The Blind Date Agreement

One (part 2)

Rushing away from the edge as fast as my numb legs can take me, I rejoin my friends. Someone else yells out, "I can top that!" but I force myself not to watch them jump off.

"Do you not like heights, Carina?" Daphne asks gently, not at all condescendingly like Pink Shorts.

"Me? No, no. I'm fine. Totally fine." Lies. I'm not totally fine. I want to hug a tree in case the wind throws me off balance and I plummet to my death.

"You know how Carina gets with heights, Emi," Kalani reprimands. "And you didn't tell me to bring my swimsuit! You know I can't swim, but I could've at least tanned."

"Shit, I'm sorry Carina. I totally forgot," Emi says, her shoulders slumping.

"It's okay, really!" I rush out. They're already including me in nights out, so the last thing I want to do is complain about the activities they've picked. All I want to do is hang out with my friends and get in as much quality time with them as I can, especially before we head off in different directions of the country. "You guys go... jump... or whatever," I can barely even say the word. "I'll hang here."

A log is nearby, and it doesn't seem dirty or anything, so I lay my jacket on it and sit. Ralph grabs a beer from his cooler and offers it to me, but I shake my head. "Driving, but thanks anyway."

He shrugs and removes his hideous shirt, handing it to me for some reason. I drop it on the log beside me.

"Let's go then!" he says, calling over to his other friends. "Emi, Daph, ready?"

"Hell yes!" Emi chucks off her leather jacket and jean shorts, tossing them to the ground. I wonder what she did with the car keys? Daphne removes her white dress but is more hesitant than Emi.

"I'll stay with Carina," Emmett says, sitting down beside me on the log, and my stomach tightens. If I look at him, they'll all see the adoration in my eyes, so I stare at Ralph's ugly shirt, trying to find a discernable pattern. "That doesn't look safe, anyway. Are there rocks under the water?" Emmett asks.

Ralph shrugs, not bothered, and Kalani huffs. "Pass me a beer."

She sits beside Emmett as Ralph gives her a beer and then introduces Emi and Daphne to some of his friends. This whole time, others have been jumping, but I've forced myself not to pay attention, not to count the seconds between the yells and the splashes, not to listen to them cheering when they emerge from the water. I've been failing.

A few people who've jumped have come back to the top following some path, plopping down to drink, and I can't help the nagging voice in my head saying you shouldn't drink and swim. My leg hasn't stopped bouncing, and my skin feels itchy. Some people engage Kalani and Emmett in conversation, but I'm too busy staring at Emi and Daphne.

They hold hands, and before I can even blink, they run and launch themselves off the cliff. My heart stops. I scramble to the ledge, landing on my hands and knees, and peer down just in time to watch them splash into the water. I hold my breath the entire time, frantically scanning the water. It's been five tortuous Mississippi's and still no sign. Where are they?! On seven Mississippi's, Daphne's head emerges, followed shortly by Emi a few feet away. She spits out water and I finally exhale.

"That was awesome! Carina! Come on! Just do it!" Emi calls up to me, and now that my fear of Emi dying isn't occupying my mind, my fear of heights comes back tenfold. I'm on my hands and knees, with the top half of my body suspended over nothing. My vision blurs, my arms turn to jelly. This is it. This is how I'm going to die: fainting over the side of a cliff. The world spins, and before my arms give out, large hands grab me by the waist and haul me up and away from the edge.