Chapter Twenty-One

The motor home came to a stop above the bank of a small stream. I'd never been anywhere like it before. There were other campers on both sides of us in large tents and children were playing along the dirt road that ran the length of the campground and snaked between each site. When the engine was finally shut down, the only noises were the playful sounds of the children and the rushing song of the water over the rocks in the stream below.

"You guys are free to hang out in front of the RV or in the recreational room near the gift shop. Dinner will be in about two hours, so make sure you're back by then. Stay in groups of two or more." Dr. Crimm got out of the driver's seat, her tablet and an old notebook in her hand as she descended the stairs and stepped out of the motor home. For a few minutes no one made a move, but then Marco stood and motioned toward the front.

"Let's go down to the stream and check it out." He waited near the doorway for the rest of us and when Damien stood to join him, the rest of us followed, too. You would never have believed that just days ago we were all isolated enough to try and commit suicide. Today we were a pack of six, hanging out together as if we had always been friends. I guess psychological stress and forced attempts at recovery will do that to you.

Ken didn't bother with the wheelchair. Marco and Damien propped an arm over each of their shoulders and helped him make it a few steps to the edge of the bank. He lowered himself down and let his cast dangle over the rocks and dirt. The rest of us hopped down and carefully traversed the pebbled shoreline until we could touch the cold, rushing water. I bent down and searched for the smoothest rocks I could find, choosing three and sliding them between my finger and thumb, enjoying the soft, silken feel of their surface against my skin.

I stood again, looking for the perfect place to send the rocks sailing. Aideen stood beside me, her beautiful red hair getting caught up in the cool evening breeze. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, her chest rising in a deep breath. Marco's feet crunched the rocks behind us as he moved toward the water, Damien not far behind. The two of them scooped rocks and threw them at the opposite shoreline like baseball players warming up to pitch. Shima and Ken watched from their perches on the ledge.

I'd stopped believing in perfect moments months ago. I stopped believing that things could go right again. I couldn't tell you the last time I had stood with my back to someone and not felt my heartbeat quicken in warning, or my palms grow moist with fear and anticipation. Yet somehow on that shoreline, all of that faded away. It was washed from the day like sand from the shore and swept farther and farther from me the longer we stood there together.

I'm not saying some miracle happened or that all it took was some sunshine and flowing water—we were all too broken to be fixed with a little vitamin D and joined molecules of hydrogen and oxygen. You can't stack together shattered glass that used to be functional and expect it to hold liquid the way it once did, but if you had asked me in that instant if I thought it were possible, I might have told you that maybe the dashed pieces and jagged fragments could be glued to form something beautiful, something that might never be able to hold what it should but could still be worth something to someone.

I drew back my hand and flung the first stone across the surface of the shimmering water. It skipped twice, dancing along before dropping beneath the surface. "Two," Damien marked aloud.

Not to be outdone, Marco found his own smooth stone and skipped it in the same path mine had traveled. His bounced four times before sinking. "Four," Damien stated.

"Show-off," I replied.

Marco laughed, the sound rich and deep. He chose another stone and skipped it across the surface. It bounced four times.

"Four." Damien said, this time sounding a bit more contrite.

Marco looked proud, his lips curling up at the edges and his cheeks flushing slightly. I couldn't help but smile also. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like. When was the last time I genuinely smiled at a boy?

"I can top that," Shima said from behind us. She slid down from where she'd been sitting and moved carefully over the rocks. Her focus was sharp as she made a quick line toward the shore and a dark gathering of stones near the water. Marco squinted his eyes at her skeptically and propped his hands on his hips. I wasn't sure whom I was rooting for.

Damien moved his gaze from Marco to Shima as if he was watching a tennis match. Shima carefully flipped the stones over and rinsed a few in the water. If they didn't meet her approval, she'd toss them aside and grab another. I had no idea what she was looking for in each of them, but she clearly had a list somewhere behind those knowing brown eyes. I envied her determination. It won me over. I was now rooting for her.

