Page 84 of Valley Girls
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the Valley floor—how far away it was. How much space echoed, ready to forget her existence. Every muscle tightened. A good hold was just above, out of reach, but easy to get to if she jumped. But if she jumped—all she saw was her hand outstretched.Zzzzip, zzip, thumpas her gear pulled and she fell three hundred feet to smack the ground. She should have triple-checked all her gear placement. Clutching the aiders, she shifted, awkward and aching, and terrified to move.
“You okay?” Adeena shouted.
“I’m fine ...” Rilla looked down. Her feet swung over a dusty green carpet of pines far below.
“You sure?”
Rilla swallowed.
“Trust yourself,” Adeena yelled.
Rilla readjusted her grip.
“Trust your gear,” Adeena yelled.
Rilla flicked her eyes to the gear she’d just put in the wall to hang the higher aider on.
Trust herself, her gear ... her partner. She had to. If she didn’t, she’d just be stuck. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to move.
“No wonder Petra doesn’t like this,” she huffed to Adeena, pulling to the anchors. “Thatwasa slog.”
Adeena laughed and crisscrossed her legs. “Yeah. A slog, indeed. I like big mountains because just when I’m sick of one thing, it seems to change, at least a little. I get bored easily.”
“I hear ya.” Rilla brushed dirt off her knee, thinking of her piles of homework half-started and never finished. “I’m sorry ... earlier. For offending you.”
“For what? I wasn’t offended.”
“I mean.” Rilla swallowed. “About your family. Assuming I knew your feelings.”
“Oh.” Adeena shrugged. “You’re fine.”
“Do you still want to climb big mountains, or do you like this more?”
Adeena looked out. The Valley reflected in the sheen of her eyes. “Oh yeah. I thought about doing a big mountain this summer, but I didn’t know how training would work with this first year of school. But, I’ve always wanted to come here. My brother had been here before when visiting family, and he made it seem magical. I needed some time from that kind of climbing. It felt like a good time to come.”
“Is your brother back in Pakistan? He’s a guide, right?”
Adeena didn’t respond right away. She redid her ponytail with her eyes fixed to the Valley. “He passed away last year, on K2. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.”
Rilla startled straighter. “Oh no, I didn’t—I ...” she stammered.
“It’s okay. You didn’t know. Rilla, I don’t expect you to know everything about my life. It’s fine to ask.”
Rilla glanced at Adeena—uncertain whether to believe it was fine, or if she was trying to make her feel less stupid. “I’ve never heard you speak ...” Shit, what did people from Pakistan speak? Pakistani? No, that was what they were called. Right? Sweat pricked the back of her neck. She had to show Adeena she wasn’t racist. “Your native language.” Nailed it.
Adeena side-eyed her. “Arabic is not my native language.”
“Uh ...”Shit.
“I can speak it. But my native language is Shina. I was quoting the Quran.We are Allah’s, and to him we shall return.”
Rilla’s face burned. She swallowed and looked at her chalk-dusted fingernails. The Quran. “Oh, that’s why you went off to pray. You’re Muslim?”
“Yep. And just so you know, it’s pronouncedmoos-lihm. Notmuh-slem.”
Suddenly Lauren jumped into her head.You need to apologize.Rilla frowned. No. It was an honest mistake. Not wrong. Just ...ugh.She bit her lips. “I am so sorry. I just haven’t ever met someone from the Middle East.”
Adeena snorted. “Aaaand, I’m not from the Middle East. Pakistanis are South Asian.”
