WUMPH!
Jack slapped his right hand onto the artificial rock face above him. He slid it to the right and wrapped his fingers around a plastic grip. Then he stretched his leg over onto a ledge and lifted his body upwards.
Suddenly he heard a high-pitched voice from his left: ‘Beat you to the top, Stalwart!’
Jack turned to look. It was Marko Mayer. Marko had recently arrived in England, having been adopted by a couple in Surrey. He was also one of the most annoying people Jack had ever met. The boys were in the same class at Planit Rockit, Surrey’s biggest indoor rock-climbing facility. Whoever managed to ring the bell at the top of the wall first would win.
‘I don’t think so!’ Jack shouted back.
Up to his left was another hand-hold. Jack reached out and grabbed onto it with all his strength. Heaving himself upwards, he quickly looked for another grip. Marko was already a full body’s length ahead.
‘Come on, Jack!’ yelled a distant voice. It was Richard, one of Jack’s best friends. Richard was Jack’s ‘belaying partner’, or the person who controlled the safety of Jack’s rope from below. ‘You can do it!’
Jack was really sweating now. After climbing for nearly ten minutes, his muscles were quivering. He glanced down, past the nylon rope dangling to his side. Everything and everyone looked far away. That’s what happened when you were six storeys off the ground.
According to the Alti-Meter on his Watch Phone, Jack was sixty-five feet high, and he had another ten to go. Up to the left was another slim plastic grip. If Jack could reach it, he might get the break he needed.
Stretching his body across, Jack pressed his cheek to the rock face and felt down with his foot to find another ledge. He managed to pull himself over to it. From there, the holds were easier to reach and Jack was able to gain some speed. Now, he and Marko were racing neck and neck for the bell.
‘Ring it!’ shouted Richard.
But Marko was shimmying across the wall towards Jack. Instead of stepping on a ledge, he purposefully stepped on Jack’s fingers.
CRUNCH.
Jack yelped in pain and immediately let go of the hand-hold. His body fell fast, and skidded several feet down the wall before Richard locked off the rope. Jack’s body stopped with a severe jolt. He hung there in his harness, swaying back and forth.
DING!
The bell rang from above. Marko raised his hand in triumph and gave a smug grin.
‘Well done!’ said a voice from below. It was Mr Matheson, their climbing coach. ‘Why don’t you boys come down?’
Jack abseiled to the ground, bouncing his feet off the wall. Instead of taking it slowly, Marko sailed to the floor as fast as he could.
‘Told you I’d beat you,’ he boasted as he passed Jack.
‘Cheat!’ yelled Jack.
As soon as Jack’s feet touched the floor, Richard was at his side.
‘What happened up there?’ he asked.
Jack rolled his eyes as he took off his helmet and harness.
Coach Matheson walked over to Marko and slapped him on the back. ‘Nice job,’ he said, congratulating Marko. It was obvious that he hadn’t seen the cheating going on. ‘You’re the champ of the day.’
Marko snickered.
Jack wanted to tell his coach what had really happened, but sometimes being a tattletale was worse than cheating. Besides, Jack figured, Marko would get what was coming to him sooner or later.
‘Time’s up,’ said Coach Matheson. ‘Pack up your gear. See you next week.’
Jack looked towards the glass exit doors. As always, his dad was waiting for him. Jack said goodbye to Richard and walked over to his father.
‘Hi, Dad,’ he said, his shoulders slumped.
Across the way, Marko was with his dad. The man was congratulating his adopted son.
‘Don’t let it bother you, pal,’ his father said. ‘After all, you’re the best climber in the county. You have a trophy to prove it.’
‘Thanks,’ said Jack, trying to smile.
Jack’s dad put his arm around his son and the two of them left the climbing center.