Page 7 of When the Stars Fall
There was a loud splash and I jumped back, my hand over my racing heart as Brody doubled over, laughing, a big rock in his hand about the size of the one he’d just thrown.
“Pretty sure it’s feeding time. Snap snap,” Jude said, moving his hand like it was the jaws of a crocodile.
I yanked the rope out of Jude’s hand and kept telling myself that they were lying. Just trying to scare me. The rope was thick and knotted and I studied it in my hands, trying to figure out how to get from where I was, out over the water, and back again. I gulped, not wanting to let on that I was scared and had no idea how to do this.
“Here,” Brody said, wrestling the rope out of my hands. “I’ll show you how it’s done.”
“If you want.” I shrugged like it was no big deal. But secretly, I was relieved. Happy that I wouldn’t have to go first.
Brody backed up until the rope was stretched taut, his hands wrapped around one of the knots. Then he ran and just before he reached the water’s edge, he pulled himself up and wrapped his legs around the rope, swinging wildly above the creek with one arm raised in the air as he whooped and hollered before he flew back and landed on his butt, sending up a cloud of dust that nearly choked me.
Jude took the rope from him and I watched him do the same thing Brody just had. But Jude’s style was different. He flew like a cannonball, so fast he was a blur and then he was back by my side, both feet planted on the ground, offering me the rope. I got the feeling that there was nothing Jude couldn’t do.
I’d later learn that he was one of those boys who was good at everything and made it all look easy. Even when it wasn’t.
My hands were all sweaty and I wasn’t sure what scared me most. The crocodiles or the fear of embarrassing myself by not being able to do it.
“Can you swim?” Jude asked, his voice low like he didn’t want Brody to overhear.
I nodded and swallowed hard, tightening my grip on the rope.
“If you’re scared, it’s okay,” Jude said quietly.
I turned my head to look at him, trying to decide if he was just being nice or if he was making fun of me. “I’m not scared.”
“Okay.” He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. “Whatever you say.”
I backed up so I had a good amount of space to take a running jump. If I fell I’d end up in the creek. In a dress. With hungry crocodiles ready to eat me. But I couldn’t back down from a dare. Not now that the boys were watching and waiting to see what I’d do.
So I took a deep breath and I ran and then I was flying through the air. The rope slipped from my sweaty hands and I hit the water with a splash and went down, down, down. This creek was a lot deeper than I’d expected. My arms flailed as the current carried me away.
Gripped by panic, I forgot how to swim.
Arms wrapped around me and my head emerged from the water. I coughed, my nose burning from all the water I’d inhaled. My body thrashed, struggling to break free.
“Stop fighting me.”
He was treading water, keeping us both afloat, hanging on to me for dear life. His grip was so crushing, it squeezed all the air out of my lungs and I was struggling to breathe.
“Let me go,” I wheezed. “I can swim.”
He loosened his hold but still didn’t let go. “Sure could have fooled me. You looked like you were drowning.”
“I wasn’t drowning. Just let me go.”
No sooner were my words out when Brody came flying through the air and landed in the water with a big splash that rained drops of water down on our heads.
Jude released me and I got my wits about me, treading water while the boys horsed around, dunking each other and laughing. I couldn’t help it, I was laughing with them. All thoughts of hungry crocodiles flew right out of my head.
We took turns swinging from the rope and dropping into the creek. The more times I did it, the easier it was and the braver I got. Jude cautioned me to drop into the water at the deep part or I’d get hurt.
This time I heeded his advice.
“Jude McCallister! You have some explaining to do.”
I pushed my wet hair off my forehead and looked over at Jude’s mom, who was standing on the other side of the fence with her hands on her hips, a look on her face that said she clearly wasn’t happy. My mom was right next to her and wore a similar expression.
We were in so much trouble.
