(Nineth grade)
You groan a you pull the sheets off your head. Sunlight blinds your eyes as it shoots in through the screen window. You half grunt half gasp as you jerk your head away from the ray of light.
Much better.
You sit up and look out the window directly to your right. About one forth of a mile away from your cabin, you can see the lake sparkling. The hill leading down has a stone pathway carved into it. The water is really amazing. So clear and pretty. There are rocks not too far away that are fun to jump into the water from. They're not as fun as the cliffs, but still.
I turn and look directly in front of me. Past the porches doorway, is another bed. In it, sleeps Juliette. Her dark hair spills over the pillow. And on the bed to my right, is Sidney.
You all stayed up a little later than we should've last night. But Juliette would not go to bed and somehow she convinced Sidney to stay up with her. Of course, they were loud, so when you tried to go to sleep at about 9:30 you couldn't. So you stayed up with them. Resulting I going to bed at about 1:00 in the morning. You innerly sigh. You hate staying up that late.
But you remember Sidney's words last night, "Wake me up in the morning when you wake up."
Sidney's mottos on sleeping is - "Early to bed, late to rise, gives you enough freaking sleep to make it through the day."
You let out a breath and swing your legs out from under the covers. Your feet slide onto the porches floor. Sleeping on the porch isn't so bad. It has a screen and it's warm out here. Plus, there's a wall going up to about your waist, so when you lay down on the bed, you can't really see out the window. And you haven't found any bugs in here ever. And you like sharing a room with Juliette and Sidney at the cabin. Needless to say, you like your bed on the porch.
You lean over and prod Sidney's shoulder. She she doesn't stir, you quietly whisper, "Sidney. Pst. Fat head. Wake up."
She grunts and shuffles around under the covers. You lightly smack the side of her head. Her eyes snap open and she props up on one elbow quickly.
That did the job.
"Hey." You say, "You told me to wake you up."
She blinks a few times, still coming into focus when she spots you, "Yeah, I did. What time is it?"
You peer out of the glass sliding doors that connects into the living area of the cabin.
"7:00." You whisper.
She looks at you wide eyed, "7:00!? Oh, my gosh! Iris! It's too early. Six hours of sleep!"
You shrug, "Well, i'm hungry. And i'm not going back to sleep. The sun is up and shining in my face."
Sidney gestures to her pillow, "That's what pillows are for."
"You dont have to get up. But I am." You say, heading towards the glass door.
Sidney quietly groans, "Fine."
She slides out of bed, "Should we wake Juliette?"
You look over at your sister, "No. She'd kill us."
You quietly slide the glass door open, looking back at Juli. Even quietly sliding it open is loud enough to make Juliette stir and peek through her sleepy vision. You share a worried look with Sidney and quickly slip through the door and into the living area.
To your annoyance, you find Uncle Sanders sleeping on one of the couches. You share an exasperated look with Sidney. The two of you tip toe into the kitchen and find the muffins your Mom bought for this morning. You snap open the package and grab two chocolate muffins for you and Sidney. The two of you shush each other as you step into the laundry room/pantry/ room where you keep the fridge. It's pretty spacious. A door leads out onto the second porch - the one that doesn't have a roof or beds on it.
The two of you stop in the....er, laundry room, and sit on the floor. The two of you can quietly talk in here while you eat. Since Sanders fell asleep on the couch in the living room, you can't go in there.
As the two of you eat, Sidney asks, "So what are we doing today?"
You grin, excitement rippling through you, "I think we're going to the cliffs."
Sidney grins with you, "Cliff jumping."
You sigh, "I wish we went cliff jumping more often than once a year."
"I wish we CAME HERE more than more than once a year." Sidney says, with a hint of sadness.
Your family loves this old place. Even though it isn't in the greatest shape. It still holds a lot of memories.
You and Sidney talk on small matters. Mostly about the previous day and the long road trip getting here. They got here about an hour after you, your parents, and Juliette got here. But their Dad isn't the greatest navigator, so they got lost....twice.
The trip with your family wasnt much better. Juliette hogged your personal space. Your Dad kept seeing frogs in the road and saying how you were probably hitting them ALL. And then you actually hit a possum. Which was very distressing for you.