Satisfied, she rose with two dark stones in her palm. "These will do. She moved one to her left hand and bounced the one on her right palm as if testing the weight. She scanned the surface of the water in search of a calm spot.

"I can't take the suspense. I've been more intrigued in the last two minutes of this than I was by the last Super Bowl!" Ken shouted from the ledge. "I think we should make some kind of bet."

"I agree," Damien said quickly.

Marco and I exchanged surprise glances and I laughed softly at the idea of Damien agreeing to something outside of normal rule following. Aideen giggled also, followed by Shima, and within a few seconds all six of us were laughing. It was a relief to finally be away from the hospital and our families, and nice to just be ourselves and be silly with kids our own age.

"Alright. What's the bet?" Marco asked.

"If I can skip it more than four times, the boys have to jump in the water. If it skips less than four, the girls go in." Shima spoke like she wasn't worried at all. The rest of us made quick work of rushing to the water and sticking in our hands. The frigid water instantly made our fingers tingle and go numb.

I looked to Aideen, unsure of whether or not we should agree to the bet. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, what the hell? If she thinks she can do it let's let her try."

My heart raced until I thought I could feel it inside my throat. "Okay," I managed to croak.

Shima's smile was bright and I knew in that instant we were going to win. Her confidence was contagious. She twisted the stone in her hand and turned her attention back to Marco. Ken was slowly making his way down to the shore. His cast was unsteady on the rocky surface.

"I've got to see this up close." He cocked a brow and grinned as he moved closer.

"I thought maybe you were coming to test the temperature." Marco looked pointedly down to his cast.

"Not necessary. I think you've got her." He took another step closer. "And if you don't, it's probably best to just jump in without knowing how fucking cold it is first."

"Is that cast waterproof?" Damien asked.

"Of course," Ken answered.

"Let's do this." Marco fanned his hand over the water, palm up, inviting Shima to give it her best shot. Was this how kids used to handle their differences hundreds of years ago? If it was, I couldn't help but be a little envious of them.

Shima spread her feet apart, rocking slowly to get balanced. She let her hand fall until her arm was straight, but her hand was angled away from her body. What Marco had done hastily, she was doing in a calculated way. The stone rotated ever so slightly in her grip. Her hand drew back and then in the blink of an eye she flung the stone across the surface. We watched as it hit once, then bounced again, then again and again so many times I lost track. Marco cursed before it had even fallen beneath the water.

"Was that fourteen?" Damien asked.

"It was more than four," Shima answered with a smirk.

"It definitely was." Damien said, removing his glasses and cleaning them on the bottom of his shirt. He handed them to me and kicked off his shoes. "I didn't see that coming." His eyes moved to Marco, who was stepping out of his shoes. "Getting into this water is going to suck. But for the first time in a really long time it isn't my fault that my team is getting a punishment. This is what it feels like, huh?" He patted Marco's back and tried to hide a smile as he took off running for the water.

"Yeah, um, I don't think he quite gets what it feels like. We might need to practice this again." Marco laughed and turned to run down to the water. His strong legs made easy work of the rushing water and it only took a second for his whole body to disappear and then reappear next to Damien's.

Ken had to use a different method. His slow pace made it torturous for him. There was no quick-and-easy in and out. When he was only in up to his knees after a few minutes, Marco and Damien called mercy and came out to help him. Ken put an arm over each of their shoulders and smiled at us girls as they quickly dragged him in.

They had lost the bet, but they seemed to forget that the cold-water plunge was a punishment. Laughter and playful shrieks echoed in the wide-open space as the boys splashed around and swam against the moving current. The girls and I giggled and dodged their attacks as they flung the water toward us on the shore. It was just the six of us kids, no adults, no problems, no worries, no impending birthdays and recently passed legislation. There were no protestors or drug companies, no choices or regrets. Life was once again simple and even though we probably all knew in our heads that it could never stay that way, there was no thinking about that in the moment.

***Please remember to comment, vote, and share***