Page 53 of Bulletproof
He let out a loud Tarzan scream and jumped. He flailed his arms and legs for effect as if he was freefalling,terrified, and trying to grab onto a bit of gravity for stability, but he knew what he was doing. He just wanted to put on a show. As the space between him and the surface of the lake closed, he straightened his body, pointed his toes, and flattened his arms to his side. The water filled his ears with a whoosh of thunder and the bubbles tickled his skin as he pierced the body of water. He let thebuoyancy around him push him up to the surface, slowly and gracefully. The sun warmed his cheeks and laughter bellowed from his lungs as he leisurely did the backstroke parallel to the horizon.
The driver of the boat was frantic, leaning over the boat with a Shepard’s hook extended into the water and shouting for him to take it. A ring buoy floated nearby, a circle of hope for a helplessswimmer. Travis didn’t need any of that. He swam to the side of the boat and climbed up the swim platform at the stern. He raised his arms over his head and screamed, “That was fucking awesome!” The driver of the boat didn’t think so – at all – and berated him, but Travis didn’t care. He ignored the angry driver’s rant, just like he ignored everyone else in his life who tried to tell him whatto do.
When Derek landed on the boat, he rushed toward Travis and wrapped his arms around him. “You scared the fucking shit out of me! Are you out of your mind? Are you OK?” He pulled back to look Travis up and down, but never let go. “What the hell was that about?”
“I was just having a good time.” Travis gave a bashful smile. “I guess I was showing off a little. It wasso awesome I couldn’t contain myself. I never did anything like this before with a group of guys. I’ve only gone parasailing by myself in the past, or with acquaintances. Now I’m here with you guys. Best friends who do everything together. And I was part of it. Thank you so much for including me. It was a great time.”
Brandon, Cam, Jeremy and Alan all jumped aboard the boat and surroundedTravis, shocked that he wasn’t injured. Travis appreciated the concern, but he was a little embarrassed at the attention. Mostly high on adrenaline, he didn’t know what to say. “I was just having fun. You should try it.”
“Don’t you even think about it!” Cam warned Brandon.
“I’m notthatcrazy,” Brandon replied.
“Good, because I don’t think my heart couldstand another shock like that.” Cam’s eyes widened as he looked at Travis. “You’re nuts!”
Jeremy slapped Travis on the back. “You got some big hairy balls, bruh.”
Bruh.No one ever called him “bruh” before, and the shortened nickname for “brother,” used frequently between Bulletproof’s band of brothers, and now with him, practically knocked Travis over the head. Todaywas a day of firsts.
Alan socked him in the shoulder. “Just don’t do that again, please.”
As the rest of the guys commented among themselves about the jump, Derek stared at Travis with that fucking sexy smile. Travis’ heart ached with happiness and acceptance. He finally fit in. He hugged Derek, hiding his face in the guy’s long hair, before someone saw the tears threateningto fall from his eyes.
