Page 13 of Cocky Secrets

“Swimming? In our clothes?” Celia raises an eyebrow, glancing at her dress. “That’s not very practical.”

No one planned a swim, and no one is going skinny-dipping in this group. Too weird. Too much history.

“Who needs practicality?” Luke shouts from the water, flipping a stone high into the air. “It’s way more fun in your underwear!” The stone lands about twenty feet away, sending large circles in all directions. “Come on, it’s liberating!”

Sofia Sol and Celia exchange glances, and then Soph shrugs with a grin. “Why not? Let’s do it!”

Sean agrees, “I’m in,” and the three dismount their bikes, leaving them beside the two we came in on.

With laughter and excitement, we all start peeling off our clothes, tossing them aside, motorcycle boots making loud thuds. Even mine. Though I don’t ride, I wear them. And it’s good to be free of their confining heat and heavy weight on a day like today.

I quickly shed my jeans and pink halter — my cutest, tightest one I wore for Bear — leaving only my underwear and causing a rush of exhilaration as the cool breeze brushes against my exposed skin. The lake water sparkles invitingly, and I let out a squeal of trepidatious joy as I run toward it.

With a leap, I dive into refreshing water that envelops me. For as long as I can hold my breath, I stay under until I can’t take it anymore, my lungs about to burst. I surface, shaking my hair and laughing as I see the others following suit. Luke and Atlas break the surface with each of them holding a huge rock from the bottom, splashing around, their laughter ringing out like music.

Celia, the last to join, hesitates for a moment, then lets out a determined yell before jumping in, sending a wave of water splashing me.

“Hey!” I protest, laughing as I wipe the water from my face. “You’re going to pay for that!”

Sofia Sol, always one for trouble, suddenly swims up beside me. “Forget her. Let’s getthem!” she whispers conspiratorially, grey eyes gleaming with excitement. I nod, and together we make our way toward Luke and Atlas, who are oblivious to the impending attack, so consumed with their rock-throwing competition.

Sean has a hard time holding back his laugh, hand clamped over his mouth, water glistening down his arm as he warns Celia, who just broke the surface, to stay quiet.

“Now!” I mouth, and Soph and I launch ourselves at Luke and Atlas. The shock on their faces is awesome as we send them tumbling into the water, a chorus of surprised yelps mixing with our whoops of victory. Sofia is much stronger than I am so when she takes her husband down, she and Luke don’t come back up for a long time. We all cheer when they rise free of the lake, sucking in air like they never thought they’d breathe again.

“Alright, you asked for it!” Atlas shouts, grinning as he retaliates, lifting me up and throwing me like one of his rocks. I scream as I fly through the air and come crashing down with a stinging THWAP!

“You jerk!” I shout, laughing.

All hell breaks loose. The lake becomes a battleground of The Ciphers, and me, disappearing underwater, tugging each other down, and resurfacing somewhere safe…if only for a second before someone grabs our legs and we’re pulled under the surface again. Petite as I am, and not trained like them, I get thrown more times than I care to admit, but it’s a blast every single time.

We swim and play, just like we did when we were kids, before Sean joined the motorcycle club when everyone was tooadultto be this silly. It’s so much fun that we end up losing track of time until the sun hangs low in the sky. I feel a sense of youthful happiness I haven’t experienced in a long time, a joy that washes over me like the waves we make.

After hours of swimming and fighting each other, skipping small rocks and throwing rocks nearly as big as boulders, we take a break, floating on our backs and gazing up at the cloudy blue sky. I can hear Luke and Atlas joking about something, their laughter mixing with the sounds of water lapping at my ears,but I don’t need to know what they’re talking about. Right now, nothing matters. Everything is okay in the world.

“This is the best day ever,” Sofia Sol says, her voice soft and content. I glance over at her, and she’s smiling a kind of free and innocent smile I rarely see on her anymore.

I inhale agreement, feeling a warmth spread in my heart. As I float there, the sun beating down on my face and body, I can’t help but think about how this day has brought us all closer together in a way that only playing can.

Sure, I may have missed out on painting Bear, and missed out on all the excitement that would have been, but I wouldn’t trade a second of this time I’ve spent with my family, chosen and by blood. The world feels perfect in this moment, and I want to hold onto it forever.

The rumble of two motorcycles grabs our attention, all heads turning to see Dad and Jett riding up. “We can’t find Sage!”

I stand up, barely able to touch the ground I’m in so deep. “I’m here, Dad!”

“What the fuck!” Dad’s Harley skids to a stop.

Jett parks with more finesse as he calls to his daughter, “Sofia, I told you totell usif you found her here!”

“Shit,” she mutters before calling back on a smile, “I found her!”

My dad lets out a slew of curse words, stomping over to glare at his sons. “You took your sister with you and didn’t tell anyone? What’s wrong with you?!”

Atlas only looks sheepish in times like this. “Sorry, Dad.”

Luke raises his chin. “She was going on a bike ride on her own, so we snatched her up.”

Jett, having seen as many terrible things out in the real world as my father has, flatly says, “Not a good excuse, Luke. We just tore through all of South and North Vacherie looking for her.”

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