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She yanks on my hand and then flings it away. I let out a shriek as I teeter against the loose dirt and rocks below. As my body sways back and forth, I eye the lake below. I can’t exactly make out what they’re saying, but there’s hollering and cheering.
I still haven’t caught my balance, and in a moment of impulse, I step off the edge. Rushing through the air, my hands flail above my head. In a panic move, I clutch my chest before hitting the water.
All noise mutes as I surge into the lake. Water rushes into my nose and down my throat. I thrust my limbs in a scramble, making my way to the surface.
Spitting out water and coughing hard, I barely hear Parker as he approaches.
“You jumped solo?” he questions.
I cough again, taking in the impressed faces of both boys.
My voice is raspy as I rush to say, “Yvie pulled away and made me lose my balance.”
Concern brightens Lewis’s eyes. “Is Yvie okay?”
My stomach drops. I’m the one who jumped, but he’s worried about her.
The defeat is hard to shake. I flail in a bad attempt to tread water. My hair mattes over my face and I desperately gulp for air.
“Hey, hey,” Parker coos, pushing his way toward me. “Don’t panic.”
Anxiety pumps through me as Parker nears my thrashing limbs. He manages to clutch my hands, steadying my wild movements.
“I got you,” Parker says, hoisting me against him. “Wow, Green. You really did it.”
My arms hang over Parker’s shoulders as I cough.
“I didn’t think you had it in you,” he teases. “Maybe next time you can try it without inhaling a mouthful of lake.”
My brow furrows. “Ha,ha.”
Lewis swims past us, gesturing up at the cliff. “I’m gonna check on Yvie.”
Parker looks up, asking, “You wanna do it again?”
I cough again. The remnants of lake water irritating my throat. “No, I’m not feeling so great.”
“Well, you did great,” Parker says, moving us toward the shoreline. “How about we take a breather?”
I nod against his shoulder, letting him carry me through the water.
When we reach the rocks, I’m careful not to slip on the wet surface. With everyone leaving the water after their jump to run back up the cliff, water has seeped into every crevice of the smooth and jagged area.
Out of the water, goosebumps litter my skin and I shiver my way across the rocks.
Parker laughs as he plucks our towels from the mess of dumped bags. “I can hear your teeth chattering from here.”
I can’t respond as my arms instinctively bunch over my chilled chest.
“Here,” Parker says, smirking as he whips my towel around me in one smooth action.
As I cinch it tight around me, I manage a garbled, “Thank you.”
Parker mumbles another laugh as he gathers his towel around his waist. “No problem.”
As we sit on the shady patch of grass, I drag my tote bag closer. “We can’t forget the snacks.”
“Mmm,” Parker purrs. “I knew I was fake dating the right girl.”
