CHAPTER 1
Riley peered out over the edge of the cliff. Far down below, he saw his friends splashing around in the water.
“Come on, Riley!” one of them yelled. “Jump already! Everybody else did!”
Riley knew his friend was right. One by one, all of his friends had leapt off the cliff that hung over the bay in Lake Owens. One by one, they had splashed happily into the water below.
Riley was the only one of them who had not done the big jump before. Now, he was the only one still standing on the cliff.
Riley inched his toes forward and peered down toward the water. It’s so far down there, he thought. What if I hit a rock under the water or something?
He tried to calm down, but he could not get his brain to stop worrying.
“Do you need me to come up there and hold your hand?” yelled Riley’s friend Blake. Riley could hear all the other guys laughing.
For years, Riley had watched people jump off the cliff into the lake. It was something people did every summer once they were teenagers. Riley had never done it, but it seemed like everyone he knew had.
Blake had started jumping the year before. This year, he’d convinced Riley to try.
Riley had never seen anyone get hurt, but he had heard the stories. There was one kid in the 1980s who dove head-first, hit a rock underwater, and was paralyzed. There was another kid who didn’t jump far enough to land in the deep water. He broke three bones.
When he was a little kid, Riley never thought he’d be afraid to make the leap. Everyone’s parents said to stay away from the cliff at Lake Owens. But that never stopped anyone. Every year, people headed out to the lake, ready to take their chances jumping off the dangerous cliff.
His friends had started planning their jumps as soon as the weather warmed up.
That’s when Riley started to get nervous. When the plans finally had been made the week before, Riley was scared.
Riley hadn’t said anything, though. He didn’t want his friends to think he was a chicken.
When Riley and his friends reached the cliff, Blake was the first one to jump. Riley wasn’t surprised. Blake always had more courage than everyone else.
That wasn’t always a good thing. For as long as Riley had known Blake, Blake had always been the kind of guy who got in trouble by trying things he shouldn’t have. Sometimes it just seemed as if he liked acting tough or cool. Riley was much more cautious, but he and Blake were still best friends.
Down below the cliff, Riley saw Blake get out of the water. He started to climb up to the cliff again. Riley was sure Blake was planning to push him off.
Riley sighed. He didn’t want to jump. He just wanted to get down into the water. He loved swimming. Being in the water was one of Riley’s favorite things.
Blake was getting closer. Riley inched to the edge of the cliff. Slowly, he closed his eyes and bent his knees. Then he jumped off the side of the cliff.