throw it out at the water. When I was younger I was great at skipping rocks, but today the rock hits the water, makes a splash, and quickly sinks. A couple walks past us holding hands and giggling, and for some reason it irritates me. “I just don’t get it, man. Why would she make that up about Cam?”
Cole shrugs. “You know how chicks are. She probably just wanted attention or something.”
His words just don’t ring true to the Ivy I know. “But I saw her bruises. She was hurt.”
“Ivy’s a daredevil, you know that. Maybe she just hurt herself on accident.”
I remember Ivy’s words when I first saw the injuries. She said that she fell. It sounded like such a flimsy excuse, like the kind of thing abused women say after their husband beats the crap out of them. But now I wonder if it was the truth. Cole is right. Ivy isn’t the type of girl to back down from a challenge of any kind. She loves the rush of doing something risky. I remember the time we went rock jumping at the lake. All of the other girls laid out on their towels soaking up the sun, but Ivy just stripped down to her bikini and stalked up to us.
" Watcha guys doing?" she asked, nudging me in the side. That was one of the things I loved about Ivy. The way she would just come up and talk to me. Even in a big group I was the first one she spoke to, the one she joked and bantered with. Even my girlfriends would wait for me to come to them, but not Ivy. She was different.
"We're going to jump off this rock into the lake." I turned to her, raising my eyebrow. My gaze lingered on her bikini clad body, and I was gr ateful that I had on sunglasses so she wouldn't see how my eyes scaled every inch of her.
"Cool." She placed a hand on her hip , exposing her short nails that were painted a dark purple. "I'm in."
Some of the oth er guys kind of chuckled, and gave me an incredulous look. I glanced back at the other girls lathered up in suntan oil. No way would any of them be over here threatening to jump from this high rock down to the cold water below.
"Ives." I grab bed her arm. "You don't have to do this."
She cocked her head to the side. "I know I don't have to, but I want to."
"Ah, just go back and sunbathe with the other chicks. This is guy stuff," Cole teased her. Cam and Michael laughed from over her shoulder.
Ivy smirked, her gaze sweeping all of us. "Are you guys scared that I'm gonna make you look bad?"
"C'mon, it's dangerous," Michael piped up.
"Not any more dangerous than hanging out up here with you guys," Ivy countered, a challenging gleam in her eye.
My lips curled upward at her statement. Some of the other girls peered over to see what was going on , but they didn't look surprised. I think everyone was used to Ivy hanging with the boys.
"Okay, enough jabbering." Cam pushed past her. "This is what we get for hanging out with a chick. I'm jumping." He swiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
"Not so fast there, speedy." Ivy knocked him out of the way and placed her feet at the edge of the rock. My breath hitched in my throat. "It's my turn." She lifted her hands high in the air, and despite my best efforts, my gaze landed on her chest. After pushing up with her legs she jumped off the rock, and plummeted to the water below.
I gasped and lurched forward. She entered the water with a splash. I kept my eyes on the place she landed, waiting for her to surface. After a few seconds her head bobbed up. She waved at us and I waved back, exhaling with relief.
"That girl is crazy," Cole breathed.
"Yeah , she is, isn't she?" I smiled, my eyes still glued to Ivy as she lazily swam back to shore.
“Are you going to go see him?” Cole 's question pulls me back to the present.
I know exactly who he’s talking about , and it makes me squirm. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“You’re going to have to sooner or later.”
I take the last drink from the bottle and then toss it at my feet. “Maybe not.”
“Suit
Cole shrugs. “You know how chicks are. She probably just wanted attention or something.”
His words just don’t ring true to the Ivy I know. “But I saw her bruises. She was hurt.”
“Ivy’s a daredevil, you know that. Maybe she just hurt herself on accident.”
I remember Ivy’s words when I first saw the injuries. She said that she fell. It sounded like such a flimsy excuse, like the kind of thing abused women say after their husband beats the crap out of them. But now I wonder if it was the truth. Cole is right. Ivy isn’t the type of girl to back down from a challenge of any kind. She loves the rush of doing something risky. I remember the time we went rock jumping at the lake. All of the other girls laid out on their towels soaking up the sun, but Ivy just stripped down to her bikini and stalked up to us.
" Watcha guys doing?" she asked, nudging me in the side. That was one of the things I loved about Ivy. The way she would just come up and talk to me. Even in a big group I was the first one she spoke to, the one she joked and bantered with. Even my girlfriends would wait for me to come to them, but not Ivy. She was different.
"We're going to jump off this rock into the lake." I turned to her, raising my eyebrow. My gaze lingered on her bikini clad body, and I was gr ateful that I had on sunglasses so she wouldn't see how my eyes scaled every inch of her.
"Cool." She placed a hand on her hip , exposing her short nails that were painted a dark purple. "I'm in."
Some of the oth er guys kind of chuckled, and gave me an incredulous look. I glanced back at the other girls lathered up in suntan oil. No way would any of them be over here threatening to jump from this high rock down to the cold water below.
"Ives." I grab bed her arm. "You don't have to do this."
She cocked her head to the side. "I know I don't have to, but I want to."
"Ah, just go back and sunbathe with the other chicks. This is guy stuff," Cole teased her. Cam and Michael laughed from over her shoulder.
Ivy smirked, her gaze sweeping all of us. "Are you guys scared that I'm gonna make you look bad?"
"C'mon, it's dangerous," Michael piped up.
"Not any more dangerous than hanging out up here with you guys," Ivy countered, a challenging gleam in her eye.
My lips curled upward at her statement. Some of the other girls peered over to see what was going on , but they didn't look surprised. I think everyone was used to Ivy hanging with the boys.
"Okay, enough jabbering." Cam pushed past her. "This is what we get for hanging out with a chick. I'm jumping." He swiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
"Not so fast there, speedy." Ivy knocked him out of the way and placed her feet at the edge of the rock. My breath hitched in my throat. "It's my turn." She lifted her hands high in the air, and despite my best efforts, my gaze landed on her chest. After pushing up with her legs she jumped off the rock, and plummeted to the water below.
I gasped and lurched forward. She entered the water with a splash. I kept my eyes on the place she landed, waiting for her to surface. After a few seconds her head bobbed up. She waved at us and I waved back, exhaling with relief.
"That girl is crazy," Cole breathed.
"Yeah , she is, isn't she?" I smiled, my eyes still glued to Ivy as she lazily swam back to shore.
“Are you going to go see him?” Cole 's question pulls me back to the present.
I know exactly who he’s talking about , and it makes me squirm. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“You’re going to have to sooner or later.”
I take the last drink from the bottle and then toss it at my feet. “Maybe not.”
“Suit
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