Finally, the two of you finish eating. You throw your trash away and tiptoe back through the living room, where you find Uncle Sanders awake. He give you a confused look, "Where did the two of you come from?"
"The kitchen. We like to eat from time to time, you know?" You joke.
Sanders chuckles, "Isn't it a little early?"
You and Sidney answer at the same time.
"Yes."
"No."
You look at each other.
Sidney grumbles, "Well, it's not early for Mrs. Sunshine over here."
You roll your eyes and grab Sidney's arm, "We're going to go get dressed. What are we doing today?"
"The cliffs." Your uncle answers simply.
You smile and nod, "Awesome."
- - - -
You, Juliette and Sidney push in through the back door, onto your porch/bedroom, laughing. The lake is so pretty in the morning, the three of you couldn't resist walking down to it.
As you walk into the living area, you notice the adults in the kitchen, cooking and eating. Guess they all woke up. Aunt Pirea calls out, "PERCY, COME ON! GET UP!"
You hear a groan from the bed room that he has to share with Sanders and Pirea while he's at the cabin. As the other two walk into the kitchen you poke your head into his bedroom. He lays on his bed, face down, looking like a little five year old. You snicker and follow the others into the kitchen. You grab some water as you hear Sidney telling her Dad, "The water was like so perfect and clear! And there where these rocks and -Dad! Are you listening to me?"
He looks at Sidney, "Yes. Can you girls wake Percy up? We want to get to the cliffs before NOON."
Juliette hops off the stool she'd positioned herself on, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "We sure can!"
She grabs you and Sidney and pulls you back into Percy's bedroom, although, the two of you go willingly. This is pretty much a family ritual for you. Percy never wants to wake up. Sometimes you even have to do it for Juliette. But everyone in your family literally takes joy in crushing peoples dreams.
The three of you tromp into Percy's room, and immediately start prodding him.
"Percy you fat lard, come get some breakfast!"
"Oh, my gosh! You're so lazy, Percy!"
"Get up! What are you going to sleep all day?"
Percy groans, looking at you, "What time is it?"
"Like nine." You answer.
He groans, rolling over, "It's too early."
"No, it isnt." Sidney rolls her eyes.
"Too early for what?" Juliette scoffs.
"ANYTHING." Percy says.
You laugh, before Sidney and Juliette shoot you down with a glare.
Juliette pokes Percy's arm over and over again, while Sidney proceeds to jump on the bed, all the while Percy grunts and groans, "Come on, Percy! Wake up!"
You step forward, "Hang on, guys. I know." You look at Percy, "We're going to the cliffs today."
This sparks an interest whit Percy. He looks up, "Really?"
"No kidding." You nod.
He ponders for a few seconds before he huffs, "Fine. Sidney, get off me."
Sidney jumps off the bed and Percy slowly rolls off, stretches and walks to the bathroom in him pajamas, "Showering."
Sidney shakes her head, "How do you do it?"
You shrug, "I just know Percy really well."
"I can hardly ever get him to agree with me on anything." Sidney says.
"That's because your never talk." You say, starting to walk out of the room.
"And the two of you do?" She asks.
"Yeah." You say.
She shakes her head, "I'm pretty sure you and Percy were supposed to be brother and sister. Not me and Percy."
Juliette wraps an arm around you, "No, thanks. I'll keep this one."
You chuckle as Sidney says, "Yeah, thanks."
You join the adults in the kitchen from your successful mission. They talk about church and the people at church. Juliette throws in the occasional comment, but Sidney and you sit quietly listening. After a few minutes, you get bored and stand up to go to your bedroom/porch. You take a few quick steps, dodging your family to reach the door. Finally, you're about to step into the living area when you look past the glass sliding doors.
There in your bedroom is Percy. In his underwear. Something you've never seen before. Ever. He rifles through Sidneys bag searching for something. His hair is damp and his towel lays on Sidneys bed.
Your reaction is delayed. You let out a quick shriek before you cover your eyes with your hands, "AHHHH! MY EYES! THEY BURN! PERCY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM NAKED!?"
Choas explodes.
You hear your Mom yell, "He's naked!?"
Juliette yells, "Why is he even in our room!?"
Percy looks over, totally chill, "I'm not naked. I could change that, though. I just need a clean pair of pants, just a minute."
