“Okay, well, if that’s how you really feel…” Amy said slowly.
I nodded. “So you really didn’t know he’d be here?”
“Look.” She pressed her hands together on the table. “I know Simon reached out to Bryce about a month ago. I’m not quite sure what was said between them, only that he’d apologized for everything and wanted to make amends.”
I nodded again, thinking about him breaking with his family. Did they know he was here with us this weekend? I guessed not, if he hadn’t spoken to them in months. His parents always had been a little odd. I looked at Amy, rubbing my neck, which was growing sore from my tense shoulders. “Did you ever find out what the fight was between our families that day?” I asked suddenly.
Amy shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know. I haven’t asked Mom about it for years, though. Maybe she’d tell us now.”
“I doubt it.” I sighed as I rolled my eyes. “But it might be worth a try.”
“Finally!” James said when he caught sight of Amy and me. We were on the trail to the cliffs where we liked to jump from, into the lake. James held his hand out for Amy, and they led the way for Trent, Parker, and me.
After talking with Amy, I decided to treat the situation with Simon as though he was someone I’d never met, which, in a way, he was. It’d be easier to go through the week like that, and by the end of the vacation, I could say goodbye, hopefully with closure.
“Hey, remember your first dive off the cliffs, Katie?” Parker laughed, and without giving me a chance to roll my eyes, he relayed the horrible story to our small party. I sighed; there wasn’t a story about camp that didn’t involve Simon. Parker’s version of what happened was much funnier than the reality of it.
Chapter 8
“I can’t believe Mom’s finally letting us jump off the cliffs!” Amy was ecstatic.
In the past, Aunt Chantelle had been adamant Amy and I weren’t old enough to jump from the cliffs. We were thirteen now; Amy had begged my aunt relentlessly to give her permission, and she’d finally given in.
“Now, I want you to be extra careful and only one person jumping at a time.” Aunt Chantelle narrowed her eyes and pointed a warning finger at us.
“Yay! We’ll be fine, Mom.” Amy rolled her eyes and reached for my hand, pulling me toward the trail where Bryce, Simon, and Olivia were waiting.
I didn’t like heights much, and the idea of throwing myself off a cliff had me thinking of different ways I could back out. Amy talked my ear off the whole way up there and for the moment, I was grateful for her prattle.
We walked until the trees broke open to a small clearing at the edge of a cliff, standing thirty feet above the water. The lower cliff, to the right, was half the height but a little harder to get to. A small stand of aspen trees crowded the left side of the clearing, creeping so close to the edge, it looked like they were hovering in the air.
Amy and I inched forward to get a look down at the water. The breeze rushed by, throwing my hair across my face, and I pushed it back, blinking at the distance below. The height didn’t seem so high from the shore but as I peered down now, my stomach plummeted and I backed away with my feet tingling.
“Who’s up first, ladies? Or have you chickened out now that you’re up here?” Bryce taunted us as he kicked off his shoes at a nearby tree. We all removed our own shoes and tossed them into a pile.
Simon stood beside me, his shoulder bumping mine, and I looked up to catch his quick wink. His toes touched mine, and he grinned. “Sorry about that,” he murmured with no hint of regret. My stomach fluttered as it always did when he was playful like this. He kept up with the private moment when he wiggled his toes until they were under mine, and his eyes danced.
I stared at him, trying to not grin like the besotted idiot I was.
“I’d like to see it done first,” Amy said.
I turned my attention back to the impending leap as Olivia took her place.
“Alright,” she agreed with a pretty smile and pulled her dark hair into a ponytail. She backed up a few feet, and the rest of us stood close to the trees to give her as much room as we could. Olivia glanced over her shoulder at us. “Just remember not to hesitate when you get to the edge. You need to commit so you don’t topple off.”
I nodded and studied her quickened steps through the grass until she reached the end and jumped with a small shriek.
We all scurried to the edge after her and looked over as she splashed into dark water below. It looked simple enough, I decided, as Olivia smiled and waved before swimming for the shore.
