Epitome

Chapter Six

Of course, I agreed to skip class with Gemma. I run over to her and she introduces me to her brother, Aden. He is taller than me by at least five inches, and he is wearing a playful smirk. He flips his hair away from his face and looks at me with his piercing blues eyes, and I can feel a blush coming on. He offers me his hand, which I shake. His skin is warm, and his shake is firm.

They introduce me to Jason, Jake, Austin, Paul, Ryan, and Riley. Jason is already getting on my nerves from yesterday, but he doesn't seem to get that I don't like him. "I remember you, your that girl from AP Chem. The new one. We are going to have so much fun." He gives me another of his cheesy sideways smirks, and I refrain from punching it off his face. I'm a bit overwhelmed, but I greet them all politely. I just have to go through the motions of being social, and I'll survive. Smile. Be polite.

We make it to the parking lot, and with a classy smile from Aden to the suspicious teachers watching us, we are golden. Completely free to do whatever we want. Gemma offers to drive her truck, so me, Jason, and the boy named Riley all join her.

The cliffs are about a half hour away. I can make it. Just go through the motions.

I feel a tap on my shoulder. "So. Where'd you move from?" Jason asks.

"Chicago." I say.

This doesn't seem to satisfy him, because he asks me another question. "Do you dye your hair that color? It's like, way hot." He says. He reaches out as if to touch my bangs, so I smack his hand away. I hear Riley snicker. I'm not going to survive this trip. I look at Gemma to see if she'll help me, but she seems distracted.

"No." Is my reply.

Riley pokes his head into my view and gives me a warm smile. "So you and Gemma are good friends?" He asks.

I glance at Gemma yet again, but she apparently didn't hear Riley. "We just met, but I'd say that we are getting along pretty well." And it's the truth, really. Gemma is outgoing and beautiful, but she also has a side of mystery. And she seems like the type who is very opinionated. If only she could express her opinions now...save me, Gemma.

The questions continue for another 20 minutes, and I begin to feel more comfortable with the boys in the backseat. Riley is very polite, and he seems to know what questions not to ask me. Jason, on the other hand, has no boundaries. He asks me a few personal questions, which I counterattack with a few jokes.

When we finally make it to the beach the boys hop out and me and Gemma take turns getting dressed in the truck. When we meet the boys at the cliff, Aden takes a flying leap into the water.

I suppress a laugh of excitement as I stand next Gemma. Cliff jumping is my favorite thing to do. It forces you to clear your mind, because if you don't you'll never jump in. And that's exactly what I need to practice doing. I take a deep breath and focus on the blue ocean below me. My thoughts are just clouds, and I'm a mountain. They will pass.

As soon as I hear Aden hit the water I take off running towards the edge of the cliff. Jason starts running beside me and I don't stop him. I jump. And my heart leaps into my throat. When I hit the water I immediately feel the waves from Jason's impact, and they shove me farther down. By the time I surface, Aden is halfway up the cliff side. Jason is treading beside me, giving me this stupid smirk. I ignore him.

"You're a really hard person to get to know." He says.

I turn to him, giving my best expressionless stare. "Or maybe I'm just really simple." He laughs at this. I almost smile.

Suddenly I hear a scream from above me, and three bodies cascading down into the water. It's Riley, Aden and Gemma. We all play down in the water for a while before heading back up to the cliff.