Page 26 of Bassist With Benefits
“You’re on.” Jeremy offered his fist to Alan so they could pound their knuckles together and solidify the bet.
“You’re gonna lose.” Alan elbowed Jeremy and motioned toward Cam.
Poor Cam couldn’t sit still in his seat and constantly glanced out the small window. He looked scared shitless, but the guy had guts.
Derek, who was sitting behind Jeremy and Alan, leaned forward and grabbed the back of Jeremy’s chair. “I got a hundred dollar bill that says Cam shits his pants. You guys in?”
Jeremy threw his head back and laughed. “No way. Cam’s tight. He can handle it.”
Alan pressed his lips together and shifted his eyes back and forth, contemplating which side of the bet to take. “I’m with Jeremy. I don’t think he’s gonna paint the air brown.”
“Deal. Get ready to hand over two bills. Hey, Cam!” Derek yelled. “We’re gonna be free falling at 120 miles an hour for about 4,000 feet before we pull our chutes. You ready for that kind of rush?”
Cam raised one eyebrow. “Are you?” His nervous energy turned into a smug smile, and his usual unflappable confidence returned at Derek’s taunting.
Jeremy and Alan turned to one another and gave each other a high-five. “Cake,” they said at the same time.
“You owe me a beer.” Again, simultaneously.
They shared a broad smile that didn’t require words. They were always on the same mental wavelength. Their connection was intense. It was beyond what Jeremy shared with Brandon and Derek, and he knew that Alan felt the same bond, stronger between them than with their other bandmates.
When everyone else stood up, Jeremy realized they were over the jump site. He stuck his helmet on his head and fastened it under his chin. His pulse quickened with a mixture of adrenaline and fear. Even though he had jumped over two dozen times, taking that first step off the plane into nothingness was scary as hell.
Jeremy looked over at Cam. The guy looked cool and composed, with an excited smile on his face, but his eyes questioned his own sanity. Brandon was reassuring him with a massaging set of hands on Cam’s shoulders and a steady flow of words into his ear.
“Now I feel bad for betting on whether he loses his bladder or his colon,” Derek confessed.
“We won’t when we take your money,” Alan replied, slapping Derek on the back.
Brandon, the adrenaline junkie, usually jumped first, but he was still coddling Cam. It was really sweet the way he was being so patient and reassuring. Derek was the one to lead them today. He gave Cam a pat on the cheek. “See you in the air!” and he sailed out of the open plane door. Alan jumped next, then Jeremy.
Jeremy’s heart rate took off like a rocket as his body fell through the sky at a rate of over 100 miles an hour. Most people thought skydiving was like riding a roller coaster or falling out of a window, but it was the opposite. The wind was a cushion, holding a person in suspension. There was no feeling of tumbling or falling, just a loud gust of wind supporting the body. It was liberating to let go of fear and accept a rush of adrenaline that was more powerful than anything else a person could experience.
Jeremy straightened his arms and pressed them flat against his body, propelling himself toward Alan and Derek. They were already holding onto each other’s wrists, waiting for him. Jeremy flew through the air like a missile and joined Alan and Derek in a circle of three.
“Where’s Brandon and Cam?” Alan shouted.
The three of them looked up just as Brandon flew toward them with Cam strapped to his chest. Their arms and legs were spread wide, and they fell from the sky like a giant spider. Alan and Derek broke one hand free from their triad and held it up to the sky. Brandon latched onto them, momentarily knocking their balance off kilter.
Cam was hooting and hollering louder than the fans during a concert. His hands were clamped onto Alan and Derek’s wrists, the wind pulling his cheeks back, accentuating his exhilarated smile.
Derek looked at Alan and Jeremy, the comical gaze clear in his eyes right through his goggles. “Better get ready to shift away from the direction of the wind!” Derek shouted.
Jeremy shook his head. “Better get ready to lose, MacAlister!”
“What?” Brandon yelled.
No one answered.
Jeremy broke one hand free from Derek, causing their little circle to flap in the tumultuous gust of wind supporting them. The look of panic on Cam’s face made Jeremy suspect that Derek was about to win this bet, and he winced just in case.
Jeremy and Alan broke free from the rest of the group so they were free falling alone together. Their hands were clasped and they were face to face. “I started to worry that Derek was right and wanted out of there!” Jeremy shouted.
Alan laughed. “Better stay above them!”
They were quiet for the next several seconds. At this height, Jeremy felt as if he could view the entire planet beneath him. His heart was pumping so hard he thought his veins were about to explode. The wind thundered in his ears. The earth was a map of brown and green, soaring up at them at remarkable speed. Jeremy squeezed Alan’s hands tighter and looked at his friend. They were flying through the air as one, and nothing felt better than to share this never-ending high with his best friend.
“Rip it!” Alan yelled.
