Page 4 of Fall With Me (Sugarland Creek)

“Talia!” Addie shouts from the top of the cliff as I rush down the trail and toward the shore as fast as I can without my shoes.

My heart pounds as I step over rocks and dirt. Warren and Rhett keep up behind me and when the three of us jump into the water, I dive down as far as I can swim. When I don’t see her, I come back up for air and then go back down again. The guys are all looking, too, and the fact that none of us find her after twenty minutes sends me into a panic attack.

Where the hell could she be?

I’m not sure how deep the water is or where the stream goes underneath the waterfall, but as I dive farther down, I see large rocks and boulders. When I return to the surface, Addie’s still on the phone with 911 and Warren tells me he’s texted his parents.

“What the fuck did you do?”

My gaze snaps to Tucker, who’s screaming in Angela’s face.

“Nothing!” She waves her hand in the air dismissively. “Why’re you blamin’ me?”

“She didn’t wanna jump in the first place.” He hovers above her, shoving a finger in her face. “You were supposed to go in with her, but I saw you shove her over!”

“I did too,” Maisie confirms with her hands on her hips.

“Fuck you, guys! She wanted me to! She didn’t wanna look like a coward in front of y’all and asked me to help her get the courage, so I did what she asked!” Angela defends, standing taller but nowhere near Tucker’s six-foot frame.

“That’s bullshit.” I walk closer. “You gave her no warnin’ and that’s why she was screamin’ for her life.”

“What’re y’all even talkin’ about? She asked me to do it!” Angela stands her ground, but no one’s buying it.

Tucker goes back in to help Rhett and even though my body’s sore and tired, I follow. We frantically search as best as we can, calling out her name and swimming around the entire length of the area until a rescue team arrives. We’re told to stand back and wait as they dive into the water. Uncle Grady explains that the water goes down deep enough and can be hard to get to without proper gear. Aunt Lindsey paces while we wait for a miracle.

I call my mom and dad to tell them what’s going on. They grab my siblings and start the two-hour drive up here.

“We should call her parents,” Addie says in a daze as if she doesn’t want to take her eyes off the water.

“I already gave their number to the sheriff,” Tucker says. He’s been shaking nonstop even though he’s covered in a large, heated blanket. I don’t blame him, though. My nerves are on fire.

The sound of a helicopter grabs our attention and we look up. The sun’s no longer beaming on us, and soon, we’re going to be surrounded by darkness. The divers have flashlight attachments on their wetsuits, but still, I don’t know how far it allows them to see.

After an hour of searching, one of the divers pops up and waves to a team member who’s waiting on shore.

“What’s goin’ on?” Addie asks.

“I dunno…they’re whisperin’ about something, though,” I say, keeping my voice low.

The one guy who stood ashore returns and speaks to another guy, who looks in charge. After a moment, he speaks into a radio, confirming they found a drowning victim.

My heart drops to the bottom of my stomach as I let his words sink in.

Deep down, I knew this wouldn’t be a good outcome, but hearing the words makes it more real than I was ready for.

She’s been down there too long.

But maybe just maybe they could somehow get her heart beating and she’d be okay.

“Wh-what did he just say?” Tucker’s jaw trembles.

Goose bumps cover my skin as the commotion in the water grabs my attention.

Two of the divers are holding Talia’slifelessbody.

The other guy on shore brings out a flat gurney and once they get her on it, they carry her out.

One of the EMTs who arrived with them checks her airway and then begins CPR.

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