Chapter 29
Twenty-Nine
Cleo
Iglance at the large, round clock on the club’s black wall, wincing as another minute passes. It’s nearing two o’clock in the morning.
And my energy is infinite.
I gaze to either side of me to see my best friends in the entire world laughing up a storm while grooving in tune with the music. Their joy is so contagious it’s impossible not to join in.
We stumble into one another repeatedly, each time being funnier than the last as the tequila swims laps within my own mind. The disco ball is illuminating the room in the most beautiful array of strobe lights, seeming to dance with us.
I run my hands through my long locks and lean my head back, basking in the music, my best friends, the dancing, and this moment.
“Cleo, don’t you have an early morning tomorrow?” Lacey shouts over the music.
Shit.
“Lacey. You may have just ruined my night with that friendly little reminder.” I punch her arm playfully as her curly blonde hair bounces in beat with the music.
“You should be happy she cared to remind you at all,” Daphne slurs. Even in her drunken state, she still manages to be sassy as hell. At only five feet tall—just an inch shorter than me—sporting long straight brown hair in a high ponytail, she’s a force to be reckoned with.
“True, I suppose,” I sigh in frustration, running my fingers down my yellow minidress, taking pride in how it shines under the lights of the dance floor.
“I don’t even want to go tomorrow, but if I don’t go, my parents will kill me.
Family tradition and all. It’s just hard, like, we’ve been doing this for over twenty years now.
How many more years will I have to endure it? ”
“Chill out, dude. It’s just a hike.” Daphne smirks.
I sigh dramatically, letting the alcohol take control for a few seconds. “It’s not just a hike, it’s the principle of it. Like, I’m a grown adult now, you know?”
“Well, why not skip this one?” Lacey offers, out of breath. Mind you, we’re all still dancing during this conversation.
“Oh, no, I could never.”
Lacey and Daphne burst into laughter.
“Well… Maybe this one will be my last obligatory hike. From here on, I can just go if I want to, but they can’t force me to go anymore. You both know how much I dread people pushing me into doing things I don’t want to.”
“Don’t we know it,” Daphne drawls. “Well, ladies, as fun as it’s been, I think I’m ready for bed, and I don’t even have an early morning.”
“Aw, please,” I plead. “One more dance.”
Lacey joins in, asking Daphne for just one more.
Before Daphne can respond, we yank her to the middle of the crowded dance floor. “Took too long to answer. We win.”
She rolls her eyes, then shrugs in defeat.
Once the song starts, we dance together like no one is watching.
This moment takes me back to when we first met in my high school dance class.
They both had more experience, but they took the time to teach me.
Now, we’re all equals and quite literally inseparable, despite venturing down different paths.
Daphne is in school to be a nurse now, whereas Lacey is focusing on a career in education.
I’ve been working as an executive secretary for the last couple of years, but I hope to gain experience in technology eventually. I heard that’s an up-and-coming industry for women to join.
While dancing, I think to myself, I could live in this moment forever.
One could only wish.
The sky is bright—far too bright for a rainy day like this. Or maybe the light sensitivity is just an aftereffect of my late night.
After all, I had quite the night. From dancing my feet off with my best friends to entertaining strangers, the rush of euphoria was unreal.
“Keep up, Cleo!” my brother calls out from ahead, taking on a steep rocky incline. “Geesh, you’re getting slower by the day.”
I roll my eyes and sigh. Jonathan’s favorite thing to do is to make fun of my age, even though I’m only a few years older than he is. He forgets he’s also an entire foot taller than me.
My brother and sister lead the pack—I usually like to fight my brother for the lead position, but after last night, it’s a miracle for me to be standing upright at the moment.
While climbing the incline, my sunglasses slip down my nose. I let out an annoyed groan and push them back up.
“You good, Clo?” my dad asks from behind me, pushing me up the hill.
“Just a long night.” Some rocks tumble on my next step, causing me to lose my footing, but my dad catches me.
He lifts my foot back to the spot it was just at, allowing me to climb the rest of the incline.
This hike’s difficulty level is moderate, with only a handful of challenging spots like this one.
My mom follows our trail in the back. She likes it back there. She finds comfort in seeing each of our family members ahead of her—a mama bear at her core.