"PERCY! UUUUGH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WANDERING ALL OVER THE HOUSE IN YOUR UNDERWEAR!? NO ONE WANTS TO SEE THAT!"
Juliette falls over laughing.
Sidney says disgustedly, "Well, actually, quiet a few girls at school wouldn't mind....."
You look over at Sidney horrified, "I KNOW that! We go to the same high school, idiot! But none of US want to see it!"
You turn back to Percy, who is putting on a clean pair of pants, "Dude, if you feel the need to wander around naked all the time, become a prostitute, don't inflict this misery upon us good people!"
He chuckles buttoning up his pants, "I'll keep that in mind."
Uncle Sanders mutters, "He might actually consider that as a career option."
Sidney looks at her Dad, "Ew, Daddy!"
Juliette laughs again, snatching a muffin off the counter.
You groan, yet again, "Just get dressed, Percy!"
You hear your Dad call from his room, "We're leaving in ten minutes! I hope everyones ready!"
- - - -
You'd always jumped on the small cliffs. Ever since you were little, none of you were ever allowed to jump off the big cliffs. Of course, you and Percy, being the most thrill seeking ones, had always amused the idea, but never done it. You look in the distance at the cliffs inbetween the beachy area. It would take ten minutes to walk to the top of those cliffs. You actually kind of want to do it. Even though it'd be terrifying. So as you stand atop one of the twenty feet cliffs, Percy approaches you.
"We're going to jump off the fourty footers." He whispers, so only you can hear.
You turn to him and blink, "How? Our parents will NEVER let us."
"Through deception." Percy grins, "Besides, your Dad would probably let you. My Dad wouldn't, since he's afraid of heights. But you're just too scared to go."
You scowl at him, "Am not."
He gives you a challenging look, "Care to prove it?"
"Sure. How do you suggest we go about doing this then?" You say, raising an eyebrow.
Neither of you noticed Sidney had scaled the cliffs wall already and was getting ready to jump into the icy waves again. That is, until she heard the two of you.
She turns around from the edge of the cliff, "What are you guys doing?"
"Shhhh." You hush her. You're parents are only a few yards away.
"None of your business." Percy says, sharply. Then he turns to your parents, "Hey, Dad. We're going to go watch the crazy fourty feet cliff jumpers. See ya."
The two of you start to walk off, Sidney in persuit, when Sanders stops you, "Wait! Percy, you're not going to jump, okay? Are you going to jump?"
"I won't jump." Percy lies.
"Okay. I'll join you guys in a few minutes." Sanders says.
"Alright." Percy turns around again, walking as quickly as possible on the rocks.
Sidney rushes to catch up, "You guys are going to jump off the fourties?"
"Maybe." You say.
"But Percy, you just told Dad that you wouldn't." Sidney objects.
"Yeah, well, I lied." Percy says, jumping down from the rocks and onto the sand.
Sidney looks at you, "I could see Percy openly rebeling like that, but you Iris?"
You shrug, "I said maybe. I'll check it out from the cliffs. And then I'll decide how much trouble I'll get in if I DO jump."
Sidney says, sarcastically, "I know how much trouble. Huge trouble. Big catastrophic trouble. You'll be grounded for like, an eternity."
"I will not. How would you know, anyway?"
She laughs, "Because we happen to be related."
"I'm not going to get in trouble." I mutter, almost trying to convince myself.
Suddenly, I feel something bump into my shoulder, pushing me into the back of Percy.
"OW!"
I look to the side and find Juliette, grinning, "What are you not getting in trouble for?"
I whack her lightly in the back of the head, "That hurt, stupid! I'm not getting in trouble for anything."
"Where are you going?" Juliette asks.
"They're going to jump off the fourty footers." Sidney points to the tall cliffs.
"Oh, my gosh! No way!" Juliette says with adoration, "That's so cool! Are you really going to, Iris?"
You look at her, "Maybe."
"I'll do it if you do it." Juliette says.
"And I'll do it if Percy does it." Sidney says.
"I AM going to do it. I'm sixteen years old now and i want to live a little. But you guys can't jump. You guys are too little." Percy says, looking back at them as he trudges through the sand.
