Sugarland Creek, Volume Two (Sugarland Creek Volume Sets #2)

Prologue

LANDEN

“Yeehaw, motherfuckers!” Tucker shouts as he sprints off a fifty-foot cliff.

It’s his fourth time in fifteen minutes, but still, we watch as he does a double backflip in the air before plunging into the waterfall creek below.

“Has he always been this reckless?” my cousin Warren asks.

“I can’t believe his body ain’t gettin’ sore from slammin’ into the water so many times,” Warren’s girlfriend, Maisie, says.

Tucker swims toward the rocky shore. He throws a fist up into the air and shouts something inaudible.

“Since the day we met, he’s been certifiably insane.” Smirking, I think back to the dozens of memories Tucker Sánchez and I have made since we became best friends in third grade when he moved to Sugarland Creek, Tennessee.

Experiencing our first middle school dance where we both asked out the same girl and raced our dirt bikes through a rainstorm to determine who’d get to be her date.

I beat his ass.

Driving our tractors through corn fields and playing chicken until the other person swerved into the ditch.

The fucker never swerved.

Sneaking out in the middle of the night to tip cows and steal pigs just because we were bored little shitheads.

And got numerous trespassing violations.

After graduation in a couple months, he’ll go off to college in California to study medicine while I stay here in Tennessee to work on my family’s ranch and equine retreat. It’s sad to think this is our final spring break before we go our separate ways and won’t see each other for weeks at a time.

Even so, I’ll be glad to be done with high school.

But mostly, I’m ready to get away from my ex-girlfriend, Angela, who’s thankfully moving to Florida to study only God knows what. Considering she skips classes at least four times a week, she’s failing most of them. Either way, I’m happy she’ll be far away from me.

Even though she’s the one who broke my heart last year and claimed I was incapable of loving someone and then left me for an older dude, she continues to cling to me any chance she gets.

Including now.

For someone so “emotionally dead inside” as she claims I am, she’s still eager for my attention.

Moments ago, she called me baby and tried grabbing my hand to get me to jump off the cliff with her.

Even if the water were filled with gold coins, I wouldn’t go in with her.

I didn’t even want her on this trip, but Talia’s her best friend and Talia’s dating Tucker.

The other couple with us are Rhett and Addie. Rhett moved here four years ago and joined the baseball team with Tucker and me. Addie’s friends with Talia, but not Angela. She tolerates her as much as I do.

So naturally, with three other couples here, Angela wanted to play house with me this week.

Not happening.

“I’m gonna miss this place,” Rhett says as he holds Addie’s hand. We came here last year, too, but this will be our final time as a group.

My aunt and uncle let us rent out one of the luxury cabins on their ranch resort and we’ve had a blast partying, hiking, swimming, and horseback riding each day we’ve been here.

“Y’all should visit during your school breaks,” Warren tells them, wrapping his arm around Maisie as if he’s hinting the same thing to her.

My cousin’s the same age as me but lives two hours away in Willow Branch Mountain.

He’s also staying and working full-time for his parents, which has caused tension between him and Maisie since she’s moving to New York City to pursue a career in publishing.

He swears they’ll make it work, though, so for his sake, I hope they do.

“This place would be the perfect romantic honeymoon,” Addie says, giving Rhett a knowing look.

Considering they’ve been practically attached to the hip for the past three years, I wouldn’t be shocked if they got engaged right after graduation.

“According to the thousands of reviews online, that’s what most couples come for. Or a romantic getaway without their kids,” Warren confirms.

For as long as I can remember, my parents would bring me and my four siblings up here every summer for a week of camping.

Or rather “glamping” as it’s promoted. There’s no off-grid, tent-style suffering out here.

It’s all glamourous accommodations with your choice of a nature immersive dome, two-story cabin, or their infamous modern-day treehouse.

They get better Wi-Fi here than I do at home.

It’s a special place to visit and there’s no wonder why they’re always fully booked. While my family’s retreat is very kid-friendly, their resort focuses more on relaxation and helping couples reconnect with each other through outdoor and indoor activities.

While we’ve been here, we’ve taken full advantage of the fancy onsite restaurant and in-room massages. Yesterday, the guys and I went fishing while the girls relaxed in the hot tub and watched a Netflix movie on the large projector screen.

It’s been the best spring break ever.

And I’m sad that tomorrow’s our last day.

“How many times have you and Maisie snuck into one of the cabins for a romantic weekend?” I tease.

He smirks while Maisie’s cheeks burn pink. I already know he booked under fake names for their prom night and her birthday weekend last year. I’m only surprised his parents never found out.

