Also, it was so we could hide from the guys, since we’d gone and spoiled that relationship.
Also, it was so we could talk, sister to sister.
Let me tell you, it was damn hard trying to explain to my worldly sister about the furtive makeout sessions I’ve had with Swift without sounding, well, like a total child. I mostly wanted to squee about kissing him. About how he ‘got’ me and made me happy. But it all made me sound like a fourteen-year-old instead of a mature twenty-eight-year-old.
I was just a leeetle bit behind on some stuff. Just a little.
But Georgie kept my starry-eyed self grounded. She listened with a smile and said she was happy for me…and then left me with a warning. “He’s a great guy, Clemmy. And cute. But he’s also a player. I’ve had a lot of experience with players, and I can tell you that they’re fun to play around with, but guard your heart. I know this is all new for you.”
My face was bright red with embarrassment. “Not completely new. I mean, I’ve kissed guys before.”
“Yeah, but do you want to go further with him?”
I was pretty sure my face got even redder. I tried to make a casual sort of ‘oh whatever goes’ sort of noise and it came out as a strangled bleat.
To her credit, Georgie didn’t laugh. She just squeezed my hand and stared out the car window. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t. I mean, you’re probably gathering dust down there–”
I smacked her arm.
She grinned. “–so I am encouraging you to do whatever you want to do. I’m not saying don’t get involved with him. Just that you should be ready to have your heart broken. Players rarely give theirs away.”
My sister was the expert on men, so I nodded and filed that information away. I’d let Swift make all the moves. That seemed…easiest. I glanced over at Georgie’s sad face as she trailed a fingernail down the steering wheel. “What about Plate?”
“He’s not a player. He’s just…I dunno. More of a laidback sort. I don’t have a lot of experience with those.” She gave me a wry look. “It’s probably for the best. I don’t know that I’m ready for anything. I mean, I think I like him, just because he’s so easy to talk to and get along with. He always makes me smile and I feel good around him…but how do I know that my head’s not full of lies and I’m not looking for validation from a guy just to prove that I’m pretty? You know?”
I had no answer for that. So I squeezed her hand back. “Maybe we should focus on the things we do know.”
“Which are?” she asked.
“Drew and Foster are dicks,” I said. “And we absolutely, positively cannot come in last place today.”
“Amen to that.”
~~ * * * ~~
When the sun started to crest on the horizon, we got out of the car and headed up to the dam. According to our watches, we had a half hour to go, but we’d seen the Doctor Moms start to head up, so we went, too.
My nerves were setting in. The dam looked really freaking high in the daylight, and my stomach got queasy at the small structure on the side of the lip. That was the place where we’d bungee from, I imagined. It just looked so…small.
“Maybe only one of us has to do this,” I told Georgie hopefully, my voice cracking with nerves.
She snorted. “Doubt it.” But she reached out and squeezed my hand anyhow. I held on to hers and we walked the long, curving path toward the bungee station. Other teams were setting up there, and as we approached, camera-men turned and began to film.
“Ticket?” A man in a knit cap came up to us and asked, voice accented. “What time to you have?”
We showed him our ticket.
“You are third,” he said, and gestured for Georgie and I to get in line behind the Doctor Moms.
We did, and the two men ahead of us in black shirts turned around to look at us. Swift’s face was impossible to read, but there was no missing the slight scowl on Plate’s face as he gazed in our direction.
“You know what?” Georgie said when someone approached us with harnesses. “I have to pee. Just hold my spot.”
“What?” I stared at my twin.
“Nervous pee,” she said, then trotted down the long walk over the dam. “Be back soon!”
Georgie wasn’t the nervous pee-er. I was. That coward. I scowled in her direction and then eyed the guy with the harness warily. “Do people die on these things a lot?”
He wrinkled his brows at me. “Do want to do this or not?”
“I don’t want to do it,” I said. “But I have to.”
He stood there, staring at me with the harness in hand. “Yes, or no?”
I sighed. “Yes. Dammit.” I crossed my arms as he bent and began to put the harness around my waist. I was not going to look over the side. I was not.
Up ahead, someone began to whistle. I heard the strains of a familiar tune, and tried to place it…then scowled at Swift when I realized he was humming Right Next Door to Hell, another Guns N’ Roses tune. Like I wasn’t freaked out enough? “You’re not helping,” I called out to him.
He just looked back and winked at me. He was totally harnessed in, the long bungee cord hanging from him. All he had to do was wait for the right time.
He didn’t look scared at all, either.
I’d be scared enough for all of us, then. I couldn’t look over the side. Even a glimpse would make me so nervous and freaked out that I would lose what little confidence I was holding onto. I considered a penalty. If we didn’t do the particular stunt we were supposed to, a team would be slapped with a time penalty. But we were really high up…and I was considering it.
Also, now I had to do a nervous pee. Damn Georgie.
Plate glanced back at me again, and when he didn’t see my twin, I saw the frown on his face deepen. He was harnessed, but not tied in, which meant he was going second.
The man finished my harness. “There, you are ready to go.”
I swallowed hard, the penalty looking better and better.
