Page 29 of Memories with Fire

His eyes seem to ask, “What happened to you? Why won’t you take a risk? You took risks the whole summer when we were together, and you had the time of your life. Why aren’t you living life?”

While the silent questions filter through my brain, Liam explains, “A wire could snap, and we might fall to our deaths. A tree could fall. Platforms could give way as you’re moving your clip through?—”

“I’ll do it,” I say, lifting my head high, my jaw set. The confidence may ooze out of me, but it’s fake as hell, and I hope no one else can tell. I just need the questions and judgement to stop.

Silence, much like when I fell out of the building, greets me, and I can feel all eyes turned in my direction. I glance at the group to my left, frowning when I find all of their jaws hanging open. All but one.

Luke sits on the picnic table with a satisfied smirk that makes me wish I hadn’t just said I would risk my life.

“Hailey, you don’t need to do this,” Nate says to me, and I turn to find him shaking his head. “Don’t feel pressured because of these bozos.”

“I don’t,” I tell him, indignantly, the words falling from my lips without permission. Like someone else is controlling my mouth. “I’m fine. I’m going to do this.”

Nate studies me for a moment, appraising, probably trying to gauge how good of an idea this is. I wonder if he can see all that I’m hiding. My stomach is swimming with nerves, ready to make themselves known all over the ground, but puking isn’t something I’m willing to do twice in front of Luke. My hands shake at my sides, and I force myself not to close them into fists, knowing that would be a dead giveaway for how petrified I am. Thank god for the cooler weather and the humiliation of earlier, because it’s keeping my cheeks pink, I think. If not for that, I know how stark white I would be, and how pronounced my freckles would look.

Not a good thing, considering the memories of Luke calling me Freckles the other night.

Nate gives a resigned sigh. “Suit yourself. Shawn, you’re with Liam. Luke, you’re with Hailey.”

“What?” I screech, eyes widening into saucers. Now my hands do clench into fists, but for a completely different reason. He’s off his rocker. There’s no way Luke and I being partners is a good idea. In fact, it’s the worst.

Luke slides off the table in my periphery. “Nate, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Good. Common sense. At least Luke and I have that in common.

I don’t take my eyes off Nate, though, and I realize he’s battling to keep a smug smile from his face. This asshole. He’s dead serious, and he’s amused by it.

Suppressing his enjoyment of the situation, Nate looks from me to Luke. “The two of you need the most bonding of everyone on the team. With you willing to go up there, Hailey,” he looks back to me, “This will give you two that chance.”

He’s not just an asshole. He’s a clever fucking bastard. I want to kill him right now. Shooting daggers from my eyes, my hands ball so tightly my nails bite into my palm. I wouldn’t put it past Nate to have believed he could make this happen before we even got here. If he’d calculated that Luke would ask, and had anticipated my reaction, he would have seen this coming. And I played right into his goddamn hand.

Ignoring the look I’m giving him, Nate turns to the already harnessed Tree Toppers staffer and has a word with him while Luke steps up beside me. Before he can say a word, I face him, poking a finger into his chest.

“If I die, you’re to blame,” I seethe, directing all my anger in his direction.

He puts his hands up in the air, eyes widening. Damn it, this close they look blue. “Whoa. I asked if this was a good idea, so clearly we’re on the same page.”

A very unladylike noise comes from me. “Right. You probably put him up to this, didn’t you? After the other night?”

“Whoa,” Liam cracks from the other side of Luke.

“How did you guess?” Luke says dryly as though Liam didn’t make a peep.

I deserve the dryness. No part of me believes that he set this up, but he’s the recipient of my ire because I can’t direct it at Nate. Glaring at him, I grumble, “Just don’t get me killed.”

A second later Nate is instructing us to follow the employee, but not before I hear Liam say, “Bets on Hailey killing him before he kills her?”

“What the hell are you doing?”I shriek when Luke walks up to me, grabs the harness around my thighs, and gives a good yank forward.

My hands shoot up instinctively, fingers curling into his chest as I lose my balance. He grips my hips, steadying me, then one hand slides down further and grabs the harness again, yanking sideways this time.

“Luke!”

We’re all geared up, have been checked by workers, had a safety briefing—in which I took extreme mental notes—and were shown how to move through the course, cables, and clips, correctly. I asked the guy to go over how to remain clipped in properly three times, so I would always know. Not that it’s hard. Kids do these courses all the time. I just had to make sure I understood. No mistakes. I can’t afford a mistake while I’m up there.

“If you’re going to blame me if you die, I’m going to make sure you’re harnessed in properly,” he says casually, but his eyes are full of mirth as he tugs on the other side.

“They already checked me,” I remind him, my voice much too high-pitched for my liking. “And what the hell gives you the authority to check? You don’t work here. How the hell would you know?”

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