Page 98 of Valley Girls
Rilla laughed, her cheeks pink. She folded her arms over her stomach. “I’m not doing this.”
“I’m not saying get naked. Just leave your underwear on.” He swiped at her knee with a grin.
She shook her head, stomach trembling.
Everyone traipsed upstairs. Rilla didn’t unbutton her pants until everyone else did too. She was used to being around everyone in her swimsuit or climbing in a sports bra and pants, and her cotton underwear and sports bra weren’t anything skimpier. But still, Hico handed her a cold beer as they all crammed into the oversized tub, with Tam and Walker sitting on the edge behind her.
“Y’all are weird,” Rilla said happily, her arms up on Walker’s legs. “If this tub disappears one day, it’s because I sold it for scrap.”
Hico leaned back and looked at the floor. “Is it not bolted down? That’d be super easy.”
“Let me tell you something,” Petra said, lifting her bottle out of the steaming water to gesture. “If you’re going to steal anything from people as rich as my grandparents, don’t go for the tubs. Go for the watches or electronics. My grandpa has a broken watch around here you could pawn for more money than this tub. And then you don’t have to carry it out.”
Hico laughed. “I guess if someone has a copper tub, you shouldn’t stop there.”
“A watch though?” Rilla asked. “Really?”
“I got a watch for climbing Everest,” Adeena said. “From the Pakistani government.”
Rilla nearly choked on her drink. “You’ve climbed Everest?”
“When I was fifteen,” Adeena said, her eyes tracking away. She took a drink.
“Oh my god.” Rilla blinked. “That’s incredible.”
Adeena shrugged. “It was ... memorable.”
“Really?” Caroline said. “They gave you ... a watch? Not money or a scholarship?”
“An engraved Rolex,” Adeena said with a nod.
“Did you keep it?”
She laughed. “It basically funded my entire education.”
“Will you ever climb it again?” Tam asked.
Adeena exhaled, looking at the ceiling. “I’d like to. For my brother. He was with me the first time.”
There was a moment of silence. Walker’s legs tightened on her sides.
“Do you really want to do The Nose?” Petra asked Rilla. “We all know you’ve been asking everyone about it. Time to woman up and tell us if you’re serious.”
Rilla gulped her beer down and looked at everyone—terror freezing her tongue. She wanted to sayyes. But what if everyone was laughing behind her back?
“We’ll do it with you. Me and Adeena.” Petra rolled her eyes. “Caroline doesn’t want in. She’s doing it on her own.”
“Oh, right.” Rilla said. She’d forgotten—from that day when she dropped the rope, Caroline was climbing it free.
Adeena nodded. “I’m in. It’s The Nose.” She shrugged, as if that said everything.
“Yes,” Rilla said.
“Yes, what? Come on. Yell it,” Petra said. “Yes, what?”
“Yes, I want to climb The Nose,” Rilla said.
Hico put his hand to his ear. “I didn’t hear you.”
