Before I even spoke, I already knew—she had gotten what she wanted.
“Oh, it’s on, sweetie.” A grin bigger than the sun slowly appeared on her face, and I decided that the smile I just saw was worth the possible death awaiting. I ripped off my shirt, eyes on her.
The sweet Hazel, finally showing her claws.
She provoked me and made me proud at the same time. My friends wereoohing,knowing what Hazel had accomplishedhere. I was a tough nut; not everybody could convince me to do things without giving a good argument. I just couldn’t have known that the best argument from her would be childish and mostly nonverbal.Goddammit, Hazel, you tiny, little genius.I went to the edge one more time and looked down.
“How high is it?” Alex asked.
“About 50 feet,” Hazel said, and I swallowed a gulp. My palms started to sweat.
“We’ll meet you at the beach,” Summer said.
I stepped back several feet, and Hazel stood beside me. “Ready?” she casually asked, but I saw in her eyes that she did care.
I was terrified, but she offered her hand, which I gladly took, pushing my fear away. I gently caressed her thumb, and she squeezed mine in return.
“Ready.”
When I opened my eyes, we started to run, hand in hand, and a second later, we were free-falling into the abyss. One... two... three... each second stretched endlessly. There was nothing but silence, and Hazel’s hand clasped in mine. Then came the crash of water, and she was gone. Everything went still. It felt like forever before I broke the surface, gasping, my head snapping around frantically as I searched for her.
Finally, she resurfaced, wiping her face from the water, utterly happy. My heart was racing. That was a hell of a high drop. I looked up and saw the local people checking if we were okay. Hazel gave them a thumbs up and turned to me.
“You okay?” she asked.
Both of us started to gravitate closer to each other.
“Never been better. Piece of cake,” I said with a teasing smile, breathing heavily.
“Mid-fall, I started to feel guilty for pushing you,” she confessed, dangerously close to me. Again. Too many times in the last 24 hours.
“I like it when you push me.” I sank deeper, chin grazing the surface of the water, our bodies so close to each other now, yet still not touching. It would be all over for me. Right then and there. Her eyes dropped to my mouth now, and my blood started to boil.
After a painfully silent minute, she leaned back, closed her eyes, and let her body drift, slowly paddling toward the shore.
Water had once again brought us together, and once again it was in the water that she slipped away through my fingers.
* * *
We sat on the beach, with house music playing loudly. It was a crowded beach club, but we found a quieter spot—still part of the party, but calm enough to talk. It was a warm day, and people were enjoying themselves.
“See, I don’t get all these fancy schmancy girly drinks. Pink Panty Dropper, Buttery Nipple, Sex on the Beach—too complicated for me,” Ethan said.
“Well, that’s good to know,” Summer muttered.
“You know what I mean. What’s Rhubarb Slut? What’s a rhubarb? How do you even spell rhubarb?”
“It’s a vegetable, like celery, but sour. They usually add sugar when preparing it. It’s really good,” Hazel said. Ethan’s face stayed confused. “R.h.u.b.a.r.b.”
“That’s actually correct,” Summer said, impressed. Hazel just sipped her drink, hiding her smile in a book.
“SpellConscientious?” Norah asked suddenly.
“C.o.n.s.c.i.e.n.t.i.o.u.s.,” Hazel said without hesitation.
“How are you so good at this?” I asked, keeping my eyes on her, watching to see what other treasures would slip out unconsciously.
“It’s possible I participated in some spelling bee competitions as a kid,” she quietly said and shrugged as if it wasn’t impressive.
