The Summer That Changed Everything

Chapter Two - Part Two

“I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this,” Felicity commented, her curiosity piqued. She folded her arms and looked at the building in front of her, a sense of mystery lingering in the air.

The grey bricks stood tall in front of the two; her eyes followed each brick up to the sign. It was the local youth centre, and, to Felicity’s surprise, it housed a rock-climbing facility, a revelation that sparked her interest.

“I thought it might be something different for you,” Jared replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. His expression was somewhere between wary and smug, an odd combination that brought a smile to Felicity’s face. “I am also pleased that you went with shorts instead of a skirt or dress. That situation would’ve been awkward.”

Felicity, a slender and somewhat unfit girl with a mischievous glint in her eyes, looked down at her bare legs, thankful for the casual choice of a stripy crop top, a pair of jean shorts and red Vans.

“Something inside me must’ve known,” she joked, not wanting to think about the disaster that would ensue if she wore a skirt. She wasn’t very athletic at the best of times, let alone adding restrictive clothing into the mix.

“I mean, we don’t have to do it, you know,” Jared was quick to say. “A part of me that thought you might kick off because it’s not a traditional summer activity.”

“Nah, why would I kick off? I love trying new things, you know that.” With a gentle hand, she smacked Jared’s stomach, noting how hard it felt underneath his t-shirt. But noticing how toned her best friend’s brother’s stomach was wasn’t really something she wanted to dwell on. “Let’s go,” she said, trying to steer the conversation away from the awkward topic, although Jared had no idea of her internal dilemma.

Jared led the way into the building, unable to subdue the smile from spreading across his face after seeing how easily she accepted the challenge. Once they had signed in and received a health and safety talk, the experts helped get them into the harnesses.

Once he was secure, Jared said with a wistful tone. “When I was younger, I used to come here a lot. In times of stress, tough days, or even boredom, I would blow off some steam here. It would always be my first port of call.”

Felicity smiled, pleased to discover this additional information about his childhood. She had assumed she knew everything there was to know about him. But she was gracious in knowing that she was wrong.

“So, I guess you should be pretty good at it then, huh?” She asked, a hint of a challenge in her voice.

“Oh, just you watch,” he smirked.

With a wink, he started at the bottom of the wall and soon made his way to the middle, leaving Felicity in his dust. Not wanting Jared to outdo her, Felicity made sure her harness was tight. She started at the bottom and fought her way up to her friend.

They continued this for a while, enjoying themselves in bliss. When they reached the middle, they stopped and retraced their steps. During this time, Felicity learned the ropes (so to speak) and got accustomed to it. The rough texture of the wall against her palms, the strain in her muscles, and the exhilaration of each successful step became familiar to her. Although let’s face it, the thought of reaching the top terrified her. Luckily, the wall was barely in use apart from the two of them; they took up as much room as they wanted. All the kids were outside in the nice weather, it seemed.

Once they had reached the bottom after several tries, Jared looked at Felicity. Straight away, the glint in his eyes worried her. She recognised that look.

“Now that you’ve got the hang of it,” he said, although pants broke up his sentence. It was tiring work, all this climbing. “Let’s make it interesting, shall we?”

He was about to propose something that she knew would scare her. But she was not one to shy away from a challenge. It was not in her nature. And Jared was well aware of that.

“Go on,” Felicity said, matching Jared’s steely expression.

“Do you see the buzzer up there?” He asked, pointing upwards at the top of the wall. Felicity followed his finger and, sure enough, a big red button adorned the top of the wall. She gulped at the height, but refused to exhibit fear. “Let’s have a race. The first one to reach the top and press the buzzer wins. Loser buys food.”

The entire idea of it terrified her. Jared had been there before - many times - and she knew he had the advantage. And, of course, she wasn’t too fond of heights. But then again, backing down from a challenge wasn’t in her vocabulary. Especially a challenge from Jared. Also, there was a possibility of free food. Who could pass that up?

“You’re on,” she grinned, showing no fear on her face, but her stomach resembled a butterfly sanctuary. Her heart raced, her palms were sweaty, and her legs felt like jelly, but she maintained a brave front, not wanting to show any sign of weakness to Jared.

They both positioned themselves at the bottom of the wall, eagerly awaiting the countdown. They had even managed to rope in a bored employee to serve as referee. With the worker’s figurative green light, they were off. The stakes were equal, and Felicity’s fear was replaced by the thrill of the race and the promise of victory. And free food. That was a pretty good incentive.

As predicted, Jared reached the top first and pressed the buzzer with a slam, accompanied by a triumphant cheer. Felicity wasn’t too far behind, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win. She grumbled in annoyance while he looked at her with his trademark smug smile. She felt a mix of disappointment and pride. Disappointment for not winning, but pride for not giving up and reaching so close to the top.

“I knew you had it in you to win,” Felicity said, playfully narrowing her eyes at him. “But isn’t it a bit unfair to coerce me into something you’re probably an expert at? That’s almost cheating, isn’t it?”

“Now, there’s no need to be bitter,” he winked. “No one likes a sore loser.”