think of to distracting someone – singing. Without putting much thought into it, Beca put her arm around Chloe and began tapping out a beat on her shoulder as she sang softly.

You're the one that I've been waiting for
Gotta quit this cryin'
Nobody's gonna heal me if I don't open the door
Kinda hard to believe, gotta have faith in me

She lifted Chloe's chin so she could see the redhead's eyes and continued the song.

Freak out, I freak out, I freak out, I freak out (look at me)
I get down, I get down, I get down, I get down (look at me)
I freak out, I freak out, I freak out, I freak out
Look at me now

Beca's audience of one smiled. "That's catchy; I like it. I haven't heard it before." The brunette chuckled. "What? I haven't. It's going to be a hit, for sure."

"I doubt it. It will never make it to production." Beca's cheeks were rosy as she blushed with Chloe's compliments.

"Don't say that! I'm looking forward to hearing it. AND you have a beautiful voice. What makes you say that?"

"Because I wrote it. Well, it's a work in progress right now."

"I'm telling you it's a great song, Beca. I want to hear from you on the radio sometime soon." The singer chuckled. "Seriously, Becs. I'm going to hold you to it. Wait – is the park sounding announcements now?"

The pair went silent as the announcements repeated. "Attention park guests. Beca Mitchell, please meet your party at the front gate. Beca Mitchell, please meet your party at the front gate. The bus is scheduled to leave in ten minutes."

Beca pushed her feet on the bottom of the roller coaster car to raise herself against the straps. "Fuck, Chloe. Beca Mitchell, that's me. UGH. I made the group swear to a hard stop at six o'clock. I even threatened to leave anyone who wasn't at the meeting spot promptly at six. Damn it."

The redhead tried to calm her friend. It seemed as though they were alternatingly pacifying the other during times of freak-out. "Didn't they get on the same train as you? Aren't they stuck like us?"

"No, damn it." Beca was frustrated. "They all got on the train before me, probably didn't even notice that I didn't. Jesse probably thinks I skipped all together since I wasn't in the pictures."

"Can't you just call them?"

Beca fished her phone out of her back pocket where it had been for safekeeping. "Ugh, DEAD. I was going to charge it in the car."

"Do you know any of their numbers? You can use mine!" Chloe said.

Beca stared at her blankly. "Chloe, it is 2020. No one knows phone numbers!" She sighed and looked around. Two workers were marching up the stairs next to the rails, passing out water. "Ma'am. Ma'am!" Beca got the attention of the woman on her side.

"The park just called my name over the loud-speaker. My group is looking for me. I have ten minutes to make it to the front gate, or I'm going to be left behind." The worker explained she couldn't do anything to speed up the repair process. "Can you at least radio the front gate and have them let my friends know I'm stuck up here?"

When the worker agreed and left, Beca was slightly panicking. "What am I going to do, Chloe? They are going to leave me; I know they are going to take off – just to be funny. How am I going to get back to Barden? Fuck, my cab fare is going to be ridiculous."

"Barden? That's where I go to school," Chloe chirped. "You can ride with us." She teasingly pushed Beca's side. "Then maybe I can get that make-out session." Beca blushed. Chloe took a minute to text someone in her group, presumably. Then, changing the topic to make Beca more comfortable, she asked if Beca had attended Barden as well.

"Yes, for that one year. My dad is a professor there, and he wanted me to get a real college education before going after my 'hobby' or so he says. I was really against it and wanted to start paying my dues, so he agreed if I tried for a year, like, really tried, and was still unhappy, he would help me move to LA. So, here we are! I just need to visit every so often and prove that I actually have a job, and sometimes he still sends me extra funds, which is nice as I am climbing the ranks."

The girls chatted another ten minutes before the car slowly started to move back down the start of the incline to settle at the beginning of the slope to begin the ride. Once the coaster went through its hills, dips, and triple loops, the train pulled under the awning and hissed to a stop. When they exited their car and got off the ride ramp, Beca sat on the ground. "LAND!"

Chloe giggled. "I thought you were so tough and kept me calm!"

Beca sighed. "It was all an act. Both of us couldn't freak out up there, at least not at the same time."

"Well, thank you. It means a lot. Ummm… I realize your phone is dead, but can you put your number in mine? I know you live out in California, but I really want to keep tabs on when you produce your beautiful song!" Chloe winked. Beca smiled and entered her number into Chloe's phone.

"Okay, well, I should see if my jackass friends waited for me or if I do need to take an Uber or something."

"Beca, don't be silly. You can totes catch a ride with us. Come on; I am heading to the front gate as well." Chloe grabbed Beca's hand and began to tug her forward. Once Beca was moving, Chloe did not drop her hand, and they walked that way to the gate.

"WOAHHHH Becaaaa! So THAT's what she was doing this whole time!" Beca's crowd of friends started yelling and jeering at her and Chloe.

"What are you guys even talking about?" Beca asked, forgetting she was still holding Chloe's hand.

Jesse pointed to Chloe and then their joined hands. Beca looked down, blushed, and yanked her hand away quickly. "It's not what you think!" She quickly glanced at Chloe and saw a flash of sadness on her face before she smiled brightly at everyone.

"Hi! I am Chloe. I was Beca's seatmate on the roller coaster that we just got stuck on for over an hour. Thank God she kept me calm."

"I bet…" Beca's friend, Amy, mumbled. Beca shot her a death glare. "When we didn't see you get off our train, we thought you chickened out."

"But when you didn't show up here in time for us to leave, we figured you were on the next train which had gotten stuck." Jesse gave a sheepish grin. "So, we had the park make the announcements to mess with you."

"Fuckers." Beca glared at her friends. "I hate all you nerds." She then thought about the brief sad look that had flashed across Chloe's face when Beca had pulled her hand away. So she slipped her fingers back into Chloe and turned to the redhead. "Are you still up for an extra passenger? I don't feel like being around these losers who call themselves my friends."

Chloe excitedly swung her arm back and forth. "Oh, totes," she chirped. "In fact, there my friends are." She pointed towards a group of women walking towards Beca's friends. The redhead tugged on Beca's hand to pull her towards the new group as Beca turned her head and stuck her tongue out at her pals. Chloe was all smiles as she pulled Beca's face close to hers. "I think that we're gonna be really fast friends."