the shoreline on the other side that now looks a mile away to the cliff wall behind us that’s impossible to climb. Truth—maybe we could climb it, but if we fail and I fall, I’ll drown. At least by jumping, Sawyer will be holding on to me.
Another deep breath in. I’m not a coward. I never have been, and I won’t start now. Go big or go home, right? Or is it go big so I can go home?
Defiant of my fate, I raise my chin. “Okay. We jump.”
“As soon as you hit the water, kick your legs. That will help with keeping you from going deeper. Hold your breath, and I need you to fight any panic that will set in. Your instincts are going to scream for you to do everything it takes to survive. You’ll be desperate to find something solid and then push down on it to keep you up. That solid thing is going to be me. Don’t grab on to me, and if you do, don’t fight me and don’t push me down. When I take hold of you, just go with it and then do everything I tell you to do. Trust me to get you to safety.”
He extends his hand to me palm up. I hesitate before placing my fingers in his and stare straight into his eyes. “I swear to God, if you let me drown I will haunt you until the day you die, and I will be the nastiest ghost you’ve ever met.”
His eyes dance, like he’s amused, like he’s looking forward to what’s about to happen. “Promise?”
“You’re crazy, aren’t you?” I say.
“Yes. Now let’s jump.”
SAWYER
Veronica places her hand in mine, and it’s warm and soft. The softest skin I’ve ever touched. I rub my thumb over the top of her hand, and she squeezes my fingers. Something in my chest moves, and it’s a light feeling, the tiptoeing of wings. This jump scares the hell out of her. It’s there in the back of her eyes, but she holds herself as if she can take on the world and win. She’s strong, she’s courageous, and for some reason, she’s trusting me.
“Jump out,” I say, “away from the rocks.”
“Okay.”
“On the count of three,” I say. “One … two…”
“Three,” she says, and I have to move quick as she makes the leap of faith.
The fall is electrifying. It’s too short, but the thrill of the complication of doing it with someone else creates that rush that I crave. We hit the water and the current is faster than I thought. Veronica’s hand becomes slick, her grip loosening as she panics. She drifts away from me, and the pull of the racing river threatens to tear her away.
I kick. She’s kicking and I open my eyes. There’s nothing in the dark water. Veronica’s body jerks, she starts to become deadweight, and holding on to her tightly, I fight for the surface. I break free, gulp in air, and automatically tread water as I yank her up.
Veronica emerges, and she takes in an audible gasp then coughs as if choking. She’s kicking too fast, not in a rhythm and her arms are slapping at the water. I let go of her wrist, her eyes pop open and she thrashes as the terror of going back under takes over.
Her body starts down again, but I go under the water, swim behind her, and surface while slipping my arms under her armpits. “Veronica! I have you.”
Veronica’s legs stop kicking, but her arms continue to flail. Treading water with only my legs, I turn her to the shoreline and in the last seconds of daylight, she calms at the sight of our destination. “I’m going to remove one arm and wrap it around your waist. Then I want you to float with me as I swim us to shore.”
“I can’t float,” she says.
“That’s weird because you seem to be doing a good job of it now. Just keep doing what you’re doing. If you think you need to help me swim, don’t. The water is going to keep you buoyant, plus I’m strong enough to get us both to shore.”
Using a side stroke, I fight the swift current and swim. The moment my feet hit ground, I stand, help Veronica to her feet then keep an arm around her as she staggers out of the river. We reach the grass, and Veronica collapses to the ground.
Her wet hair is plastered to her face, and she