Page 55 of Valley Girls
“You didn’t know, huh?” Petra said, skeptical eyebrow raised at Caroline. There was an undercurrent Rilla could feel. Over the last two weeks, she got a sense that Caroline and Petra were in some kind of rivalry—a different one from the friendly competition Adeena and Petra had running.
Caroline laughed. “I honestly didn’t. But that’s fun. Oh well ... we all have to suck some days.” She sighed and looked up at Adeena, coming down the wall. “Oh, I love this one. Can I go next?”
For Caroline, a 5.11d was sucking? Rilla inwardly groaned.
“We were setting it up for Rilla. We’re running out of light soon.”
“You can jump in,” Rilla said quickly. “I’m sure we’ll have enough time.” And if she was lucky, they’d run out of time and she wouldn’t have to climb in front of Caroline.
“Pull the rope at the bottom, Dee,” Caroline said, slapping her hands together. “Mama’s ending the day on a good note.”
Hico moved his pillow over by Rilla’s legs. “Have you seen Caroline climb yet?” he asked Rilla as Caroline put her harness on.
Rilla shook her head.
“We’re all good, but Caroline is great. She’s trying to free-climb The Nose.”
“Don’t jinx me, man,” Caroline said. “I hear you telling people.” She glanced up. “Wait, are you anchored at the top of the first pitch?”
“Yeah. It’s getting dark. We were just out to do this real quick for Rilla,” Petra said.
“Wait, free-climb The Nose? Like without ropes?” Rilla was surprised, Caroline didn’t seem like the kind of person to climb without anything to protect her from falling. Notat all.
“No,” Hico said as Caroline started climbing. “Climbing without any protection is called free soloing. Free-climbing is when you use gear and protection, but climb it all straightforward, with hands and feet, not falling, or grabbing gear, or using aid climbing. Only five people have free-climbed The Nose. It would be a big deal.”
“I’m going to do it this summer too,” Petra said. “Well, in the fall when it cools off a little.”
Hico looked toward Petra with a dubious frown. “You’re going to free-climb The Nose?”
“Yeah,” Petra said, looking up as Caroline climbed.
Hico snorted softly. “Go for it.”
“I’ll belay for you,” Rilla said.
No one acknowledged she’d said anything. A red flush of embarrassment crawled up her neck, and Rilla felt like she must have sounded desperate.
“Look sharp, you’re missing Caroline,” Hico said.
Rilla turned and rested her chin on her shoulder, looking up at the wall. Caroline was already mostly finished with the first part and pulling through the upper crack. After a few minutes, it was clear what Hico had been worried she’d miss. Seeing her in all those places on her Instagram was one thing. Seeing why she’d been sent all over the world to climb, was another. Caroline moved like nothing Rilla had really seen. Fluid and effortless. Like a ballerina. Grace and raw power on sharp granite in a heady wind. Suddenly, Rilla realized Caroline was a better climber than Petra. A better climber than all of them.
For a second, Rilla had felt like being this person was attainable. Now, she saw it was farther away than she thought. She’d only needed to get this far to see how much distance there truly was between herself and all she wanted to become. The more she got of what she wanted, the more she knew to want.
Rilla picked up the book and reread the description. Chimney. Then another crack. She squeezed her hands into fists, remembering how she was to put her hand inside the crack, make a fist, and move it around until her hand was locked—stuck—into the crack in the same kind of way the gear they placed worked. Her fist—or fingers, arms, whatever fit—kept her body on the wall, while her feet moved her up. She shook out her hand and looked at the sky—at the Valley bathed in crimson and the creep of darkness. She had this. But a nervousness grew in her stomach like the cloud cover. Damn Caroline.
“Time for some old fashioned shimmying,” Hico said when Petra called her over. “Good luck.”
“Thanks for letting me jump in,” Caroline said, handing over the rope.
Rilla gave a nervous smile and tied in.
“Did Caleb and them head out today?” Adeena asked Caroline.
“Yeah. Why?”
“Did they check the weather?” Adeena asked.
“I think they’re planning to bunker down. It didn’t look that bad when they checked last night.”
