Page 78 of Lost Boy
“Oh, this is insanely awesome,” I say aloud, and Cole instantly agrees. After sharing the breakfast basket with the team, we made the hike out here with him and Jamie.
“Fuck yeah, Dale! A zipline? You’re winning today, brother. I’ll go first!” Cole jogs ahead, bumping fists with our camp counselor, apparently his new best friend.
Dale chuckles at Cole’s enthusiasm. “I’m glad you’re excited, Cole. Let’s wait for everyone else to get here and discuss this morning’s activity.”
After ten minutes of impatiently standing around, the public school kids finally show up, and Dale begins his spiel.
“Today is all about the challenge of personal choices that can also affect the group. You are a team, not individuals. So you need to work as a team to get to the finish line. Sounds simple, right? Well, sorry folks, it’s not. It won’t be the Jaguars vs. the Knights today. That would be too easy. Nope, you’ll be mixed up. I decided to take advantage of the situation and make things a little more interesting. Each stage of today’s challenge will have an easy choice and a hard choice. Beware that the easy choices come with unknown time penalties, and your time won’t stop until the last person on your team crosses the finish line. So choose wisely and help each other out. Keep in mind that it might be best to choose the harder route and assist each other along the way. Even if it takes longer. The winners get campfire treats tonight!”
He’s ignorant if he thinks that’s what’s truly at stake here.
Dale claps his hands and rubs them together excitedly. “Alright. Time to get started. I’m going to split you up and give you thirty minutes to talk over what you think your potential weaknesses and strengths are. Maybe formulate a rough plan of attack. You can choose to jump and swim or zipline across easily. Your own decisions. Remember that your individual choices affect the whole.”
As if the universe hates me, Fallon, Cole, Jamie, and I are placed on a team with Seth, Rich, and fucking Dustin.
We form a loose circle and voice how we want to handle this first obstacle, agreeing to tackle the rest as they come.
“Swim,” says Jamie.
“Swimming for me too,” Cole states.
Luckily Fallon is before me in the rotation, so I’ll let him take the lead on this one and do what he does.
“Zipline,” is all he utters, and the three public school guys immediately jump down his throat.
“No way! You heard Dale. It’s not good to take the easy route. We’ll get penalized, and that’s selfish,” Rich whines like the little bitch he is.
“Fallon can make his own decisions,” I say with a bite to my tone. “And I’m ziplining too.” Pretty sure they won’t question me on it. We don’t owe them an explanation, and they don’t need to know Fallon can’t swim if he doesn’t want them to.
Rich scoffs, throwing his arms up in the air. “You pussies are going to be the reason we lose.”
I’m not engaging. And I won’t let him pressure us into choosing something Fallon isn’t comfortable with.
“Don’t listen to them.” I lean down and whisper into his ear. “We do this together.”
“Okay!” Dale shouts. “Zipliners, grab your harnesses from me, and let’s get this challenge going!”
“I’ll get them for us,” I say to Fallon, and he heads toward the cliff’s edge, waiting by one of the cables.
Only a couple other guys are taking the zipline and none from the academy. It doesn’t matter, though. I do what my boyfriend does.
Before I even make it over to Dale, I hear a loud shout, followed by a splash.
A cold wave of dread washes over me, tiny icicles creeping down my spine.
I spin around and race toward the cliff, my heart galloping like a herd of wild horses.
I shout at Cole and Jamie because I don’t see my fucking boyfriend where I left him.
“Where’s Fallon?!”
No one answers.
Jamie and Cole dash after me, echoing my thoughts with more vulgarities.
My eyes find Dustin’s, and a cruel smirk forms on his hateful face.
“He wanted to go first. Decided to swim after all.” He holds his hands up in mock surrender.
