by Stacy Borel
My back straightened. Why sit with me when there was clearly someone who was willing to give you all of the attention in the world standing next to you? I thought to myself. Aurora grinned at me and I gulped. Livi and Faith were whispering to each other and looking back at me, making it very clear I was topic of conversation. Great!
I was grateful we would be moving at a speed that would make it difficult to hold conversation. Not without shouting. But being in this close proximity to him and knowing if we hit a bump, he would be touching me made me slightly excited. I was already a little thrilled he had chosen to sit next to me instead of Livi. Even if I knew it was going to cause a little turmoil.
Livi was watching his every move as he sat down. I wish she wouldn’t. It was making me more nervous and she had no reason to. But what he did next nearly sent me into cardiac arrest. He tugged at the bottom of his shirt and yanked it over his head, exposing every bare inch of his defined abs and chest. Wrigley was on the leaner side compared to his brothers, but his more lithe body helped him be a fast runner between bases. He would likely fill out more as he got older, but for an eighteen-year-old, he already had stacked abs and arms that lifted a decent amount of weight in the gym.
He plopped down next to me, his eyes sparkling as he looked at me. I shut my mouth, which had been slightly parted, and faced forward. Dear God, this was going to be quite the day. As the boat’s motor kicked to life, I looked around.
“Whatcha looking for?” Wrigley had leaned over to ask.
“Life jackets.”
A bubble of laughter escaped Livi’s throat and Wrigley glanced at her. She rolled her eyes, making me feel like an idiot.
“We don’t need to wear the life jackets unless you’d like to or aren’t a great swimmer.” He paused to see if I’d say anything. “But we have them onboard. The law says we have to have one per person. They are in a compartment at the front of the boat. Do you want one?”
While his offer was nice, I wasn’t going for the record of biggest loser of the day here. I shook my head. “No, I didn’t realize we weren’t required to wear one.”
“When was the last time you were on a boat, Hadley?”
“Uhhh...” I had to stop and think about it. “I think I was eight and had gone on a fishing trip to Wisconsin with my dad.”
He nodded in understanding. “Man, it’s been a while.” His smile eased me. “Well, no worries, unless this boat suddenly explodes or a hurricane pops up out of nowhere, the boat will stay afloat and we should be fine.”
Definitely wasn’t feeling like the sharpest crayon in the book so I looked out at the expanse of water we were soaring over. I spent the rest of the boat ride clinging to my towel, and wishing Matt wouldn’t take corners so fast. I had no clue what it would take to flip a boat that was twenty-five feet long, but it certainly seemed plausible at these speeds. Aurora sat in the middle just in front of the driver’s seat. She was clearly enjoying her conversation with Bishop along with the wind blowing in her hair. She looked free. Not a damn care in the world except whether or not she would pass her next art exam. I wanted to be free like that. Instead, I was a bundle of nerves.
I tried to relax myself and watch the scenery as it went by. It was completely different from Georgia’s waters. While this was part of the Gulf, these inside water passages were also considered part of the bayou. Low hanging trees full of greenery, and muddy waters that sloshed up on the sides were a stark contrast from the blue and green waters where I was from. While it was different, it was beautiful. I saw several Egrets wading in the water hunting for fish. And everyone on the boat was slouched back in their seats while the heat beat down on our skin. It was just after ten in the morning and the sun was already blazing hot.
About twenty minutes of smooth waters, the engine started to slow and we drifted into a smaller area on the water. The width from one side of the shore to the other was no more than fifty feet. We floated up toward an empty embankment that had a sand and mud mixture. The bridge we were supposedly jumping off of was to the left. It wasn’t as high as I’d expected. When I’d heard of bridge jumping, I thought of cliff jumping. I’d seen it on YouTube videos. But this bridge was old and rusted. It used to be a crossing for vehicles that wanted to travel to the closed down building that apparently used to sell food and snacks.