"We are not! Beside, after you jump you'll be down in the water, and you won't be able to stop us!" Sidney gloats.
Percy slows, frowning, "Darn it! Fine! But you guys have to own up to your actions. Me and Iris are ready to get in trouble if we jump on the cliffs and you can't point the finger at us. And you have to be careful. If we go back dragging squished little girls because you were stupid and you didn't jump far enough, Mom and Dad will kill us."
"Keep your legs straight when you hit the water. And if you see a big wave, go under water so you don't get slammed into the side of the cliff." You inform them.
"Yeah, what she said." Percy nods as he starts climbing the rocks to the fourty footers.
"Okay, fine." Sidney says agreeably.
"We're not stupid." Juliette rolls her eyes.
"Um," Percy starts.
"Don't." You warn him.
"Kay." He nods.
You climb up after Percy, the rocks becoming easier to climb on the higher up you get. Finally, you spot the first few crazies. There are a couple of woman lingering by the rockier side of the cliff, but they don't look like they're going to jump. As you climb higher, you see the jumpers. There's a little girl who can't be older than nine, with a few teenage boys. Off to the side, you see a few grown men with beers in there hands, laughing.
One of the boys and jumps, whooping as he falls towards the water, "HOLY SHHHH-"
His friends shout encouragement, "YEAH, BRUH!"
"GOOD ON YOU, MAN!"
He hits the water with an agonizingly loud SLAP. You cringe and look down at the water, leaning over the side of the cliff. They boy emerges pumping his fist in the air, "YEAH!"
His friends laugh, shouting congratulations and more encouraging words. The boy swims out of the way, making his way too the side of the cliff where he'll climb up.
"Crap." You mutter, looking at the great height.
You hear Sidney chuckle nervously behind you.
One of the teenage boys turns to the little girl, mockingly, "You going Harriet?"
"Yes." She scowls at him, "I can do it."
She walks over to the edge of the cliff, peering over, curiously. She takes a couple steps back before she runs forward, springing off the cliff. The boys laugh and look over the side of the cliff. The little girl floats to the surface, beaming, "Did you see me!?"
"Yeah!" The boys shout back.
The little girl starts swimming towards the rocks, "That was so cool!"
Percy steps over to one of the boys, "Is it scary?"
A blonde boys answers, laughing, "Yeah. Scary as heck. But man, what a rush!"
His friend asks, "This your first time?"
Percy looks at the side of the cliff, "It's my first time on the fourties."
The guys look at him amused and excited, "You gonna jump?"
Percy looks over the cliff, "Yeah."
The boys grin, "Go ahead!"
"It's not so bad. It just looks bad."
Percy examines the water from the cliff.
You clear your throat, "Um, Percy? Maybe you shouldn't?"
"It's pretty high." Sidney nods in agreement.
"It's fine." Percy mutters, taking a few steps back. He takes a deep breath, "Oh, my gosh." He looks over the side of the cliff again, "Crap...." He looks at you, a small amount of fear in his green eyes. You shake your head. He looks back at the cliff, "Oh, what the heck?"
He takes running steps to the edge.
You, Juliette, and Sidney yell at the same time, "PERCY!"
He yells as he falls, "AAAAGH!"
You hear him hit the water and you run to the ledge. You wait several terrifying seconds before his head bobs to the surface. He grins like an idiot as you and the other girls take sighs of relief.
"PERCY! YOU SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF US!" You shout.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Juliette hollars.
He laughs, "Hey, Sidney! Come on! Jump!"
Her eyes widen as she remembers what she said. She'd jump if Percy did.
"Um...." She stutters.
"Come on!" Percy says, "What about you Iris? You gonna jump?"
You grunt, looking over the cliff.
Come on, girl!
The fourty footers!
You won't get this opportunity for another year!
You make a pained expression as you groan, "Yeahhhh...."
Juliette whips around, looking at you, "Are you crazy!?"
You sigh, "Yeah."
Sidney looks at the side, "I'm going to go first."
"Are you?" You ask.
"Yep." She says, taking a few steps back.
Juliette groans, "Great. Now I HAVE to go!"
"You don't have to go." You mutter as you watch Sidney prepare herself.
"Yes i do." She clicks her tounge.
