it. 'Testing,' he shouted into walkie talkie in his right hand. Lucy's crackled back in his left. Josh slumped to his knees, staring up; mouth open, still panting through it, dropping the walkie talkies on the grass.
Lucy heard a whoosh, turning to the right just in time to watch Froggy's graceful touchdown. He landed up on tiptoe, like a ballerina, the orange parachute slumping behind him.
She wrenched off her helmet, running her fingers through her blonde curls. Josh said something else, but she couldn't hear. Lucy plucked the plugs from her ears.
Josh knelt there, blinking up at her. In a heartbeat, he sprang up, wrenching the earplugs from her fingers, staring at them in his palm, open-mouthed.
'What were you thinking?' he murmured at Lucy. Lucy blinked back at him. In a split-second, he turned. Suddenly he was a pool of anger, fist raised. She watched him throw the neon pink plugs out at the grass, glowering back. The vein on his neck was up. Lucy swallowed. She'd never seen him like this.
' Wh's goin on here?' Froggy demanded. Lucy found him at her side, the two of them frowning up at Josh.
'EARPLUGS? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?' Joshua screamed in her face.
It came in loud and clear through the hiss. Lucy shrank back, but he kept coming.
'WELL?'
She could feel her throat closing up. Cheeks burning; eyes starting to sting. She turned to Froggy for reassurance, but this time around, he was scowling at her.
'I... I don't like the noise,' she finally squeaked, eyes flickering across the grass.
'The noise?' Joshua seethed.
He was hopping mad.
She watched him stoop down and grab the walkie talkies, waving them angrily.
'That noise was supposed to be guiding you in!'
'I... I couldn't hear you,' she tried to explain. 'I had a thing with my ears. I couldn't equalise.'
Joshua chewed his lips angrily, eyes closing. She watched him trying to gather himself.
'You... had a thing with your ears because you were wearing them!' he said through gritted teeth, jabbing a walkie talkie back at the grass. He was striving for a modicum of decorum, but dismally failing. 'You could have given yourself a perforated eardrum. Or worse.'
'I'm sorry!' Lucy croaked. The tears she'd been desperately trying to hold back were seconds away; already pooling in her eyes. Joshua stared back unblinkingly. Lucy felt Froggy's arm across her back.
'Leave it out, Snowy,' he growled.
'Leave it out?' Joshua gaped. 'Did you see that turn?'
'Aye, I did there laddy.'
'Good!' boomed Josh, eyes bulging, shaking with anger. 'If you've got anything about you, you'll fucking fail her.'
Lucy watched in astonishment as he ran a hand through his sun-bleached curls, turning his back, stalking away.
'That was a low fucking turn,' Froggy grumbled under his breath. 'If I were him, I'd be furious too.'
'Are you going to fail me?' she said quietly, still watching Josh march away across the grass.
Froggy gave her a look.
'Well y'did demonstrate awareness of other canopies,' he nodded. 'And we are still on the airfield... just about.'
His brow lowered.
'But y'came into the landing pattern far too late. Another two seconds? Y'ed be looking at a fail. Aye.'
The look darkened, voice dropping.
'Another seven, eight? They'd be picking bits ay'ye up off the fucking ground.'
Lucy stared at the grass. Her cheeks visibly blanched.
'I'm nay gonna fail ya,' he told her, ruffling her hair with his knuckles.
Lucy sagged with relief.
'Just donnay do that to me again. Ever . Y'hear, me Lucy? Nay fucking earplugs next time.'
'Snowy. I wanny word with ye.'
Froggy's voice boomed as he marched across the hangar.
A whole fleet of riggers stopped packing their parachutes; looking up. You could have heard a pin drop.
Joshua turned and squinted down at the little Scotsman, almost flinching. Froggy did hopping mad like nobody
Lucy heard a whoosh, turning to the right just in time to watch Froggy's graceful touchdown. He landed up on tiptoe, like a ballerina, the orange parachute slumping behind him.
She wrenched off her helmet, running her fingers through her blonde curls. Josh said something else, but she couldn't hear. Lucy plucked the plugs from her ears.
Josh knelt there, blinking up at her. In a heartbeat, he sprang up, wrenching the earplugs from her fingers, staring at them in his palm, open-mouthed.
'What were you thinking?' he murmured at Lucy. Lucy blinked back at him. In a split-second, he turned. Suddenly he was a pool of anger, fist raised. She watched him throw the neon pink plugs out at the grass, glowering back. The vein on his neck was up. Lucy swallowed. She'd never seen him like this.
' Wh's goin on here?' Froggy demanded. Lucy found him at her side, the two of them frowning up at Josh.
'EARPLUGS? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?' Joshua screamed in her face.
It came in loud and clear through the hiss. Lucy shrank back, but he kept coming.
'WELL?'
She could feel her throat closing up. Cheeks burning; eyes starting to sting. She turned to Froggy for reassurance, but this time around, he was scowling at her.
'I... I don't like the noise,' she finally squeaked, eyes flickering across the grass.
'The noise?' Joshua seethed.
He was hopping mad.
She watched him stoop down and grab the walkie talkies, waving them angrily.
'That noise was supposed to be guiding you in!'
'I... I couldn't hear you,' she tried to explain. 'I had a thing with my ears. I couldn't equalise.'
Joshua chewed his lips angrily, eyes closing. She watched him trying to gather himself.
'You... had a thing with your ears because you were wearing them!' he said through gritted teeth, jabbing a walkie talkie back at the grass. He was striving for a modicum of decorum, but dismally failing. 'You could have given yourself a perforated eardrum. Or worse.'
'I'm sorry!' Lucy croaked. The tears she'd been desperately trying to hold back were seconds away; already pooling in her eyes. Joshua stared back unblinkingly. Lucy felt Froggy's arm across her back.
'Leave it out, Snowy,' he growled.
'Leave it out?' Joshua gaped. 'Did you see that turn?'
'Aye, I did there laddy.'
'Good!' boomed Josh, eyes bulging, shaking with anger. 'If you've got anything about you, you'll fucking fail her.'
Lucy watched in astonishment as he ran a hand through his sun-bleached curls, turning his back, stalking away.
'That was a low fucking turn,' Froggy grumbled under his breath. 'If I were him, I'd be furious too.'
'Are you going to fail me?' she said quietly, still watching Josh march away across the grass.
Froggy gave her a look.
'Well y'did demonstrate awareness of other canopies,' he nodded. 'And we are still on the airfield... just about.'
His brow lowered.
'But y'came into the landing pattern far too late. Another two seconds? Y'ed be looking at a fail. Aye.'
The look darkened, voice dropping.
'Another seven, eight? They'd be picking bits ay'ye up off the fucking ground.'
Lucy stared at the grass. Her cheeks visibly blanched.
'I'm nay gonna fail ya,' he told her, ruffling her hair with his knuckles.
Lucy sagged with relief.
'Just donnay do that to me again. Ever . Y'hear, me Lucy? Nay fucking earplugs next time.'
'Snowy. I wanny word with ye.'
Froggy's voice boomed as he marched across the hangar.
A whole fleet of riggers stopped packing their parachutes; looking up. You could have heard a pin drop.
Joshua turned and squinted down at the little Scotsman, almost flinching. Froggy did hopping mad like nobody
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