"Don't look. Don't look. Don't look", the crowd below chanted. I swallowed convulsively and tightened my grip on the metal rungs but it didn't stop me from imagining a horrendous fall followed by a gristly death in graphic detail. "How high up is she?" I heard the distinctively someone below ask, their voice easily rising above the din of the crowd. They sounded detached, almost bored. I ignored them; there was no way I wanted to hear the answer. It would be depressing if the answer was a small number and it would be mind-numbingly frightening if it was a big one. I focused on my hands. They looked even smaller than usual as I clutched onto the metal bars as if my life depended on it (ironic, since it probably did.) My knuckles were white. I stared at them for a second before letting go of the bar with one hand and then reaching above my head for another. The muscles in my shoulder strained and the wind whipped against my cheeks, stinging them and forcing me to eat hair. Disgusting.
A single thought repeated in my head in an endless loop: This was a bad idea. A very bad idea. My stomach rolled. I was going to puke and it would probably land on the crowd. Knowing my luck, the projectile would probably land right on top of the beautiful people, sending my already limited social life on a one way trip to...where-ever things went after they died and shrivelled up. Just another incentive for me to make it to the top- preferably without puking. Becoming a member of the Dare or Dare club automatically brought you to a level of popularity somewhere between fame and notoriety. The members of the Dare or Dare club were the sharks in the ocean of high-school life and drama; known by all, envied by all, and feared by all. Basically, being a part of the Dare or Dare club made you untouchable in a good way. Ever since I had entered Hedgewood High as a freshman three years ago, I had wanted to rise above total obscurity like a burning man wanted water. But the real reason I wanted this wasn’t the popularity. Sure, it would be a nice perk, but it wasn't the main reason I was doing this. If it had been, I would have issued a challenge almost a year ago.
A wind gusted past me, shaking the rusty structure I was clinging to. I shivered and forced myself out of the idle thoughts I had allowed myself to creep into. As soon as the distraction went away, I wished it would come back. My eyeballs were like little pieces of iron and the ground below me (like, way below me) attracted them, begging them to look at him. I shook my head and scolded my traitorous eyeballs. "Don't look down", I said. It seemed to fast becoming my personal mantra. The structure shook again. If I kept looking at it, I was going to start thinking of how unstable it was and how long the fall to Earth would be. My heartbeat quickened at the thought of it and I resisted the urge to clamp my hands over my eyes; they were two of the four things that were keeping me from falling. So since I couldn’t look down and I couldn’t look up, I looked up in the only direction left open to me- the sky.
Strangely enough, the sight of the heavy grey clouds so close was calming. It was so easy to pretend I was one of those brave little girls from my father's bedtime stories, one of those girl who climbed glass stairways into heavy grey clouds where they battled ferocious monsters, found riches beyond measure and true love. Just a few steps and I would reach the great hole in the sky through which all rain and snow fell through. The muscles in my shoulders, back and upper arms burned but I kept pulling myself up with my eyes fixed on the thick grey blanket above me just perpetually out of reach. I lost track of time and my fear as I inched slowly up the rusty skeleton. One hand over, one leg over then the other hand above and pulling my entire body up. Repeat. Then suddenly, when I raised my hand to grasp a metal bar, I found nothing. My hand groped the air blindly, searching for a handhold.
I gasped in surprise and couldn't stop the victorious smile from spreading across my face. I had done it! I couldn't believe it. I had conquered my fears. Well, one fear- but still! I couldn't stop the loony grin from spreading across myself and I didn't want to either. A whooping cheer rang through the crowd. It made my smile even wider; they were cheering for me! Then I made a mistake- I looked down. My heart skittered as I realised just how high up I was. The nausea I had felt earlier was only a premonition of what I felt now. My stomach heaved and I felt bile rising in my throat, sour and gross. The town that spread below looked like a collection of matchboxes lined up neatly in rows. The people looked like tiny ants with their faces uplifted to me. My hands shook and my head spun as I stared down. I was desperate to stop looking down but my eyes were frozen like I was watching a horror movie; what I was seeing was terrible but I couldn't look away.
