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"No, not them," Jeremy said "They already look like they’ve been puked on"

Tod thought that was so hilarious, he choked on his ice creaht

"Funny about this ice crea

Jeremy bit: "What’s funny about it?"

"I know the ice cream is made from milk, which comes from cows And they make chocolate out of cocoa beans But whose nuts do they crush to sprinkle over it all?"

Yeah, for sure, old Tod was all right in so the loudest, feeling good, he leaned across the table, swatted Jereside the head, and said, "You and ht forever, friends till they feed us to the worht?"

He really believed it He had conned himself He was so stupidly sincere that he made Jeremy want to puke on hionna do next, try to kissup on the irandrandma doesn’t have an ass"

"Yeah? Then what’s she sit on?"

"Your face"

They kept ragging each other all the way to Swaood for a lot of jokes because of that For a while, Tod was just wild and fun to be around

Later, however, after they ca to them as "the two best rocket jockeys in the universe," which half embarrassed Jeremy because it was so stupid and juvenile It also irritated hi "we’re buddies, blood brothers, pals" They’d get on the Scorpion, and just as it pulled out of the station, Tod would say, "This is nothing, this is just a Sunday drive to the two best rocket jockeys in the universe" Or they’d be on their way into World of the Giants, and Tod would throw his arm around Jeremy’s shoulder and say, "The two best rocket jockeys in the universe can handle a fuing giant, can’t we, bro?"

Jeremy wanted to say, Look, you jerk, the only reason we’re friends is because your old ot thrown together I hate this arm-around-the-shoulders shit, so just knock it off, let’s have sohs and be happy with that Okay?

But he did not say anything of the sort because, of course, good players in life never adame If you let the other players see you didn’t care about the rules and regulations, they wouldn’t let you play Go to Jail Go directly to Jail Don’t pass Go Don’t have any fun

By seven o’clock that evening, after they had eaten enough junk food to produce radically interesting vomit if they really did decide to puke on anyone, Jeremy was so tired of the rocket jockey crap and so irritated by Tod’s friendship rap, that he couldn’t wait for ten o’clock to roll around and Mrs Ledderbeck to pull up to the gate in her station wagon

They were on the Millipede, blasting through one of the pitch-black sections of the ride, when Tod made one too many references to the two best rocket jockeys in the universe, and Jereh his mind, he knew he had to a to be a whole hell of a lot of fun--unless you found ways to break the rules and still be allowed to play Any game was a bore if you played by the rules--Monopoly, 500 ruetting caught, or changed the nua aith est kick of all

When the Millipede shrieked to a halt at the debarkation platforain"

"Sure," Tod said

They hurried along the exit corridor, in a rush to get outside and into line again The park had filled up during the day, and the wait to board any ride was now at least twenty minutes

When they came out of the Millipede pavillion, the sky was black in the east, deep blue overhead, and orange in the west Twilight caer at Fantasy World than in the western part of the county, because between the park and the distant sea rose ranks of high, sun-sing hills Those ridges were now black silhouettes against the orange heavens, like Halloween decorations out of season

Fantasy World had taken on a new, hts outlined the rides and buildings White twinkle lights lent a festive sparkle to all the trees, while a pair of unsynchronized spotlights swooped back and forth across the snow-covered peak of the lowed in all the hues that neon offered, and out on Mars Island, bursts of brightly colored laser bea off a spaceship attack Scented with popcorn and roasted peanuts, a wararlands of pennants overhead Music of every period and type leaked out of the pavilions, and rock-’n’-roll boomed from the open-air dance floor at the south end of the park, and fro People laughed and chattered excitedly, and on the thrill rides they were screa

"Daredevil this time," Jeremy said as he and Tod sprinted to the end of the Millipede boarding line

"Yeah," Tod said, "daredevil!"

The Millipede was essentially an indoor roller coaster, like Space Mountain at Disneyland, except instead of shooting up and down and around one huge roo series of tunnels, some lit and soht enough to be safe, but if a kid was sliile, he could contort himself in such way as to squeeze out fro well Then he could lean against the lap bar and grip it behind his back--or hook his ar daredevil