Disclaimer- I will eventually think of a reason to hold a chapter hostage
for reasons other than a power trip.
Eventually
Jaime rolled the clay between his thumb and index finger. He picked it up at that last stream they crossed- it was going dry now. He crushed it down again and then tossed it into the woods. He stretched his legs on the ground, his black UFO pants soaking up the green grass's dew.
He stared at the gray cliff face and the weathered rope that smacked against the rock. He hoped Sophie would let them break a really long time because once she gave the word, there were to each start climbing. Sure, there was a harness but that looked older than the rope. Not to mention it had some suspicious stains.
Sophie stood and clapped her hands. "Who wants to go first?" Jaime waited for blond curls to pop out. Rowan stood and walked over to the rope. "Ok, now just-no- wait! Rowan! Harness!" Sophie sighed and Jaime smiled when he heard, "I swear to God, if he falls I'll resurrect him and strangle him."
When Rowan scaled back down, Sophie went to stand before him, grasped his shoulders in her hands, shook her head a little, and squeezed Rowan's shoulders. Jaime would have thought the gesture maternal but he couldn't know for sure. His mother rarely touched him, looked at him. Maybe she thought it was better to pretend he wasn't there, like then maybe his problems wouldn't be there either. Never worked. Maybe it worked for her now though; it wasn't like he could climb in his window when she locked the door - there was no trellis to scale and no curtains to push aside anymore. Rowan stood silent, didn't move, looked at Sophie but didn't seem to see her. She released his shoulders and motioned for Jaime to come and climb.
(5 minutes, ok, 10, minutes later)
It wasn't really that hard, thought Jaime as he removed the harness, which had sadly done its job, even when he had let go at the top, hoping to fall into a concussion. The rope had held though, and he doubted Sophie had noticed his "death" stunt. Shelby went next, as Jules as just a little too scared. Course Shelby didn't exactly want to go so it wasn't that big of a surprise that she used to the opportunity well in ribbing Jules.
Jaime just gave in to his aching muscles and lay completely down, stared at the sky. "Well, Jules, are you going to go?" Jaime tuned all of them out and just watched the clouds dance across the sun. He looked up when he heard screams.
From what he understood, the rope had finally broke- while Jules was at the top. She had fallen onto a ledge and seemed to be ok, except for the fact her shirt had ripped and she was bruised and scratched. Now the problem would be getting her down. Shelby screamed for Jaime and Rowan to "stop looking!! perverts!" and Jaime obliged, though his libido wasn't exactly jumping at the sight of Jules's half hidden breasts. The only benefit of being gay, he realized. Too bad he couldn't tell anyone. Rowan didn't turn his head thought, went to stand in front of the rock, looking at the sheer face that gave only the slightest of an incline. "Rowan? What are you doing?" Sophie sounded terse and Jaime couldn't understand why until Rowan shifted a few feet over to the left and started to climb up the slate. Jaime figured it was ok to turn around now and see if Rowan was going to die and take Jules with him.
Rowan scaled the rock with no problem, using a knife he pulled from his pocket. Jaime felt awash with the feeling that this was not supporting Rowan's case. Jaime watched- 15 feet- 10 feet- then Rowan slipped, dropping the knife hilt, the blade lodged into the rock. From there Rowan scrambled onto the ledge that held the quivering ball that was Jules. They spoke for a moment or two and Rowan took off his T-Shirt so Jules could be "decent". Rowan grabbed Jules's hand in his (Jaime tried to ignore the pangs of jealousy that struck his heart) and half pulled, half cajoled Jules into walking along the narrow ledge till they came to the gentlest stretch of slope, littered with rocks and gravel.
Jules sat down first, and Rowan pushed her, slightly harder than he needed to, but she half slid, half rolled down to the bottom. Sophie and Shelby ran over to console the hysterical teen while Jaime waited to see what Rowan would do; Rowan hesitated and for a moment Jaime couldn't see why. Then he realized that Jules had taken most of the gravel and looses stones with her, leaving jutting rocks for Rowan. He moved over a foot or two and started down the steeper slope. He seemed to slide fine until he hit a rock and flipped onto his stomach, left hand reached out and scraping the rocks for a hold. At the bottom he sat, leaned back, his stomach and chest bleeding from scratches and gingerly held up his hand, full of rocks and gravel that tore the once clean cut from the knife blade as blood flowed down his wrist. "Hey Sophie- think it's time to start trekking home. Who's up for it?" Jaime stared at Rowan's scars.