If I’d had a camera, I would have snapped a photo and framed it in black and white. It felt very rustic and nostalgic, but it wasn’t somewhere I wanted to jump in the water and cool off.
Chris jumped up from his seat near the front and pulled out a long chain that was attached to a decent sized anchor. After he tossed it overboard, it halted the boat and subtle waves washed up to the shore. Everyone stood up and stretched like they’d been sitting for hours. Aurora took her shorts off so she was just in her string bikini. Bishop was watching like a starving man. I was certain she was used to this kind of attention because she was almost playing with him as she gave him her back and slowly slide the fabric down her legs. He got a full view of her ass and, by the way she smiled at him, I knew my friend was toying with him.
The other female eyes were watching her, glaring like she was doing something wrong. I thought to myself, Okay Livi and Faith, I’m certain you’ve had your fair share of teasing and screwing around to keep the attention of a guy. Wrigley included. It ticked me off that they were looking at her like that. Why were girls so catty?
Matt flipped a switch and country music filtered through four speakers that were in the floorboards of each corner of the boat. He turned it up loud enough that everyone could hear it, even if they weren’t on the boat. Wrigley was the first off. He opened a small gate at the back of the boat and back flipped off the edge. His splash was so large, it sprinkled cool water on me. It felt so good on my over-heated skin. The way the sun was feeling already, and not even during the hottest part of the day, I may have to reconsider getting in the water.
Wrigley surfaced and shook the water from his head. He gazed up at me and winked. “Come in, the water feels great!”
Just as I was shaking my head, Livi slid up next to me. “How great?”
Her attempt at flirting may have lured any other male right to her, but it didn’t seem to be working on Wrigley. And if I had an opinion about it, I’d say that was pretty cheesy on her end.
“Uh, it’s good,” he responded.
She started to put on the same little show Aurora had only moments before, but Livi didn’t seem to realize Wrigley was in the water and couldn’t see much but our shoulders and up. I giggled. She looked at me. I kept it to myself that she was being a moron and simply shrugged my shoulders at her. She’d figure it out on her own when she glanced back at Wrigley, who was swimming around, checking out the shore, and not paying the least bit of attention to her.
It didn’t take long for everyone to either jump into the water, or climb down using the ladder on the back of the boat. I looked around and saw Aurora’s bag, so I grabbed my sunscreen. Slathering myself up, I tossed a towel across the long bench seat and stretched myself out on my stomach after taking off my shorts. I tanned fairly easily with my dad’s part-Italian blood running through me. I laid there, hearing their laughter and splashing, teasing, and having fun while I once again excluded myself from group activity. Sure, I had a genuine fear of the water, and I was very aware that there could be alligators in these waters but I was choosing to stay on the boat, maybe for other reasons. I was beginning to question if my reason for excluding myself was more fear based, or because it’s what I’d always done.
Flipping over on my back, my stomach now exposed, and breasts in the air, I tossed my arm over my eyes to shield them from the sun. It was easily one hundred degrees, maybe a little warmer. I pondered my reasoning for some time. Just as I was wondering if I should let go of my pretenses, I felt welcoming, cool, wet droplets on my upper thighs. I peered out from under my arm and saw Wrigley standing there, dripping with water, his hair a delicious mess that I wanted to run
my fingers through. He was pretty much a Greek god. He was looking down at me with a devious grin.
“Uh, can I help you?”
“Yep.”
Well, I’d like you to help me by not being so attractive. I thought to myself. “Okay, with what?”
“You’re gonna come swim a little, then jump that bridge.”
I looked over at the bridge, then looked at him and laughed. “No, thanks.”
He narrowed his eyes at me and I knew I was challenging him. “It’s not a request.”
I shook my head. “You know, I don’t know what it is with you and your brothers, but this whole bossy alpha male thing doesn’t always work with every female.” He tilted his head to the side. “Not every female will fall victim to all of your egotistical male prowess.”
He stayed silent for a beat then said, “I have no clue what you just said to me, but you’re going off the bridge… into that water.” He pointed down at the rippling murkiness.
