Page 3 of Fall With Me (Sugarland Creek)

“We could go ziplining. Or go for a hike to the other waterfall that’s twice as tall,” Warren suggests.

“It’s cool to look at during the sunset. The lights reflect against the water,” Maisie adds.

“Aww, that sounds so romantic…” Addie coos as she walks over.

“Talia’s afraid of heights, so we should think of something else,” I suggest.

“We could go four-wheelin’ through the trails and play flashlight tag in the dark.” Warren grins like he’s up to something. “It can be a little dangerous, but my siblings and I play it all the time.”

“And how many end up gettin’ hurt?” I snort, knowing my cousins are just as unruly as me and my siblings.

“No one’s ever ended up in the hospital if that’s whatcha mean. Just some minor cuts and bruises from gettin’ smacked with tree branches.”

I laugh at how similar our families are even though we don’t get to spend lots of time with each other.

“Angela, wait!” Talia screams and we turn our heads at the same time to witness Angela shoving Talia closer.

“Just take a look, you big baby.” Angela stops just before Talia can fall over. “The only way you’re gonna get over your fear is by facin’ it. You don’t wanna be scared of heights forever, do ya?”

“Leave her alone,” I shout at Angela.

“Mind your business,” she sneers. “Talia wants to be included. She just needs a little encouragement to do it.”

Talia stays quiet as she leans over slightly, but her body is tense as she hangs onto Angela’s hand with a death grip.

“See, it’s not that high,” Angela says.

“I-I dunno…I’m not a great swimmer.” Talia’s voice shakes as she steps back.

“We’ll jump in together so I can make sure you get back to shore,” Angela offers.

“I’ll jump with you, baby,” Tucker eases. “But only if you want to.”

Talia chews on her lip as she contemplates her answer but then nods.

“Yay! So the three of us will go together!” Angela removes her sandals. “On my count!”

The rest of us watch as the three of them stand on the ledge holding hands.

“One, two, three…GO!” Angela shouts, except she and Talia don’t jump. Angela pretended to by bending her knees and leaning over, but her feet never left the ground.

Tucker makes a splash, but Talia’s screams grab my attention seconds later. Her limbs flail as she flies through the air. She’s not in the right position for a safe dive. Her body should be rigid like a plank so she can easily glide through the surface instead of slamming against the water.

“What the fuck did you do?” I snap at Angela at the same time Addie asks, “I thought you were going in with her?”

“She needed the motivation, but I didn’t wanna take away from her experience, so I stayed up here,” Angela says as if that’s a legitimate defense.

“Youpushedher,” Addie says.

Angela shakes her head. “She jumped in after Tucker.”

Bullshit.

Talia wouldn’t scream like that if she had jumped of her own free will. The way she flew in the air meant she wasn’t expecting it, either.

“Uh, guys, where is she?” Warren looks down and when I spot Tucker, he’s treading water and frantically calling her name.

The swooshing of the waterfall crashing into the creek creates ripples through the water. My eyes scan all over, looking for any evidence of Talia swimming up to the surface, but there’s only Tucker.

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