“Be careful. Long night or not, the path is extra slippery after all that rain last night, honey,” my mom shouts warmly out from behind me. I simply nod as a bead of sweat drips down my brow. I’ve got to focus. This isn’t even the most challenging part of the route.
Upon reaching the top of the incline, I take a break to refocus. I breathe in and out slowly, pretending I’m preparing to dance.
“Hurry, Cleo!” my sister cheers from ahead. I barely just reached the top, and she’s already racing through the next incline, not even winded. She’s always been such a natural athlete. She’s living proof the universe has favorites.
Maybe I am getting too old for this. How do my parents keep up with those kids?
We may all be adults now, but those two rascals will always be my baby siblings.
They’re the main reason I’m still living at home, not that I mind.
This tradition is growing a bit old for me, but spending time with them and helping take care of my family is essential to me.
Thankfully, the next incline isn’t as steep, so I relax my muscles a little and take a drink of water from my canteen.
This tradition all started on the week I took my first steps.
My parents’ home isn’t far from this state park, so they decided to take me on my first hike only a couple of days after I learned how to walk.
Of course, given the fact that I was still a baby, I only walked for the first few feet of the hike.
My parents carried me the rest of the way.
My mom read somewhere that hiking is good for the soul and ran with it, and my dad, being as active as he is, loved the idea.
Since then, we’ve tried to hike together at least once every year. Often, we end the hike with a little campout. This year, we planned on keeping the hike quick, and I haven’t been the best sport about it.
I love my family, though.
I may appear distant sometimes, but I’d do anything for them.
Consequently, I’m hiking at seven o’clock in the morning with a killer hangover.
To my right is an endless forest filled with trees.
To my left is a drop-off to a stream filled with rocks below.
It’s not as bad as you may be envisioning.
It’s not relatively high enough to be considered a prominent cliff, at least not at this point in the hike.
I’d guess we’re about a hundred feet high, but who knows.
We’ve hiked this trail so many times; the drop doesn’t make me as nervous as it did when I was a little girl. In fact, I tend to capture the best views from the edge, so I often spend time overlooking that side of the forest.
It’s vast. Seemingly endless.
From the chirping birds to the sound of gentle rain, I’m mesmerized by it.
This moment would be even more beautiful if my thighs weren’t burning so much. Note to self: do not ever hike after a night out dancing again. Ever. Under any circumstance.
I squeeze my eyes shut and bend over, resting my palms on my thighs to take a proper break. As I lean forward, my feet slide across the muddy ground, making me cringe.
Then I lose my balance.
I’m not usually this clumsy, this thoughtless. I attempt to center myself, but unfortunately for me, my body chooses to bend toward the outer edge of the trail.
The drop-off.
My fate lies before me as clear as day. My mind screams at me to fight, to flee, to fly. Some people escape death’s grasp, sure. I know better, though. I won’t escape this.
Still, despite my mind’s willingness to give in to the inevitable, my body continues to fight. My arms flail, my mouth opens wide.
Then my foot slips off the slick, muddy edge.
I close my eyes, deciding I’d rather not see the end. Feeling it will be enough, I think.
I fall.
I’m convinced this is the end, when a strong, large hand latches on to my arm roughly. I open my eyes in shock.
“Get back up here, Clo,” my middle-aged father whispers, blinking back tears as he bends over the side of the trail, knees digging into the muddy ground while hanging on to me and a nearby sapling.
I glance over his shoulder to see my mom holding on to him, sweating profusely.
While looking at them, I notice just how far I’ve already fallen.
My mom's feet keep slipping, causing me to inch closer to the ground. The vein in my dad’s forehead pulses in sync with those in his forearms as he bites his lip—he’s reaching his limit.
I don't want to die, but if he doesn't let me go, we'll both fall.
“Dad, you need to let go,” I say evenly, attempting to smile but failing miserably because I know I’m about to meet death, and truthfully, I’m not ready to die. I had so much to live for.
But I can’t bear the thought of a single one of them going down with me.
“Not happening.” He grits his teeth.
“Please.” My voice breaks as I gaze into the eyes of my entire family. “I love you all. So much.”
Then, I twist the arm he’s holding in an attempt to pull away, closing my eyes one last time.
My mom screams in agony. My sister yelps. My brother gasps loudly.
I’m falling again.
But to my horror, I’m not alone.
No, no, no, no, no.