“Can’t believe Aunt Lindsey hasn’t caught on.” She’s my dad’s sister and one of my mom’s best friends.

“That’s because I’m good at being sneaky.” Warren grins. “I also add in a no disturbance note.”

Shaking my head, I laugh.

“Who’s next to jump?” Tuckers asks, wiping his face with a towel when he reappears.

“Talia!” Angela blurts. “She’s the only one who’s chickenin’ out…”

Glancing at Talia, her face heats from the unwanted attention. It’s obvious she doesn’t want to, but she’s on the shy side, which has always made me wonder how she’s even friends with Angela, who’s loud, obnoxious, and never shuts the hell up.

I used to like that about her. The way she’d party just as hard as I did and never complained about doing random wild shit on the weekends.

Now, hearing her voice is like a chainsaw cutting through metal.

I’d rather swallow a teaspoon of cinnamon and hot sauce than listen to her.

“C’mon, Talia. You don’t wanna be the only one who doesn’t jump, do you?” Angela taunts.

“You don’t have to, Talia,” I say, patting her shoulder and giving her a reassuring smile. “Don’t do anything you’re not comfortable doing.”

Angela glares at me, but I ignore her.

I took a lifeguard training program when I was sixteen and have worked at the retreat’s pool during summer breaks. Although this is much more extreme than jumping into a ten-foot-deep pool, I can tell she’s uncomfortable about the idea.

“It’s fun, Talia! The adrenaline rush will be worth whatever fear of heights you have,” Angela adds, but Talia’s face goes pale as if she’s about to throw up. Her not liking heights makes sense as to why she hasn’t come close to the edge to watch like everyone else.

I stand next to Warren and Rhett, not wanting to be near Angela because the urge to push her off the ledge gets stronger each time she opens her mouth.

“Baby, it’s not that bad, I promise. But if you don’t wanna, we can go do something else,” Tucker tells Talia.

“What a loser,” Angela mutters to Addie, but when Addie doesn’t reciprocate the same thoughts, Angela laughs it off.

The sound makes my skin crawl.

She continues whispering to Talia as we contemplate what activity to do next.

“We could go ziplining. Or go for a hike to the other waterfall that’s twice as tall,” Warren suggests.

“It’s cool to look at during the sunset. The lights reflect against the water,” Maisie adds.

“Aww, that sounds so romantic…” Addie coos as she walks over.

“Talia’s afraid of heights, so we should think of something else,” I suggest.

“We could go four-wheelin’ through the trails and play flashlight tag in the dark.” Warren grins like he’s up to something. “It can be a little dangerous, but my siblings and I play it all the time.”

“And how many end up gettin’ hurt?” I snort, knowing my cousins are just as unruly as me and my siblings.

“No one’s ever ended up in the hospital if that’s whatcha mean. Just some minor cuts and bruises from gettin’ smacked with tree branches.”

I laugh at how similar our families are even though we don’t get to spend lots of time with each other.

“Angela, wait!” Talia screams and we turn our heads at the same time to witness Angela shoving Talia closer.

“Just take a look, you big baby.” Angela stops just before Talia can fall over. “The only way you’re gonna get over your fear is by facin’ it. You don’t wanna be scared of heights forever, do ya?”

“Leave her alone,” I shout at Angela.

“Mind your business,” she sneers. “Talia wants to be included. She just needs a little encouragement to do it.”

Talia stays quiet as she leans over slightly, but her body is tense as she hangs onto Angela’s hand with a death grip.

“See, it’s not that high,” Angela says.

“I-I dunno…I’m not a great swimmer.” Talia’s voice shakes as she steps back.

“We’ll jump in together so I can make sure you get back to shore,” Angela offers.

“I’ll jump with you, baby,” Tucker eases. “But only if you want to.”

Talia chews on her lip as she contemplates her answer but then nods.

“Yay! So the three of us will go together!” Angela removes her sandals. “On my count!”

The rest of us watch as the three of them stand on the ledge holding hands.

“One, two, three…GO!” Angela shouts, except she and Talia don’t jump. Angela pretended to by bending her knees and leaning over, but her feet never left the ground.

Tucker makes a splash, but Talia’s screams grab my attention seconds later. Her limbs flail as she flies through the air. She’s not in the right position for a safe dive. Her body should be rigid like a plank so she can easily glide through the surface instead of slamming against the water.

“What the fuck did you do?” I snap at Angela at the same time Addie asks, “I thought you were going in with her?”