Page 75 of Valley Girls
The afternoon sun shifted from white-hot into intense umber. Rilla was drenched, her sports bra chafing on the edges. The gallon jugs they’d brought were nearly empty, but the bonus was it made the haul bag easier to haul after each pitch.
The last pitch was her turn to lead. Heralding the top ... an obvious, tall, hunter-green pine tree.
Caroline patted her on the back. “Have fun!”
Rilla nodded, helmet bobbing on her sweating head as she looked up and began to climb.
It might have been fun for Caroline, but it all feltawkwardto Rilla. She kept trying to have one foot on each wall and shuffle up the corner. But gravity kept yanking on her body. The stemming—her legs splayed like a little kid inching up a doorway—was easy one second and flat-out impossible the next.
Annoyed, she jammed her feet into the crack and tried to wiggle her way up. She regretted this day. She regretted ever finding it fun. What the hell was ever fun about this?
She sniffed and inched upward. Nothing felt right.
“Can you place a piece?” Caroline asked from below.
Shit. She’d forgotten. She had to place a pieceor she was going to die. Never mind the pieces she’d placed farther down that would hopefully hold. Never mind that Caroline was below, on belay.Die. She was going to die.
The fear combined with the effort required to keep herself on the wall worked out into her fingers, and the cam clanked wildly against the rock. She fumbled—
Zzzzzzzip.
Oomph.Her next piece caught with a teeth-jarring and gear-shuddering jerk. She blinked and—
Zzzzzzzip.
Thwack.
She smacked against the wall, terrified and eyes wide, still clutching the piece she’d been trying to place.Shit. Shit. Shiiiit.Scrambling, she jumped onto the wall, clutching at anything she could touch.What happened?
“You okay?” Caroline called. She wasn’t far below now.
Rilla looked between her legs. “No,” she wailed.
“Does anything hurt?”
Rilla quickly took stock. Her heart pounded out of her chest. Her eyes watered. Fingers shook. Her breath came fast and shallow.
“I’m okay,” she squeaked, wishing she believed it. She was not okay.
“Congratulations.” Caroline sounded more chipper than Rilla had ever heard. “You lost a piece and didn’t panic!”
Rilla stared down in mild horror. This wasn’t something to celebrate. “I’mgonnapanic, bitch,” she yelled.
Caroline’s eyes widened and she blinked.
Shit.
Caroline busted out laughing.
“Stop laughing,” Rilla screeched. “Help me.”
“Okay, okay. Look. You’re at peace now. Check it.”
Rilla whimpered, forcing herself to reach out and tug on the cam. It seemed solid, but so had the others.
“Can you slide in a nut to back it up?” Caroline asked.
Rilla felt sick, seeing herself reach for the gear on her sling and falling off.
