No one else is in the clearing. We’re too large of a group to all approach the cliff ledge at once—I’m not even sure if everyone who came is planning on jumping, but I am. So, I walk ahead as part of the first group. So does Wren.
“Want to go first?” Aaron asks her as she pulls off my sweatshirt.
“Sure,” she answers, tossing the hoodie on the ground and walking closer to the edge.
Wren doesn’t hesitate this time. Nor does she kiss Aaron, in case she’s about to die, which is a relief. She runs and leaps, allowing plenty of clearance from the rocks clustered against the cliff’s face.
Aaron steps ahead to jump next. No doubt hoping for a romantic moment in the water before the rest of us join them.
Gus holds a hand out, blocking him. “Wait for her to come up first.”
I frown, taking a step forward so I can peer over the edge. All I see are blue waves topped with whitecaps. No blonde hair. It’s choppy, but not dangerously rough. Especially for a strong swimmer.
More seconds tick past. I’m too panicked to count them precisely, but the number I do is too high. She should have surfaced by now. Icy terror floods my veins, freezing my heart and stalling my breathing.
Gus glances nervously at me. “She cleared the rocks fine, so—Cap!”
I barely hear his shout over the wind whistling in my ears. Salty water closes over my head a few seconds later. I kick my feet viciously, realizing I didn’t take my T-shirt off. Saturated cotton sticks to my arms, billowing around my chest and hindering my progress. Still, when my head breaks through the waves, it looks like I’m the only one in the ocean.
“Wren!” I yell, treading water and rotating in circles as I desperatelysearch the surf for another head.
It gets deep here, fast, which is why it was selected as a jump spot. But she could have gotten slammed by a piece of driftwood, or there could be a shark or a jellyfish, or?—
“Hi!” She pops up like a buoy right in front of me, slicking blonde hair out of her face and smiling hugely as she sucks in a deep breath. “I’ve been practicing in the pool. I can do three laps now without?—”
I nearly sink; I’m so weak with relief. And then? Then I’m fucking furious. So mad that I can’t say a word. I start swimming toward the shore, my waterlogged shirt barely slowing my angry strokes.
“Sawyer!” Wren calls, but I can’t stop. Can’t talk.
I reach the sandy section of the shore in record time, yanking my shirt off as soon as I can stand. It rips, and I couldn’t give a single shit.
“Sawyer!” She’s still following. Still shouting my name.
I’m out of the water, striding toward the path that leads back up to the top. Except I’m not headed there. I need to be somewhere—anywhere—else. Gus can catch a ride home with someone else. All our friends are here.
“Hey!” Wren sounds angry now too.
And she’s catching up. I can hear the splashing as she reaches the shallows. Hear her rapid breathing as she runs after me, grabbing my arm and yanking me to face her.
“What the?—”
“Did you think that wasfunny?” I barely recognize the sound of my own voice. Each syllable seethes with fury.
Her annoyed expression wavers. “I mean, I was just holding my?—”
“My sister fucking drowned, Wren. Skylar got caught in a rip current, and they couldn’t save her in time.”
Wren’s grip on my arm goes slack. I literally see the blood drain fromher cheeks, turning her flushed face pale.
“I-I had no idea.”
I close my eyes. “I know.”
Another thing I’ve fucked up. Because I didn’t know how to tell her. Because I’d never had to tell someone before. This was the worst possible way to go about it—blaming her for trauma she hadn’t even known existed.
“I’msosorry about your sister, Sawyer. I-I didn’t mean to … I wasn’t—I didn’t think I was under for that long.”
I have no idea how long Wren was under for. Each second felt like hours dragging by since I freaked out as soon as she didn’t come up right away. Not only because it was a reminder of what had happened to Skylar, but because it was Wren who might have been in trouble.