Between me and Team One Percent were the Doctor Moms, who were also harnessed and scrupulously avoiding eye contact with either one of us. They leaned in and whispered to each other, and I knew they weren’t big fans of the fact that the boys helped us out now and then. No doubt the Green Machine had gotten to them at some point. I looked down the line at the other teams and wondered who else would be working against us. Jendan and Annabelle were sharing a few kisses behind me, so lovey-dovey that it made me envious. I liked them, though, and I knew they were on our side. Behind them were the Green Machine and then Team Houston, a married couple who were aggressive and not happy about being in 5th place at the moment. After them were the Red Hat ladies, and in last place was Team Daddy, their faces tense.
I wasn’t sure that any of them — other than Jendan and Annabelle — would be on our side. Well, crud. And I’d pissed off half of Team One Percent by jumping Plate for stupid reasons.
Ugh. I felt really bad about that, too. Plate had been the nicest, most laid-back guy on the race, and had helped Georgie at every turn. And I’d thought he was going to hurt her? I’d just panicked after what she’d told me, and stopped thinking.
I needed to apologize.
So I moved up to where Plate and Swift were standing. I bit my lip and when Plate didn’t look at me, tapped his arm. A hint of a smile touched Swift’s mouth and he stepped back, pretending to check his gear.
Plate grunted and looked down at me. “What?”
“I wanted to say I’m sorry for jumping you. That wasn’t cool of me.”
He relaxed, his big face easing. “You’re apologizing?”
“Yeah. I acted like a jerk. I’m sorry.”
Plate grabbed me around the shoulders and pulled me under his big arm, and then began to noogie the top of my head. I squealed as his knuckles rubbed over my scalp, and squirmed away. He chuckled as I snarled at him. “S’okay Tiny. You were just being protective.”
I rubbed my head. “And it probably seems crazy as to why–”
> “Nah,” he said. “I know Georgie’s plenty messed up.”
My eyes widened in surprise. He did? “She told you?”
Plate shook his big head, and his harness jangled. “No, but it’s pretty obvious. I mean, I don’t know details, but I have a sister that was abused. I can see the signs, you know. I’m not blind.”
Oh. I nodded, unsure of what else to say.
The look on Plate’s face softened. “I adore your sister. Not just as spank material, but I really dig her personality. You know? She’s the perfect woman. A fucking goddess. And I would never hurt her.”
“I know. I just wasn’t thinking logically.” I wrung my hands. “It’s just–”
He put a hand up to stop my words. “I’m not putting the moves on her. Not the way Swift is with you.”
“Hey,” Swift called from the other side. “Now, wait a second–”
I put my fingertips to my lips to stop my giggles.
Plate put an arm around my shoulders and turned me away from his partner, pretending like we were having a quiet tete-a-tete. “Here’s the thing, Tiny. I’m a patient man. If all Georgie can handle right now is friends, I’ll be her friend. It doesn’t mean I can’t love her from afar. It just means I’m gonna wait for her to tell me when she’s ready. I’d never push her.”
Wow. My heart was breaking for poor Plate. What a great guy. If even a few words of that were true, he was one in a million. “I really hope Georgie can see that someday.”
“You and me both.” He tugged me forward and then I found myself with my face pressed to his enormous chest. “You’re a good kid, Tiny. Plus, you fight like a girl.”
I punched his arm. “I am a girl.”
“Back to your spot, red team,” a producer said. The Doctor Moms were scowling, arms crossed over their bright yellow shirts.
“Going,” I said, giving a small wave to Swift as I headed back toward the third place spot in line. My chicken sister still hadn’t returned from the restroom – either that, or maybe she hadn’t found one yet. It was just me.
“Looks like someone’s finding another dick to suck,” came a mutter from down the line.
I turned, and behind Jendan and Annabelle were the Green Machine.
“Let’s not be rude here,” Jendan said, frowning. He instinctively moved his girlfriend behind him to protect her when both cops put their hands on their hips, looking menacing.
And they were looking in my direction.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Drew tilted his chin at me. “They had a tiff and now someone needs to suck up to the big guy so he can keep helping them. I guess the hot one’s letting the nerd one have her sloppy seconds.”
Annabelle gasped, and Jendan scowled, stepping forward.
I wasn’t going to let anyone else fight my fights, though. “Oh, you guys are so full of crap,” I said, stepping forward and out of my place in line again. “Are you trying to scare me off from being friends with the One Percenters? Because it’s not going to work.”
Foster made a dick-sucking gesture with his mouth and wiggled his eyebrows at me. Drew just gave me an evil grin. “Your strategy needs work, little girl. You suck up to one team and everyone else is going to angle to get you out.”
“Bullshit. You’re just saying that because you’re trying to scare me.”
“Am I? If people had to pick sides, who do you think they’d pick? Yours or mine?” He rocked on his heels and then leaned forward. “This race isn’t just about picking the right tickets, little girl. It’s about friendships and relationships. The right ones can get you ahead.”
“Then I’m surprised you’re not in last place,” I said loftily. “Because you guys are the biggest pair of jackasses I’ve met.”
Off to the side, Annabelle snickered.