I sat up and sighed. “Forget what I just said. No, I’m not. I’m willing to go to the shore and maybe wade my feet a little, but I’m not jumping off bridges. I like my life, thank you very much.”
He chuckled. “You’re not going to die, Hadley. I’ll even jump with you.”
“Wrigley, didn’t you learn in school that no means no?”
He shrugged. “Sure, with the stuff that matters. Now let’s go.” He took a few steps toward the back of the boat.
“Isn’t someone going to move the boat closer to the sand?”
“No. The boat would get wedged and it’s not like a fishing boat you can just shove off the mud.” He motioned to me. “Come over here and I’ll carry you on my back to the sand.”
My eyes widened. That would mean I would be wrapped, with my arms and legs, around his nearly naked body. My chest rose with my increased breathing. I knew better than to fight him on this. If Wrigley wanted me in the water, he would make sure I got in the water. It was up to me on how I would get in it. But I was definitely not jumping the bridge.
I noticed Livi and Faith were wading in the water near Austin and Matt. Livi was watching with curiosity what was happening over here. I wished the boat was facing the other direction. I didn’t want her watching me cling to Wrigley’s back. I knew she’d either judge me or become an ultra bitch before I even got a chance to show her she had nothing to worry about.
“Let’s go friend, I don’t have all day.”
“Friend,” I mumbled under my breath. “I don’t know what that means.”
“Hmmm?”
“Nothing.”
I shuffled my feet to where he was standing and waited for him to give me directions with my next step. Was he going to climb in and I got on his back in the water? Or was he going to have me hop on now and he’d climb down the ladder with me? The second option seemed ridiculous. When he started down the ladder without me, I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. When he was fully submerged, I looked down at him. His eyes were sparkling in the sun. His were the prettiest hazel I’d ever seen.
“Come on, Hadley. The water is perfect.” Aurora shouted. She was up on Bishop’s shoulders and he was splashing up at her while she laughed.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I yelled back. “Why is everyone so pushy?” I grumbled.
“Because you never know how much fun you’re going to have until you try it,” Wrigley answered. I hadn’t realized he’d heard me.
“Well, I’m going to try it. If I get eaten by some weird, water creature, make sure my parents know you’d made me do it.”
He laughed. “Will do. Now get in.”
I started with a foot on the first step on the ladder. The water did feel great, but I was nervous to go any further. My fear of the water was a very real one. I hardly went into any water that wasn’t full of chlorine, or I couldn’t see completely through. While a lot of people shared this fear, people who had never been afraid, didn’t really understand it. It didn’t help that I knew that Wrigley was getting an eye full of my ass cheeks while I clung to the railing.
“One more,” he coaxed. “I’m right here.”
His voice was soothing and he was trying to comfort me. “I am, just give me a second.”
“Hadley, you’ve been standing there for over a minute. Now, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Just come down; I’ve got you.”
Had I really been holding on for that long? My foot shook and I made another step down. I could still see both of my feet on the ladder, but another one down, I likely wouldn’t. The boat rocked a little as a wave rolled past from a boat outside of the waterway.
Come on Hadley. What’s worse, being in water you’re afraid of, or showing everyone here that you’re a huge chicken and never get asked to do something like this again? On a leap of faith, I quickly took the last two steps down, and, like Wrigley had promised, he was right there, an arm going under mine, and he guided me around onto his back. I desperately wanted to squeeze the life out of him until he had us up on the shore, but killing the one that was going to ‘save’ me wouldn’t be wise.
Instead, I focused on my breathing and tried to enjoy this very temporary moment of holding onto the guy I’ve been crushing on my entire life His warm skin was pressed again my bare stomach and it was an incredible feeling. His hands gripped my thighs as we got to a spot where he was able to touch bottom. I was grateful I’d shaved my legs the night before.
“Watch out for snakes!” Aurora shouted, laughing hysterically at herself.
