The Cliff. The Dive.

It was not so much an invitation, as the skinny dipping and cliff-jumping sounded more as a dare. But if they imagined she would back off, they did not really understand Beth. She did not shy away from risk, she thrived on it. Maybe it was not wise for the new girl in town to be so outgoing, but she had to do it on her terms, or not at all.

When she got to the site, the pack was already there, smoking. She saw the surprise in their looks – some showed more interest, others enthusiasm and others just sheer incredulity. His eyes were shining the most, with a mischievous smile in place. Since Beth arrived simply dressed in her jeans and hoodie, his eyes were linked to her every move. Richard’s girlfriend tried to distract him, but to no avail.

“So… are we going to be here all day smoking pot, or are we going to dive in?”, she got straight in.

After what seemed like a silent consultation between the guys, Richard came forward and started explaining:

“It’s fine that you came, we weren’t really expecting you to, but since you are here, you need to obey the rules”.

“Rules? What rules are there to cliff-jumping? Are we going to cut ourselves or burn incense?”

He did not take the bait:

“First, we all jump naked. I mean completely.” He made a long pause as to assess her reaction, but her bravado was still in place.

“Second, we do it alone. No tandems, ropes or other devices” He stopped for emphasis:

“And third, whatever happens, happens. No one here is responsible for your actions. Got it?”

Maybe it was the cold stare of this man’s eyes that was so unnerving, but her resolve started to waiver. Before she could change her mind, she nodded. Her “bad girl” attitude had just meant till then that she did drugs and had a drug dealer as a boyfriend. This group of crackheads seemed more dangerous all of a sudden. As she was saying that, she noticed the others starting to undress, so she followed suit.

It was strange that the nakedness didn’t actually bother her. If nothing, it seemed liberating. She suddenly understood why it was their number one rule. Maybe she could take strength from it. She noticed that Richard approached her once she was ready, but he just silently reached for her clothes. Again, she had seen her fair share of undressed men, but it was something else in his unfazed appearance that disturbed her. She handed her things automatically, but then a question fell from her lips:

“Has someone ever broken one of your rules?”

He turned back and smiled: “Not on my watch”.

Then things started to rush. She did not realize if it was the effect of the drugs, but the others seemed very in control. Now she wished she had smoked something before, but it was too late.

The boys had gathered and were talking to themselves, when one of them asked her:

“Would you like to go first?”

She noticed that except Richard’s girlfriend Alice, there were no other girls, and the latter had decided to stay with their clothes up there, throwing daggers at Beth. She decided that it would be better to get this done with, not sure what she meant by that.

She got on the position. She closed her eyes for a bit, but since she did not believe in a deity, she had no prayer to say. She was just going through a rite of passage. They are meant to lead you somewhere, she told herself. And then she was off. They were supposed to run for a bit before the jumping point, and after a few steps, she noticed someone had caught up with her and was holding her hand. She barely had time to register the tight grip, but she returned the wide smile she was seeing in Richard’s shining eyes. And in that second, she thought it would not be so bad to die at the arm of a blue-eyed devil.