Emmy smiled and put her camera down, turning to be sure I could see the honesty in her eyes. She kept moving, never missing a step as she said, “You know, maybe you should try to relax today. It’s a sunny day. We’re at the beach. I’m… trying to lead the shoot.”
“You’re doing a wonderful job.”
Emmy laughed a little. “Thanks. What I meant to say is, all you really have to worry about today is… smile.”
She took a photo of me without warning. I nervously pressed my hand to the top of my head. I didn’t check whether my edges were still laid and my bun was still centered.
Emmy noticed my discomfort and stopped walking backward so that she was beside me. “What’s the matter? David really getting to you? He seems chill enough today.”
I shook my head. “No, it isn’t David. I’m just… my head’s spinning, and relaxing isn’t exactly in my vocab. Plus, this year’s panels are going to be a pretty big deal for a lot of women on campus. I want to bring my A-game.”
“Whoa, Yara.” Emmy placed a hand on my shoulder. “Slow down. You’re breathing really fast.”
I stopped talking long enough to swallow and, sure enough, it felt like I was heaving air in and out.
Emmy frowned. “Are you taking time for yourself? Like regular breaks. TV veg-out days? Because from our group chat, you always have something in the pipeline. It worries me. It worries all of us.”
“I do.” The lie easily slipped off my lips, so silky smooth. I hated the taste of it, but I was in love with how it felt. “I just don’t talk about the mundane stuff much.”
She studied me for a second. “Okay, sure. But if you get too overwhelmed, you should talk to one of us. Indie’s really great at understanding pressure and anxiety, and Covee was super helpful whenever I got lonely over the summer break. We’re all here to help. Sisterhood, remember?”
My shoulder relaxed at the reminder. It was nice to have friends so willing to have my back… even when I was bent on climbing mountains alone. “Definitely. I’ll reach out if I need to… But I don’t right now. So how about that panel confirmation?”
Emmy smiled, giving in. “I’ll be there to talk about my shot putting.”
“And your cousin’s girlfriend?” I crossed my fingers, praying my luck wouldn’t run out.
“Aderyn’s on board,” she confirmed. “Ready and willing to talk about Black women in hockey. And she has a friend who can talk about Black women in streaming, too.”
I let out a sigh of relief—another thing to check off my to-do list. I was addicted to the color-coded high of thoselittle boxes. “God, thank you. This panel’s going to be incredible. Black woman taking up space in uncharted waters. Minorities in potentially hostile environments.”
“Fun stuff,” Emmy teased.
“Amazing stuff,” I insisted. “It’ll be one of those moments where in a decade people will say, ‘Hey, I knew them before they were famous’.”
Emmy laughed, her eyes alight. “I hope so. With your energy, maybe I will make the Olympic team before my joints give out.”
“How much longer?” Indie called. “I’m not a big fan of sand between my… everything.”
“Just a few more yards, Anakin,” Emmy said.
Covee snorted, with Indie grumbling under her breath about not knowing who Anakin was.
“At those rocks,” Emmy said to me, gesturing in the distance. “I have an idea, but it’s going to take some effort. It’ll be worth it, though... I hope.”
My forehead wrinkled as I looked at the large black rocks. “Sounds great. As long as we aren’t climbing them.”
Emmy chewed on her bottom lip and busied herself with readjusting some settings on her camera.
“Emmy?” I stopped walking. “My top’s cashmere.”
She snapped another candid of me and smiled. “It’s going to be good, Yara… or, I hope it will. In my head, it’s brilliant. We don’t actually have to do it. There are some cute benches on the pier…”
I sighed, remembering that this was supposed to help rebuild her confidence. I was supposed to be her cheerleader. “No, Emmy. If you want to climb the rocks, we’re climbing the rocks.”
6
“Hold these.”I didn’t wait for David to respond before I shoved my heels into his hand. He was already carrying Emmy’s camera bag, Indie’s duffel, and Haven’s backpack.