“Who’s next?” Simon asked.
I glanced at him and chewed my lip, still unsure about the whole thing.
“Come on, Katie. You’re next.” Bryce grabbed me by the arm and hauled me forward.
Panic struck me; I shook my head and looked desperately at Simon, who’d been smiling but sobered instantly when he saw the fear in my eyes.
“No, let Amy go next,” Simon suggested, and I threw him a grateful glance.
I took a step toward him, intending to stand aside for Amy, when Bryce took hold of each of my arms from behind and twirled me forward again. He laughed, not realizing the real terror I felt now, and I tried to tear myself from his grip. “No, Bryce!” I squeaked.
“Bryce, she’s not up for it. Let her go,” Simon insisted.
I looked to my left, where Simon had a hand on Bryce’s shoulder. Bryce ignored him and started a countdown. “Five, four…”
“No!” I screamed and fought against my cousin’s grip. “Bryce, I’m not ready yet!”
“Three…”
“Bryce, knock it off. She doesn’t want to do this.” Simon sounded angry now.
“Two…” Bryce laughed, pushing me forward again.
I tried to plant my feet to keep him from pushing me closer, but it didn’t help. I looked around frantically for a way out. If I dodged left once he let me go, I could grasp the low branch on a tree and stop myself. It’d have to work. I was out of time.
“One!”
Instead of just letting go, Bryce gave me a small shove. I made a feeble attempt for the branch and fell short. Instinctively, I threw my hands out to stop myself, but I was too far over the edge. The motion flung my torso forward off the cliff, making my legs hit the edge, and I screamed in pain as the front of my thigh tore open.
When I hit the water, my back hit so hard that the breath was knocked out of me as I went under. After only a few seconds, I kicked for the surface, but my leg burned, leaving me to use all my arm strength to get my head above the water. I took a short breath of air before I dipped below the surface again. My arms and one leg weren’t enough to keep me from the water's pull. I waved my arms wildly and kicked with both my legs. My damaged leg screamed in protest, and so did I when I surfaced a second time. I was so relieved after opening my eyes. Simon was swimming toward me.
“Kate!” he bellowed.
I reached my hand out to him, and the motion dunked me again. His hand came around mine, and he pulled me to the surface once more. Coughing seized my lungs now that I was in the free air.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
I nodded, unable to speak through the coughing.
Simon pulled me close and brought an arm around my waist, using his free arm and legs to swim for shore. I coughed again so violently, I thought I’d vomit. I had to close my eyes and focus on breathing more steadily, which seemed to help. I coughed a few times more, but smaller, manageable ones.
When we made it far enough that Simon could reach the ground, he picked me up with an arm under both my legs and around my back. I cried out from the searing pain in my leg. Once out of the water, Simon gasped, and I followed his wide eyes to my leg. Blood oozed out of a long, jagged gash that started on the front of my left thigh and ended around the side of my leg. I blinked tears away when I saw my blood painting his stomach.
“I’m sorry.” I moaned and tried to wipe the blood off him.
&
nbsp; “Don’t you even think of me right now. You have nothing to apologize for.”
I nodded.
“Look at me, Kate.” My eyes met his, and I saw nothing but concern there. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
I did a quick assessment of my pain. “Just my legs.” I sniffed. “My back is sore, but I think that’s because of how I landed.” I sniffed and coughed again.
“We’ll have your aunt check you out. We’re lucky she’s a nurse.”
Simon trudged through the rocks and sand.
“Simon, put me down. I can probably manage if you’ll just let me lean on you.”
He gave me a stern look. “I’m not putting you down.” He said it in a way that was so final, I didn’t argue.
I figured I might as well enjoy the ride while I could, so I laid my head on his shoulder and, despite the pain, I was quite content.
As soon as we rounded the last of the trees, Simon called for help. “Borys! Chantelle!”
My aunt’s head poked out of the trailer and she called for my uncle when she saw us. Simon’s parents reached us first.
“What happened?” Mr. Curtis asked with wide eyes.