There weren’t any snakes, but she was trying to get me to freak. Maybe I’d hold on to Wrigley tighter. I did inadvertently, and whether he was doing it on purpose or not, he squeezed my thighs a little firmer. It sent a very unfamiliar sense of warmth through my body and I felt slightly turned on. It was embarrassing. As he walked up the shore, I still clung to him like a scared monkey. He was completely out of the water with me on his back.
“You’re on land!” Faith shouted. Livi laughed and nudged her friend.
My cheeks felt hot. “Uh, right.” I loosened my grip on him and let go with my legs. I slid down until I felt my feet touch the ground. It seemed almost sensual how slowly he guided my wet body down his. I could’ve swore I heard him groan. “Sorry about that. I don’t mean to be a big baby. Hopefully, I didn’t break your back or anything.”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re a tiny thing, Hadley. I don’t even think I exerted energy.”
I glanced around. There were tall weeds in every direction and a sound of a bird echoed off the bridge. It was actually quite beautiful. I wished the music was off so I could sit on the little shore and enjoy it. Wrigley had other plans. He marched towards the rusted hunk of metal like a man on a mission.
“Get it big boy!” Austin catcalled.
“Yeah, we’ll see you try a back flip from this high.” Wrigley responded. He was climbing a semi steep hill to get up top.
I stood there, refusing to move. Was he seriously going to back flip off from that high? Couldn’t he hurt himself? It’s not like we knew how deep the water was down there. Although it was likely deep enough to jump. When he was standing at the top, he turned and put his heels on the edge.
“Get it, hot stuff,” Faith called out and I couldn’t help but notice how annoying her voice sounded.
Wrigley didn’t respond. Instead, he bent at the knees and then flung himself backwards. His whole body leaped into the air and he did a full three-sixty before he sliced through the water. It was so graceful that I held my breath and tried to memorize it. Wrigley was good at so many things—this was just another to add to the growing list.
When he came up for air, he slung his head side to side and his hair whipped back and forth flinging droplets of water. If only my brain could put it into slow motion and play it like a movie reel. He looked like a movie star filming something like Baywatch. He wiped his hand down his face and then smiled brightly.
“How’d you rate that?” he asked p
roudly.
Why was he looking at me to answer? I glanced around like maybe the other awkward girl on the sand would respond. “Uh, a ten?” I said, unsure.
He frowned. “You sure about that?”
Ugh I hated this. I wanted to be a chameleon and turn green like the reeds. “Yes, I’m sure,” I sighed.
“Good,” he said egotistically. He started wading toward me. “Your turn.”
My eyes grew huge and I looked at Aurora, panicked and wondering if my friend would come save me. “I’m not jumping that.” I pointed at the offending bridge. “You can’t make me.”
He was now waist deep and he grinned an evil grin. Like the devil was rising from the water looking beautiful and edible. “Yes, I can.”
I had half a mind to make a run for it. I was sure if I just took off across the land I was on, it was bound to meet with another road at some point. I looked like a helpless college student; someone was bound to pull over and assist me, right? I had no shoes on and I was in a bikini. I looked like a Girls Gone Wild episode and who knew who’d stop and pick me up like this.
Frowning, I said, “Okay, you may be able to, but that doesn’t mean you should.”
As he approached me, my instinct was to back up, but I stood my ground. My head tilted back as I looked up at him and he blocked the sun from my eyes. I swear if he tried to throw me over his shoulder, I was going to ball up my fists and swing at him as hard as I was capable of. Thankfully, I didn’t need to.
Livi, whom I didn’t hear approaching, walked up beside Wrigley and stood so close that her shoulder was touching his arm. She looked at me with such distaste I almost flinched and then she turned to him, the look gone as if it had never been there.
“Come jump with me,” she said flirtatiously.
She grabbed his hand and started yanking him toward the hill, he’d just climbed.
While he allowed her to move him, he looked over his shoulder at me. “Hey, if you change your mind, I’ll jump with you.”