A voice crackled somewhere nearby. "Come on down. What are you waiting for?" Even through all the static, the note of cool amusement and impatience was instantly recognizable. I had forgotten about the walkie-talkie that had been clipped to a belt-loop on my jeans. I didn't know whether this made it worse or better: I wasn't alone for my humiliation. "I...I can't." I was embarrassed to hear my voice crack pathetically as I said it. I bit my lip to stop a sob from following it. When I was certain the sob had been pushed down and wouldn’t surprise me by coming back up, I repeated myself. "I can't come down." There was a pause so long I thought my message hadn't gone through but then I heard a muttered curse. "You have to come down. Unless you're planning to stay up there?" "No. Not an option.", my voice sounding just as unsteady as the previous time. "You know the rules. Rule numero 26: A dare-" He sounded arrogant and cocky. The total opposite of what I felt right no. At the moment I hated him. I really hated him. "I know, I know", I grumbled interrupting him. "A dare accepted is a dare done. It can happen no other way." I hated him for reminding me that I couldn't complete the dare and make it back down. That I had failed. Or had I? I glanced speculatively at the bar I was still clinging to. I had made my way up, now I just had to climb the same distance down. Before I could freak myself out with calculations of height, I deliberately turned my head up so that I could see the clouds.
I searched carefully with my feet, looking for bars close enough for me to get to and strong enough to hold my weight. "You know the handbook well .Maybe well enough to actually become a member." The amusement in his voice was warm and inviting. I allowed myself a half-smile. He continued without changing his tone. “Too bad, you have to actually be able to complete the dares." My little smile turned into a scowl just as quickly as it had formed. I let loose a string of curses, long and creative- but only in my head. There was no way I was going to let him have the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten to me. Plus, he was The presiding leader of the Dare or Dare Club. “I don't know, I think our club is growing too big." he continued trying to bait me. "The only thing", I said through gritted teeth to stop them from chattering and shaking like the rest of me "that is too big is your ego. Don't let anyone holding a pin within 10 feet of you." "Wow, thanks for your concern.", he laughed (or at least I thought it was a laugh; the radio was very staticky). It kind of annoyed me that I couldn’t detect a trace of sarcasm in his reply even though it was so obvious he was being sarcastic. He continued baiting me as I made my way down even more slowly than I had made my way up. I replied to some of his comments, but there were some I just couldn’t deign to reply to verbally like "Did you bet a turtle that you could climb that thing slower than he could? Because a turtle just told me to tell you you won."
"I haven't had a real laugh in a while. It would be hilarious if you gave up now." he told me. I rolled my eyes and gingerly took another step down. "Okay, I give up." I caught hold of a rung below. "Really?" he sounded surprised. A certain amount of pleasure rushed through her as I realised I had surprised him. "Yep.", I told him, still smug. "You're hopeless. A real basket case." I moved my other foot down. "Well,", he said smoothly without missing a beat "even Moses was a basket case." I groaned and shuffled down yet another step. “That was terrible. Even for you.” A jolt of surprise ran through me as I realised that it was solid ground I had stepped down on. For the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to look down.
"Congratulations." I blinked and turned quickly in the direction of the sound. The voice hadn't come from the radio but from right behind me. Drake Evian was also known as the presiding leader of the Dare to Dare Club and he was standing right behind me! He took a step closer. I had heard that famous people always seemed smaller and shorter up close. In the case of Drake Evian, that was a total myth. Or maybe I just felt that way because I was ridiculously short. I tilted my chin upwards to look at him. His angular face was still creased in a perfect mixture of amusement and boredom that mere mortals strived for. It kept you wondering whether he was laughing at you or just bored with you. But the cadence of his voice was warm and sounded sincere enough so I risked a little (I had already risked so much today, what was a little more?). "Thanks?" I said mentally kicking myself as soon as the word was out. My voice sounded uncertain and it sounded more like I was asking a question than accepting his congratulations. His lips twitched and I was certain he was laughing at me internally. I glared at him hoping that he could physically feel the force of my glare. "One of ten." he said hooking his thumbs on his belt loops and leaning back very casually on the structure I had just climbed. It was a movement so clichéd I would have laughed if I wasn't so annoyed and tired. "One down. Nine to go." He smiled and for a second he was so beautiful (boys weren't supposed to be beautiful, but there was no other word to describe him), I almost forgot I was annoyed at him. He placed a large, warm hand on my shoulder and if I was still breathing, I would have gasped. "I hope you get through this; I'm rooting for you."