Jaime rolled the clay between his thumb and index finger. He picked it up at that last stream they crossed- it was going dry now. He crushed it down again and then tossed it into the woods. He stretched his legs on the ground, his black UFO pants soaking up the green grass's dew.
He stared at the gray cliff face and the weathered rope that smacked against the rock. He hoped Sophie would let them break a really long time because once she gave the word, there were to each start climbing. Sure, there was a harness but that looked older than the rope. Not to mention it had some suspicious stains.
Sophie stood and clapped her hands. "Who wants to go first?" Jaime waited for blond curls to pop out. Rowan stood and walked over to the rope. "Ok, now just-no- wait! Rowan! Harness!" Sophie sighed and Jaime smiled when he heard, "I swear to God, if he falls I'll resurrect him and strangle him."
When Rowan scaled back down, Sophie went to stand before him, grasped his shoulders in her hands, shook her head a little, and squeezed Rowan's shoulders. Jaime would have thought the gesture maternal but he couldn't know for sure. His mother rarely touched him, looked at him. Maybe she thought it was better to pretend he wasn't there, like then maybe his problems wouldn't be there either. Never worked. Maybe it worked for her now though; it wasn't like he could climb in his window when she locked the door - there was no trellis to scale and no curtains to push aside anymore. Rowan stood silent, didn't move, looked at Sophie but didn't seem to see her. She released his shoulders and motioned for Jaime to come and climb.
(5 minutes, ok, 10, minutes later)
It wasn't really that hard, thought Jaime as he removed the harness, which had sadly done its job, even when he had let go at the top, hoping to fall into a concussion. The rope had held though, and he doubted Sophie had noticed his "death" stunt. Shelby went next, as Jules as just a little too scared. Course Shelby didn't exactly want to go so it wasn't that big of a surprise that she used to the opportunity well in ribbing Jules.
Jaime just gave in to his aching muscles and lay completely down, stared at the sky. "Well, Jules, are you going to go?" Jaime tuned all of them out and just watched the clouds dance across the sun. He looked up when he heard screams.
From what he understood, the rope had finally broke- while Jules was at the top. She had fallen onto a ledge and seemed to be ok, except for the fact her shirt had ripped and she was bruised and scratched. Now the problem would be getting her down. Shelby screamed for Jaime and Rowan to "stop looking!! perverts!" and Jaime obliged, though his libido wasn't exactly jumping at the sight of Jules's half hidden breasts. The only benefit of being gay, he realized. Too bad he couldn't tell anyone. Rowan didn't turn his head thought, went to stand in front of the rock, looking at the sheer face that gave only the slightest of an incline. "Rowan? What are you doing?" Sophie sounded terse and Jaime couldn't understand why until Rowan shifted a few feet over to the left and started to climb up the slate. Jaime figured it was ok to turn around now and see if Rowan was going to die and take Jules with him.
Rowan scaled the rock with no problem, using a knife he pulled from his pocket. Jaime felt awash with the feeling that this was not supporting Rowan's case. Jaime watched- 15 feet- 10 feet- then Rowan slipped, dropping the knife hilt, the blade lodged into the rock. From there Rowan scrambled onto the ledge that held the quivering ball that was Jules. They spoke for a moment or two and Rowan took off his T-Shirt so Jules could be "decent". Rowan grabbed Jules's hand in his (Jaime tried to ignore the pangs of jealousy that struck his heart) and half pulled, half cajoled Jules into walking along the narrow ledge till they came to the gentlest stretch of slope, littered with rocks and gravel.
Jules sat down first, and Rowan pushed her, slightly harder than he needed to, but she half slid, half rolled down to the bottom. Sophie and Shelby ran over to console the hysterical teen while Jaime waited to see what Rowan would do; Rowan hesitated and for a moment Jaime couldn't see why. Then he realized that Jules had taken most of the gravel and looses stones with her, leaving jutting rocks for Rowan. He moved over a foot or two and started down the steeper slope. He seemed to slide fine until he hit a rock and flipped onto his stomach, left hand reached out and scraping the rocks for a hold. At the bottom he sat, leaned back, his stomach and chest bleeding from scratches and gingerly held up his hand, full of rocks and gravel that tore the once clean cut from the knife blade as blood flowed down his wrist. "Hey Sophie- think it's time to start trekking home. Who's up for it?" Jaime stared at Rowan's scars.