Page 53 of The Rebound
He ignores me, kicking away leaves on the ground as he looks for a fallen branch.
“It’s too far up,” I insist. I eye the rest of the tree. It’s high. But Andrew had to get someone to put it there in the first place. Unless he just threw it.
“You could help, you know,” Luke calls from somewhere behind me.
I don’t answer, shaking a low branch. It doesn’t move and, as Luke shuffles around behind me, I circle the trunk, marking out my path. Or at least trying to. I’m not sure if I’m doing it right or what I should be looking for. But if I can make it to that bough I should be able to…
“What are you doing?” he asks as I grab hold of the first branch again and pull myself up.
“MacFarlane had a wall-climbing room.”
“Was that beside the room where they kept all their stolen money?”
“I’m choosing not to respond to that.” My arm muscles burn after weeks of no training but I manage to last a few seconds before falling back down.
“Let me—”
I try again, cutting Luke off as this time I successfully hoist myself onto the branch. “I’m good at climbing,” I explain, eyeing the next one.
“That’s great. Now get down.”
“Just let me try.”
“You’re going to fall and break something.”
“I’m not twelve years old.”
“Then stop acting like it.”
The next one isn’t as sturdy, so I eye another a little farther away. Thank God I wore leggings instead of jeans this morning.
“Abby? Could you just— Christ!”
I swing out my leg, my foot making contact with the branch as I cling to the bark of the trunk.
“I’mFree Solo-ing,” I call as I swing myself forward. “This is my Yosemite.”
“Would you stop?” He’s angry now, but I’ve never felt surer of myself. With each branch I pass the egg gets closer. That money gets closer. And the look on Louise’s face when I show up with the stupid prize gets so clear it’s like she’s right in front of me. “What are you trying to prove right now?”
“I’m not trying to prove anything! I’m trying to get the stupid egg to give to my stupid sister!”
“Your sister?”
He sounds confused. Of course he does. As if he’d ever think I had a heart. “I’m going to give the money to her,” I explain. “Not that you’d ever assume that. You’d much rather think the worst of me.” I bring myself level with the egg. “You and Louise always act like I have the worst possible motivations. Like I’m only here to mess with you.”
“Aren’t you?”
“No!” I take a swipe at the egg and risk a glance down to see Luke staring up at me. From this angle, the ground looks very far away, even though it can’t be more than a couple of feet. “I wasn’t trying to lead you on, Luke. I don’t do things like that.”
“Fine. Come down.”
“I mean it,” I say, trying to reach the egg again. “I thought you were cute so I flirted with you. I don’t cheat. I’ve never cheated in my life.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me you were engaged?”
“Because I’m not!” I exclaim. “I lied, okay? I don’t have a fiancé.”
“What?”
