Page 111 of Valley Girls
Rilla’s heart pounded in her neck and chest, but she walked into the water, trying very hard not to trudge into the current, but glide like some effortless water nymph. By the time it reached her hips, the pull was so strong, she surrendered—sinking under its calm surface and kicking her legs out like a frog to swim across the current and reach him in the middle of the deep pool, where the river slowly bent.
“Hey girl,” he said, smile wide as she floated to him. His blue eyes were lit with the light bouncing off the granite walls—so beautiful they took her breath away. Rilla would never ever forget this moment, she was sure.
“Where are you going?” he asked, reaching his hand out.
She blushed—she’d been so distracted, she’d forgotten to keep swimming against the current. She kicked off the rocky bottom and swam back toward him.
He grinned, pulling her arm under his.
Rilla wrapped her arm around his back and without even thinking, pulled her legs around his stomach.
“This really is the best way to drown,” he said, bobbing under the combined weight—long arms moving under the water to keep them afloat.
“Ah, I’m sorry!” Rilla blushed harder, loosening her legs to let him go.
“No, I want to die.” He half laughed, half groaned, as he stopped treading water and gripped her hips, pulling her legs back. His head dipped under and they were picking up speed in the current.
He was kidding about drowning, but it wouldn’t be long until it wasn’t a joke. Rilla pushed away from his chest, legs slipping out from his grip, ducking under the water to swim away.
“I’m cold now,” Walker called when she resurfaced downstream. “Come back.”
“I’ll race you back upstream,” she said, leaning back in the current. Her toes lifted out of the water and she stared past them to the Sentinel, standing like a massive throne in the afternoon light. If there was a heaven, she imagined it was this—hot air, cold mountain water, overlooking granite, and a boy swimming her direction.
“What do I get if I win?”
She shrugged, too embarrassed to suggest anything she’d like him to win.
“Do I get to seeallyour tan lines?” he asked.
She laughed—partially from embarrassment and partially from the thrill of joy that ran up her spine.
“We’ll see,” she said, twisting in the water to ready to swim. “On your mark. Get set.”
She started swimming.
“Hey!” He hollered.
She couldn’t help but laugh—which made it hard to swim. She’d had a good head start and managed to stay ahead, kicking and trying not to laugh.
He grabbed her ankle, but she kicked away, laughing and getting a mouthful of river water as a consequence.
“Come here, cheater,” he growled, grabbing her arm with one hand and shoving her head straight down with the other.
Water filled her mouth and she choked, kicking away. A hot panic tightened on her ribs and she suddenly could think of nothing but Curtis’s fingers digging into her shoulder as he held her down and hit her in the face.
When she resurfaced, coughing and pushing her hair away from her face, Walker was on the bank, laughing. He stopped as soon as he saw her. “Are you okay?”
She coughed, and found she could stand on the bottom. Her hands trembled and her heart raced. She was okay. She was okay. But for the first time, she realized she wasn’t okay. Not really. Was this always going to happen?
Walker rushed back into the river, patting her on the back. “I’m sorry. You all right?”
She nodded, gulping back her tears. She couldn’t cry in front of him.
“You sure? What happened?”
Rilla shook her head, unable to talk for the fear that had wedged itself into her throat.
“Come on,” he said, pulling her tight against him and leading her to the bank.