Before Simon could answer, my aunt spoke. “Oh my…what happened?”
“Bry—” Simon started.
“I stumbled before I went off and hit the edge on the way down,” I said quickly. I looked at Simon, silently begging him to keep his mouth shut. His face was full of disapproval but he kept quiet and clenched his jaw.
I knew Bryce would feel bad enough when he saw what happened. Yes, he’d pushed me, but he’d only been messing around; he hadn’t meant any real harm.
I whimpered in pain as Uncle Borys took me into his arms.
Parker came over, his mouth full with licorice. “Oh man, look at all the blood!”
“Parker!” Aunt Chantelle scolded.
“Thank you, Simon,” I said quietly.
“You’re welcome.” He met my gaze, and a muscle in his jaw jumped. His eyes were fiercer than he’d been a moment ago, and without another word, he stalked off toward the bickering voices of Amy and Bryce.
Uncle Borys took me to the trailer while my aunt retrieved her medical bag from the truck. My uncle offered to drive me to the hospital, but I didn’t want to spoil the trip by making us go home early. He assisted my aunt with what he could while holding my hand as she cleaned and stitched my leg closed. I tried to be brave about the whole thing, but I cried out over and over again. Had it not been me in this situation, I’d have been at my aunt’s side. I was usually interested in the work she did, especially when it came to stitching.
After my aunt had finished with my leg, she checked me for other injuries. I told her my back was sore but that I’d landed on it badly, and she thought it’d be fine but she’d keep an eye on it. She helped me to bed then and brought me medicine for the pain and swelling. My right leg was starting to bruise so much that it almost looked worse than the left. After my aunt and uncle left me alone, I heard Amy burst through the trailer door.
“Amy—out, now. Katie needs to rest,” Aunt Chantelle said sternly.
“Simon told us Katie’s leg is all torn up!” I could hear the tears in Amy’s voice as she came into the room, stopping at the side of my bed. “Katie, I’m so sorry! I should’ve tried to stop Bryce but I—”
“It’s okay Amy, he was just messing around,” I whispered. I didn’t want my aunt to know he’d been involved. “Bryce couldn’t have anticipated something like this would happen.” I gestured to my leg, and Amy kneeled down beside me.
“Bryce feels awful. As soon as you went over, he was going to go in after you, but Simon jumped first. Katie, he’s really sorry. He’s very upset with himself.” She looked just as upset, and I patted her hand.
“I know,” I assured her.
“Bryce wanted to come and apologize himself, but Dad wouldn’t let him in. He gave Bryce quite the scolding.”
“What? How did Uncle Borys find out what happened?” Simon must’ve said something.
“Bryce told them what he did, but it was sweet of you to try and take the fall for him.”
I chuckled and sighed, adjusting the pillow behind me. When I was settled again, I narrowed my eyes at Amy, who had something to say, I could see it in the way her eyes wandered. “What is it?” She avoided my eyes and fiddled with a string on my blanket. “Amy?”
“Well…it’s Simon. I’ve never seen him act the way he did just now,” she said warily.
“What do you mean? What did he do?”
“Katie.” Amy’s voice took on a low, serious tone. “I thought he was going to knock Bryce out.” I looked at her skeptically, and she widened her eyes in earnest. “I’m not kidding. When we came down the trail, Simon came out of nowhere and shoved Bryce so hard that he fell to the ground! He yelled at him and told him to keep his hands off you! He was livid—you should’ve seen it. He kind of scared me.”
I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn’t imagine Simon getting that angry, but then I remembered the fierce look in his eyes when he’d handed me off to my uncle. When I thought about it, I couldn’t remember seeing him angry, ever, not in the way Amy had described. My heart swelled at the thought of him sticking up for me. I knew I couldn’t read too much into it, though. Simon had always been a little protective of me. Probably he felt sorry for me because I didn’t have any of my own family to stick up for me. Still, the way he’d reacted to Bryce made me feel special and caused me to smile.
Later that afternoon, Aunt Chantelle poked her head in. She smiled, “Hey, girlie. Borys and I are headed into town, and the others are going around the loop. Will you be okay until we all get back?”