“Oh, we can still win this leg if we’re in last place,” Drew said. He tilted his head, an evil look in his eye. “As a matter of fact…”
As I watched, he turned and stepped out of his place, and began to head toward last place – which was Team Daddy.
“Hey,” he said to the back end of the line. “You know what, guys? We’re confident in our ability, so we’re gonna do something nice for everyone.”
Now the entire line of contestants was watching Drew. I got a sick feeling in my stomach. What was he trying to pull?
“Me and Foster are volunteering to be last place on the jump here,” Drew said, spreading his arms. ” That means the teams behind us get to move up a slot.”
I watched their faces light up in surprise and pleasure.
As I watched, Drew and Foster headed to the very end of the line, and the other teams high-fived them, joking and smiling as they all moved up a slot.
I’d underestimated those guys. In one move, they’d gained three new sets of allies, and I’d gained three enemies.
Now I really had to jump, didn’t I?
Ugh.
Chapter Twenty-One
“No one’s playing around anymore. Shit got serious overnight.” – Swift, Team One Percent, The World Races
I screamed as the cords went taut, the wind whistling as the jump began.
“Chill, Clemmy,” my twin said next to me. “It’s not even your turn yet.”
I burrowed my face against her chest. It didn’t matter that we were still standing on the bridge. I was freaked the heck out. “Why does this have to be so high?”
“Um, because if it wasn’t, we’d hit the pavement?” She patted my back. “Seriously, it’s going to be okay. They have people jump all the time.”
“Yes, but those people aren’t me!”
A few people down the line chuckled at my whining. I didn’t care. I squeezed my eyes shut and clung to my twin for moral support as on the other side of the dam, Swift dangled and bounced in free-fall.
“She gonna be able to do this?” Annabelle asked from behind us.
“If she doesn’t, we get a four hour penalty,” my twin said. Her voice was strong, but I could feel her hands tighten around me. She didn’t want that penalty. I didn’t either. If we took it and everyone else jumped, we’d be out of the game for sure. This was the last task for this leg, which meant that after this, we’d have the finish line somewhere in Switzerland.
Last one there would be eliminated. I glanced down at the end of the line, where the Green Machine stood, arms crossed, smug looks on their faces. They didn’t seem worried despite being in last place. That meant they were supremely confident in the fact that they could out-race anyone else to the finish line…
Either that or they really expected me not to jump. Dicks.
I began to breathe hard again, feeling ill. The zip line had been bad, but at least it was just moving gradually down. Sort of. This would be willfully flinging myself off of a dam and expecting the cords to save me from certain death.
I started to hyperventilate.
“Look, here’s a paper bag,” Annabelle said helpfully. She pulled a postcard out of it and offered it to me.
I took it from her and began to breathe in and out of it, the bag puffing with every gasp of my breath.
Moments later, Swift reappeared over the edge. He threw his hands up in the sign for ‘heavy metal’ and gave a primal scream at the top of his lungs. “That was awesome!”
I breathed harder into my paper bag.
“Step aside and a real man will show you how it’s done,” Plate teased, moving forward for his turn.
I choked a little, then gave the paper bag another wheeze. After Plate, there was one more team standing between me and certain doom.
Then Plate jumped, yodeling all the way down. Everyone laughed. Georgie just patted my shoulder. “It’s gonna be fine,” she assured me, though she sounded distracted. Likely she was still thinking about Plate. They weren’t speaking, and both of them were incredibly uneasy around each other, ever since Georgie’s outburst hours ago about him not being her type. Plate had forgiven me when I’d apologized, but Georgie hadn’t said a thing to
him, and he was as determined to ignore her as she was to ignore him.
When Plate came back up, his big face was bright red and flushed, and he was laughing as if someone had told him a crazy joke. “Man, I just about shit my pants doing that!”
Swift laughed and gave him a high-five.
“Your clue,” one of the men working at the bungee station said in an amused voice. He held the disk out and Swift grabbed it while Plate quickly unharnessed. The Doctor Moms stepped forward and then the guys looked at each other, nodded, and started running back down the dam, toward the parking lot.
“Hey—“ Georgie called.
Plate and Swift both paused and turned around.
“Talk later?” Georgie called, her face solemn.
Plate lifted his chin in a nod and then they turned and raced back towards the cars.
“Move up,” the man running the bungee center said, and I whimpered as the line surged forward a few steps.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” I whispered to Georgie as the first of the Doctor Moms got on the platform and spread her arms out, gazing down at the open air below her.
“You have to,” Georgie hissed back at me. “If you don’t, we are screwed. It won’t last very long, I promise.”
“Long enough,” I muttered, shivering and rubbing my arms. “What if we go to the back of the line and see if anyone else takes a penalty?” I asked her. “If they do, then we can, too. I just—“
She shot me a quelling look and I shut up.
“We are going,” she said in a low voice. “And we’re going to keep our place in line because we need to catch up to the boys.”
“Why does it matter? They’re not talking to you right now.”
“I’m going to fix that,” she said determinedly, her arms crossing over her chest.
We were silent again for long moments as Doctor Mom number one finished her jump and her partner jumped next.
Oh God. We were up. My whimpers increased and I hugged my torso tightly. This was so not cool.