14. Warren
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
WARREN
A fter relaxing all morning, nursing our slight hangovers and my bruised ass, we took the RV to a canyon just outside of Moab. We packed lunch and followed a nice, shady trail past an old powerhouse dam and across winding creeks until we reached the hidden oasis.
A stunning waterfall pours into the crystal-clear pool we’re currently lounging around, surrounded by an amphitheater of sandstone. There’s a few families and a couple of lone travelers, but it’s pretty secluded. A well-kept secret among the locals and a few small blogs, including one I follow.
“Think I’m gonna jump,” I announce, breaking the silence and startling Kyle awake. He’s been lying next to me on a large rock, lazing in the sun like a cat.
I stand, stretching my arms above my head and leaning side to side, preparing myself for an epic cliff jump.
“ No. Absolutely not,” Kyle growls, sitting up quickly. His abs bunch, and his tiny swim trunks—covered in little palm trees—slide higher up his thick thighs. “Did you not read the warning signs?” His brows scrunch behind his dark Ray-Bans as he points to the wooden boards nailed to the rock wall.
Danger! Shallow water.
Jump at your own risk.
“You’ve already got a bruised ass, like hell you’re ending this trip early because of a broken neck.”
“Whatever, Dad,” I mumble. He’s completely overreacting.
“Really mature, Warren.” Kyle shakes his head, but I ignore him, diving into the water and swimming over to the rock wall. “Don’t you fucking dare!” he whisper-shouts, trying not to earn death glares from the nearby moms.
I climb the narrow rock stairs, leading me to a ledge near the top of the cliff. I stare below at the rocky swimming hole and the small crowd of people watching.
“ Ren! I swear to God, if you?—”
Kyle’s words are cut off by the whooshing in my ears as I free-fall for a blissful second before I hit the chilly water. I pop back through the surface, pumping my fist into the air and shaking my wet hair out of my face. “Hell yeah, bro!”
People are clapping and cheering, and I grin like a fool, eating it up.
That was awesome.
Kyle sighs, shaking his head in exasperation. “Satisfied now? Come back over here. I’m hungry.”
As much as I’m tempted by food, that was a thrill like no other and the adrenaline is still pumping.
I swim over, hanging onto a smaller rock next to the boulder he’s sitting on and kicking my legs behind me. “So, there’s another jump. A higher jump. ”
“ Ren . . . ”
I ignore the concern in his tone, continuing on with what I was saying. “No one really knows about it, so the rocks are mossy and slippery, but other than that, it’s completely safe.” I smile confidently, even though I’m not.
Kyle’s golden hair shines in the sunlight, and his flawless skin is stretched taut over hard muscles. He looks good lounging on the rock like some sort of fitness model.
“I don’t trust the internet, and I don’t trust that high of a jump, Ren.”
I brush him off, chuckling softly as the cool water laps against my shoulders. “Bro, you sound like an old man. It’s a reputable outdoor blog. It’s fine. Seriously. ”
“I have a bad feeling,” he counters.
Something twisted inside me gets a sick little thrill out of making him worry.
“ I’m going for it. ” I swim away, heading toward the cliff again.
“ Goddammit, Ren! Why can’t you just stop? Why do you always have to push things further than they need to go?”
Suddenly, I don’t feel like we’re talking about cliff jumping at all anymore, and it annoys the shit out of me. I ignore my best friend, who’s apparently trying to mother me, and continue swimming, searching for the footholds that lead to the higher jump.
Running my fingers along the rough stone, I finally find a divot in the wall and start to climb very, very carefully. When I get to the top, I hoist myself up and stop to catch my breath, staring down at the water below. It seems a lot higher now that I’m up here, but I can’t chicken out after getting Kyle worked up.
Trepidation skitters down my spine, and I question my own resolve when I start to back up, preparing to make a running jump.
I can see the worry on Kyle’s face from all the way up here, while everyone else watches with an excited sort of anticipation.
The whole scenario brings memories to the surface from when we were eight.
If I climb up a few more branches, then I’ll be high enough.
I told all the other kids at camp that I could jump from the top of the tree into the lake.
I’m not even sure why I did that. I just wanted everyone to like me. To like us.
And now they’re all watching.
“Renny! Please don’t go any higher,” Kyle pleads. I don’t think he wants me to do this, but it’ll be fine. It’ll be awesome!
By accident, I glance down as I get even higher.
“Whoa.” Looking down is bad. Very bad.
I close my eyes, feeling dizzy.
Once I’m steady again, I keep going.
Just a couple . . . more . . . branches.
Standing up very, very carefully, I grab hold of the branch above my head and sidestep my way toward the end.
I have to jump far enough out so that I clear all of the branches below.
“Jump! Jump! Jump!” our campmates chant.
I’m not too worried, I learned how to swim last summer, so I got this.
“ Ren, please don’t! ”
Kyle’s words bleed with the present, but I don’t listen, just like I didn’t listen to him back then.
Instead, I jump, doing a front flip in the air and hitting the water at an awkward angle.
Hard.
The force of the impact knocks the wind out of me, stealing my breath and momentarily propelling me back into the memory of my eight-year-old self.
It’s jarring.
I didn’t clear all of the branches, hitting a few on my way down and breaking my arm in two places.
It’s not a memory I ever wish to relive, but this feels like déjà vu as I sink into the darkness.
Moments before my lungs suck in breaths of water, strong arms wrap around my torso, pushing off the bottom of the swimming hole and catapulting us to the surface.
We break through, gasping for air and coughing harshly.
“ Kyle, ” I whimper.
Once again, he’s there.
Like he always is.
Saving my ass.