I nodded, setting Little Women on my bed.
“We won’t be too long. Do you need anything before I go?”
“No, I’m good. Thank you, though.”
She smiled sweetly and left the trailer.
Not long after I heard them leave, the wheelers started up and faded into the distance. It was quiet and I sighed, already bored, and now I was completely alone.
I heard the trailer door open, and someone came inside.
“Kate?” Simon whispered. “Are you awake?”
My heart perked up at the thought of seeing him, especially after how he’d reacted with Bryce. They were best friends and I’d never seen them fight, so the fact that it was over me…I couldn’t wrap my head around it. “Yes, I’m awake,” I said, sitting up a little higher, and looked expectantly at the doorway.
Simon came in and stopped short when he saw me. His lips twitched, and he looked down. “Do you, uh…have something you can put on?”
I glanced down and saw the tank top and underwear my aunt had helped me change into earlier. I squeaked and reached forward for the blanket, but the movement made my leg burn and I hissed, leaning back quickly to relieve the pressure. Trying not to feel mortified, I sighed. “Simon, I’m sorry, but can you reach that blanket at the end of my bed?” I murmured.
He was by my side in an instant and helped cover me up.
“Thank you.” I kept my eyes down, fidgeting with my book.
“How’s your leg?”
I peeked at him. “It’s okay now as long as I’m still. To be honest, it’s my other leg that’s throbbing in pain.”
He tore his gaze from my covered legs and looked at me. “You really scared me,” he said seriously.
I stared into his eyes, and something was changing in me. I’d had glimpses of this new feeling, but this was something more. He doesn’t reciprocate, I told myself, closing my eyes to break the trance.
“Kate, if you didn’t want to jump, then why did agree to come?”
I glanced at him and looked down again, staying anxiously silent.
“Are you still feeling the need to fit in with your cousins?”
My chin quivered, and I clenched my jaw to try and stop it. How did he know me so well? To ask just the right questions to make me vulnerable?
&nbs
p; “Scoot over,” he said in a calm voice.
I looked at him in question.
“Come on, scoot over.” He waved his hands in a shewing motion.
I shook my head. “I need help to move that far. I’m sorry.”
Simon’s face lifted in a half smile. “I’ll help you, if you agree to stop apologizing.”
I smiled and nodded.
Simon leaned forward and moved me gently so he could sit beside me. He folded his arms and eyed me, waiting for my answer. I couldn’t look away; my chin quivered again, and my eyes burned with tears. He lifted a hand and wiped a tear from my cheek. “Kate, what’s wrong?” he asked softly.
More tears came, and my breathing hitched. Simon put his arms around me, and I gave in, hiding my face in his shoulder, and cried. When my breathing slowed and the tears stopped, I decided I owed him an explanation. After everything he’d done for me, he deserved that. I sniffed and cleared my throat. “I just don’t feel like I belong anywhere,” I whispered. “I mean, I know my family loves me and everything, but I never feel like I really fit in.” I sniffed again, and Simon rubbed my arm.
“So, your desire to do things with your cousins, even when you don’t want to, is to fit in with them?” he asked respectfully.
I nodded.
“You have every right to feel that way…but can I tell you something?”
“Yes.”
His gaze skimmed over my face. “I find myself jealous of you sometimes.”
I couldn’t fathom what he’d ever be jealous about. “Jealous of what?”
He smiled sadly. “Your family’s so loving and so happy. They accept you for who you are. They don’t bully you or push you in this direction or that. No expectations beyond your own personal happiness.”
I let that sink in, feeling foolish now when I thought about the things Simon spoke of, things I’d taken for granted.
He was right—my aunt and uncle couldn’t treat me better. And although my cousins liked to give me a hard time sometimes, they did love me, and I loved all of them. I felt guilty at the realization that I did have what I wanted, but even with that, it wasn’t quite enough to rid me of my desire to fit in with them; I’d have to work on that.
Everything for You (Unforgettable) Page 6