It was one of those bright, breezy afternoons where everything smelled like cotton candy, fried dough, and overpriced tickets. Jake was already regretting agreeing to tag along when Neela Jolene, his older sister who treated every outing like a red carpet event, tossed her arm around his shoulder and said way too cheerfully, “You’re riding the Ferris wheel with me, little bro.”

Jake groaned. “Seriously? Out of everything here?”

Neela nodded, grinning. “Yup. It’s the best part of the fair. And you’re not skipping it like last time.”

He glanced up at the massive spinning wheel towering into the sky, its colorful seats swaying gently in the breeze. “I don’t like heights.”

“You’re not even scared of anything!” Neela teased. “You literally tackled a kid last week in football like it was the Super Bowl.”

“Yeah, but the field doesn’t swing back and forth a hundred feet in the air!”

She rolled her eyes. “You’ll survive. C’mon, be brave. I already bought the tickets.”

Jake shot her a look. “You planned this, didn’t you?”

Neela shrugged with an innocent smile. “Maybe.”

A few minutes later, they were stepping into a yellow cart near the bottom. Jake hesitated before sitting, clutching the side rail like it might fly away any second. Neela plopped down next to him, practically bouncing with excitement.

As the wheel jerked into motion, Jake tightened his grip. “Oh no. Nope. I hate this already.”

“Relax!” Neela laughed, nudging him. “Look at the view!”

Jake peeled his eyes open just enough to see the fairgrounds getting smaller and smaller. The people below looked like ants now. The lights shimmered. Somewhere below, a kid screamed at the top of his lungs from a rollercoaster.

“You better not rock this thing,” he warned, eyes wide.

Neela snorted. “I wouldn’t! But also… this is kinda fun, right?”

Jake tried to glare at her but cracked a tiny smile. “It’s terrifying. But… I guess not the worst thing ever.”

They reached the top, and for a second everything was still. The sunset was spilling orange and pink over the skyline, the fair’s colorful lights blinking below them.

Neela nudged his arm and said quietly, “Not bad, huh?”

Jake took a deep breath and nodded. “Not bad. Still hate heights though.”

She laughed. “You’ll thank me later.”