Sidney swings her arms like she's getting ready to run. You cheer her on, "Come on, Sid!"
She mutters as she leaps forward, "Here we go!"
Her feet leave the rock and you watch almost in slow motion as she straightens her legs and let's out a little squeal. She plumets towards the water, hitting it going at least twenty five miles an hour. Percy swims over to her to make sure she's okay after she surfaces. She grins and laughs from down below. You watch as she gives the okay sign and you prepare yourself to go.
You look at the edge of the cliff, "Oh, gosh."
"Go on, Iris." Juliette says.
You grimace, "I can't."
"It's not so bad." One of the teenage boys from behind says.
"It is the first time." You mutter.
Finally you take a deep breath.
Okay.
One.
Two.
Three.
You take two steps forward and then stop.
If you'd taken one more step, you wouldve jumped off the cliff.
"Iris, come on!" Percy calls.
You take a discouraged huff and back up.
You're going to jump.
You ARE.
You take the running steps and spring forward, throwing yourself off the cliff. You let out a sound similar to a scream and a crow, "HOLY CRAP!"
You look at the fast approaching water and you seem to fall quicker with every second. A mixture of excitment and terror overcomes you. It's like a vortex seeing the shining water below and then - SPLAT!
You're under the cool water. You see the sunlight shing through the green. You cup your hands and pull up, meeting Sidney and Percy at the top.
"There ya go!" Percy hollers.
You grin, "That was awesome!"
"I told you!" Percy says.
Sidney looks up at a scared looking Juliette, "JUMP!"
Juliette stands at the edge for a minute, looking down nervously. She looks at you for conformation. You nod, egging her on.
She purses her lips and steps back. Then she runs and leaps off the side of the cliff. From down here it's like seconds instead of hours. She plunges into the water. In a matter of seconds, she's at the surface yelling, "OH, MY GOSH! THAT WAS- AND THEN IT WAS LIKE - AND I- OH, MY GOSH!"
You laugh, "I know!"
Percy calls, "Hey, come on! Let's get back up there!"
The four of you swim over to a small indent in the rocks. In between two ledges is a small path, with rocks sticking up here and there, dangerously. It's a surprisingly easy path. You're up the cliff in no time, and just as you reach the top, you hear Percy mutter, "Oops."
There stand your Dad and Sanders. Both looked shocked.
Sidney peers over your shoulder, "We're so dead."
Sanders looks at the four of you sternly, "Did you jump?"
Percy is silent for a second before he clears his throat, "Yes."
Sanders looks at him angrily before he's stopped by my Dads proud voice, "Good for you!"
You all look up at him surprised, "What?"
"That's great! You jumped!" Your Dad grins.
"But-" Sanders starts.
"Let em' live a little." Dad waves it off. He looks at you excited, "You guys should jump again. But this time I'm jumping with you."
You and Percy share a look, "Okay."
Your Dad smiles, "Alright. Let's go."
Author:
Hey, guys!
Did you miss me!?
I missed you!
<3
ANYWAY,
Again, I'd like to thank you all for the votes and whatnot!
One more scene of Before Thomas!
Such sadness.
Anyway, be sure to follow my other stories, because my other stories will be the first to know when the squeal is coming out!
MUCH MORE THAN A COOK, GUYS!
That's my new story focus! Be sure to read it!
I'm going to tell you guys a quick story because I can! :-)
So I'm in honor club, as an officer, and I was at an awards banquet this past weekend. Me being an officer, I had to sit up at the head table. I HAD to, seriously. So, I'm sitting there and people are walking in all dressed up and stuff, when this guy walks in and I see him and I think, "OMG! WHAT IS THOMAS SANGSTER DOING HERE!?"
REALLY!
He looked exactly like Thomas and the entire banquet, I was tortured by the fact that I could SEE him but I couldn't go talk to him. And at the end of the banquet, I rushed down to try and find him so I could "happen" to strike up a conversation with him. BUT HE LEFT! I was across the room and I saw him walk out the door and LEAVE ME IN MY MISERY.
I almost ran across the room, shouting, "NO, COME BACK, LET ME LOVE YOU!"
But that wouldve been bad. I probably would've lost my position as an officer.
Anyway, I had to share that with my Gangsters.
LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!
-Sunny