Page 108 of Valley Girls
Adeena snorted.
They all watched quietly as Petra paused at the edges of the campsite and waited until Celine lifted her head. Whatever she said must have worked.
Rilla leaned forward, fingers curled tight. It seemed ridiculous, but what if Celine would climb with them? What if Rilla could join them?
Petra looked over and waved, while Celine stood out of her chair.
“Does she mean we go there?” Caroline asked, nervously tugging at her shirt.
“All of us?” Adeena said.
“OMG. OMG,” Bea said, smoothing her hair. “We’re going to meet Celine Moreau.”
Rilla stood and dropped to the back of the group, trying not to be noticed, even as she hoped a beam of sunlight would burst out of the clouds and shine on her like a Chosen One.
Petra’s true gifts were never more appreciated by everyone, Rilla included, as they were just then, as Petra took an awkward, gangly group of half-washed climbers and introduced them to the National Geographic team and climbers. Rilla hung at the back, watching in awe as Petra somehow pulled Adeena to the front and talked about her experience on Everest, current education, and future aspirations toward teaching young girls in Pakistan to climb, without making it sound forced or weird. When Adeena was safely in conversation about Gilgit’s street food and the last rainy season—one of the photographers had just returned—Petra grabbed Rilla’s elbow and yanked her to Celine. “From West Virginia,” is all Petra said about her. Though Rilla guessed that’s all there was to say.
Celine’s eyes lit. “Oh, the New is so beautiful. I loved climbing there.”
Rilla fumbled with a reply, shaking hands with her and Andy, while trying not to let on she was new to climbing.
Then, somehow, they all got to stand there, as if they were equals, and Celine was just a newcomer to the Grove as they talked about updated route information, what had been happening in climbing recently, which routes were closed for peregrine falcon nests, and what Celine was planning on climbing.
“I’m going to do some free-climbs on Half Dome,” Celine said. “Maybe a solo attempt if I feel good. But, we’re really here to ...” She glanced at Andy, a half smile on her face. “We’re getting married at the end of the trip.”
“This is where I grew up climbing,” Andy said with a smile. “We had a small ceremony in France already. But with so much of my family here, we decided it would be perfect to do a bigger wedding here.”
“Of course, any of you are welcome to attend the ceremony,” Celine said. “And we’ll probably be needing some haulers for the climb. We’re sorting all that out now with the team.”
Rilla nodded excitedly with the rest of them, and they all hung on just a little too long before Petra said goodbye and they went back to Abby’s campsite with wild and awkward grins plastered on their faces, at the hope they’d be chosen.
•
By the end of the day, someone had come over and requested climbers by name—Hico, Gage, and Caroline.
“Caroline?” Petra said. “That’s it?”
“Hico, and Gage, and Caroline,” Rilla repeated.
“What the fuck?”
“Oh ...” Adeena said, blinking at the ground.
Rilla’s chest pinched in disappointment, but she hadn’t really expected to be asked. It was clear she wasn’t the leader. All in all, if it had been her making the decision, the only change she’d make was to sub Adeena for one of the boys.
But Petra was furious, and there was nowhere for her fury to go. “When you’re putting together teams,” she ranted to Adeena, “don’t think that one woman at the top, in front, is what counts for feminism when the whole fucking team is men.” Petra looked over her shoulder at Half Dome. “Ugh ...” And she stormed off.
Rilla and Adeena stood still, looking at each other.
“I mean, I didn’t think anyone would get chosen,” Rilla said. “If you ask anyone, it’s clear I’m the least experienced.”
“Caroline is the best climber,” Adeena said to Rilla.
“But you’re a better climber than Hico and Gage.” Petra wasn’t, Rilla was realizing. It was strange though—everyone seemed to know Petra wasn’t, but still found her an important part of the group.
“It’s not really climbing so much as hauling,” Adeena said. “I know they probably looked at me and thought I couldn’t wrangle the pig fast enough to keep up. The boys and Caroline make perfect sense.”
“But you can haul!” Rilla said. “I’ve seen you!”
