Page 32 of Valley Girls
Rilla frowned and tried not to look at the dome anymore. Shecouldturn around, hike back to the cot in the attic, pull the covers over her head with the Pop-Tarts, and never come out. Maybe even, she should.
But if she did that, that’s what she’d have to do for the rest of the summer. She certainly couldn’t show her face to Petra or Adeena or Walker, or any of the other climbers ever again. And somewhere inside, she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t grit her teeth and take the chance she’d been given to try.
Ten
The wind whipped at Rilla’s T-shirt. She rolled her sleeves up to keep from getting a farmer’s tan, and focused on Petra, who stood with her pack on, sunglasses down, and hands raised to the wall. Petra’s white-blond ponytail fanned out in the breeze and metal bits hung, clinking, off green webbing slung across her chest.
“Belay on?” Petra asked, as if that should mean something.
The rope threaded through the Grigri Rilla had used with Walker, clipped to the big loop on the front of her harness between her hips. She grabbed it, but couldn’t remember what to do. “Walker didn’t ...”
“That’s because Walker is an asshat and didn’t take you seriously.” Adeena said. “He’s a fantastic climber, but not the greatest teacher. Don’t tell him I said that.”
Petra stayed quiet, poised to leave the ground while Adeena talked. “She says,Belay on?Now, if you’re ready, you sayOn belay. You’re the belay. Are you on? Can she trust you? Are you ready?”
Rilla swallowed and looked at the rope. She couldn’t be trusted. She wasn’t on. She didn’t remember how to do this. But she didn’t want to expose herself. “On belay,” she said faintly. The wind snapped at her braid.
“Louder,” Adeena ordered. “You’re a team. You have to communicate.”
“On belay,” Rilla said, louder.
Petra immediately rocked forward on her toes. “Climbing,” she said.
“She’s telling you she’s about to climb,” Adeena said. “Now, you have to tell her toclimb on. That means from that moment on, you’re the person to keep her alive.”
“Wait.” Rilla gripped the rope tighter, heart thumping in her ears. “What’s supposed to hold her?” The rope hung slack between the two of them, nothing in between Rilla’s Grigri and the knot Petra had tied to her harness. If Petra began to climb and fell, she’d justfall. There was nothing Rilla could see to do to stop her.
Adeena pointed to the metal bits hanging at Petra’s side. “She’ll set one of those pieces of protection—pro—every so often along the way. Either in a crack or on a bolt. Then, it’ll be just like when you did it with Walker.”
Rilla squinted up the wall. This was such a bad idea.A Bad Idea: The Priscilla Skidmore Story. Caroline’s Instagram feed popped into her head, and she clenched her jaw. She wanted to be that, so badly. But she stood frozen, unable to start. Andshewasn’t even climbing.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Adeena said. “I’m your backup. And Petra’s done this climb a thousand times. She doesn’t even need you.”
“I could do this with no hands,” Petra said, balancing on her toes and waving her hands in the air to demonstrate. “Now. Climbing.”
Rilla took a deep breath. It was this or Netflix and staring at her undone homework all summer. “Climb on,” she said.
“All right!” Adeena fist-bumped the air.
Petra began moving up the wall, rope trailing behind her.
Rilla’s stomach turned and turned, and her palms were sweaty, but she carefully fed out rope as Petra moved.
In less than a minute, Petra paused and reached for a piece ofproat her side. A few seconds later she called, “slack” and began pulling up on the rope that trailed down to Rilla.
Adeena lifted up the rope from the pile. “Slackmeans give her more rope. Keep your hands on the brake and feed it through the Grigri.”
Rilla’s hands got all crossed, and her fingers trembled as she tried to feed the rope out without letting go, like she’d practiced with Walker. She couldn’t even seem to recall Walker’s face at that moment, let alone what he’d taught her.
“She’s not going to fall,” Adeena said. “You don’t have to rush. Think about what you’re doing and do it. Don’t make a mistake because you’re nervous.” She clamped a hand over Rilla’s right fist, pushing it to Rilla’s thigh.
Oh. Her brake hand. She remembered now. Rilla’s cheeks warmed. She’d unthinkingly lifted the brake and let go. The thing Walker had told her never to let go of.
“Calm down,” Adeena said. “Then feed it without lifting your hand.”
Rilla stopped. Petra wasn’t going to fall. They were okay. She was safe. She took a deep breath in through her nose and looked at her hands, carefully managing the rope through the Grigri. Her hands felt like they would shake if she let go, but she wasn’t in a giant knot anymore.
Petra pulled up all the rope Rilla had let out. “Clipping.” Then a second later. “Clipped.”
