I take a quick peek over the edge only to be comforted by an endless body of water. It hits me like nostalgia. What if I don’t survive the fall or embarrass myself so badly that I can’t be seen in public again? Why couldn’t I just keep my big mouth shut like a good little girl? I know why. It was to prove that I’m not a coward and plus there were M & M’s involved; sweet, colorful chocolates that I just can’t seem to resist. Someone from down below yells at me to jump already, but I can’t. I break out in cold sweat; no amount of M & M’s is worth this.

The sun beat down heavily against my perspiring neck as I slowly withdrawal myself from the hanging ridge. Maybe if I close my eyes and just jump without a second thought it will be over faster. My stomach just does another cartwheel; then again if my eyes are closed I won’t know where I drop. Stop being a chicken, Mira, I tell myself and without a moment’s hesitation I quickly glue my eyelids shut and begin my decent into the swirling mass of doom.

The water froze my skin, even in the August heat. Gasping for air, I hastily break the surface of the murky water and glance up at the spot I just came from. The lake wasn’t that big, but the rocky bluff I leapt from made it look like it was three times its normal size. Maybe that’s why it freaked me out so much. A bird cawing above startles me from my inner thoughts, and I make my way over to the shore line that’s filled with people splashing. I gradually drag myself out of the water and feel my bathing suit paste itself to my wrinkled skin. My vision suddenly goes green as I focus in on the object I need most as random shivers rack my body in the summer humidity.

I sigh with contentment as I wrap my body in my favorite palm leaf patterned towel. Luke then taps me on the shoulder and shoves a bag of M& M’s in my hands with a look of pure regret. I guess he was hoping I would chicken out, so he wouldn’t have to part with his beloved candy. He should know by now that once I agree to a dare I never back down even if I’m scared out of my mind. Once the trade is over and done with I work my way over to my friend sun bathing on top of a large boulder on the outskirts of the lake.

My nose wrinkles in disgust when I’m greeted with the scent of coconut and a grumpy remark about blocking the sun. I swiftly steal the tanning oil sitting beside Lila as I flop down next to her on her towel. She then grabs the brown spray bottle with a look of annoyance out of my hands before I can say anything. Doesn’t she know how bad tanning oil is for the skin? It makes your skin turn a weird color and shed like a snake if you stay out in the sun too long. I recite this to her and she answers me by throwing her black tinted water bottle at my head. With a laugh I catch it and take a sip of the cool water, glancing at my prized candy. I then tell her I’m not sharing my M & M’s with her since she is being mean and she again throws something at me. This time it was just a pink lidded container of Off! bug spray. At least it was smaller than the water bottle and wouldn’t hurt as much if it hit me. I block it with little ease and it quietly clomps against the ground. Lila then looks at me with crossed blue eyes and just laughs, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. I ask her what’s wrong and she answers with a point of her finger. I shift to look behind me, but don’t seem to see what was so funny. I suddenly realize what was happening when a weight lifts from my hand.

I turn back around to see Lila standing five feet away from me with my prized bag of candy in her hands and a hint of mirth shining in her eyes. I stand up and prepare myself for brutal battle when she abruptly starts running towards the other side of the lake, the side where the cliff hangs. Great, just great I say to myself as I take off after her, my raven hair flying and the sound of laughter ringing in the distance.