My hands were slipping.

Evie screamed. “Ohmigod! Jaye!” she cried.

I paid no attention to her. Instead, I tried to swing my legs onto the limb I was clutching. However, I soon abandon this tactic, finding it only caused my grasp to slip further. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. I was going to fall. There was no question in my mind. It probably wouldn’t be so bad. I’d probably break a leg or two, depending on how I hit the staircase. Then again, I might hit my head and get a concussion. Or, if I hit it hard enough, I might slip into a coma . . .

I screamed.

“What’s going on!” demanded a frantic voice below me. I looked down to see Isaac. Without waiting for a response from the incoherent Evie, he darted toward the tree. “Hang on, Jaye. I’ll be there in a second.”

“Isaac, hurry!” I cried, trying desperately to keep my grip. I watched as he skillfully scaled the branches. He seemed to be moving in slow motion. And my hands just kept slipping.

From below, someone screamed. The sound pierced my eardrums and sent a shock of panic through my body. One of my hands slipped completely off the branch.

I looked down to see Lynn, still shrieking uncontrollably. “Shut up, Lynnie!” I cried.

She looked at me, dumb struck, tears streaming down her face. Taylor, who had been standing beside her, put an awkward arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. Zac stood on the other side of Lynn, brown eyes wide. I didn’t have time to wonder how or when they had gotten there.

I tried to get my hand back onto the branch, but it was useless. My left arm seemed to be too short to reach. “Isaac, hurry!” I cried again, tears streaming down my face.

It’s no use, my mind mocked. You’re going to fall.

I closed my eyes and awaited the inevitable. I felt my fingers sliding . . .

An iron grip tightened around my wrist. “I’ve got you,” Isaac whispered. I looked up at him. His eyes were focused on me and his jaw was tense and set.

My hero, the sarcastic part of my mind managed to quip.

I grasped onto Isaac’s wrist with my free hand. Somehow, slowly, Isaac managed to pull me up onto the tree branch. When safely on the limb, he began leading me downward, still clutching onto my hand. It was as if he was afraid I’d fall again. As a matter of fact, I wasn’t sure who was trembling more, me or him.

A short eternity later, we were out of the tree. As soon as our feet were on solid ground, Isaac released my hand.

A moment later, Evie had wrapped her arms around me. “I can’t believe you’re okay,” she whispered.

I succeeded to smile. “I’m pretty amazed myself,” I told her. “If Isaac would have gotten there a second later -” I broke off. Where was he anyway? I broke my embrace to look for him.

“I’m here,” he said softly from behind me.

I turned around quickly and placed my arms around his neck. “Thank you,” I whispered. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” On instinct, I gave him a hard kiss on the lips.

And then I realized what I was doing. Quickly, I pulled away from him and turned to Evie. “I . . . I’m . . .” I began.

However, Evie didn’t look mad. Instead, she smiled. “Don’t let me stop you,” she insisted.

I shook my head. “Evie, I told you. You’re more important to me than -”

She cut me off. “I know,” she told me, blue-green eyes wide and earnest. “I’ve always known. I shouldn’t’ve thought I had to make you prove it. I should’ve known that you’d never let anything come between us. Jaye-Jae, I know that I was wrong to make you choose. We’re best friends, Jaye, and I’ll never take advantage of that again.”

My nose stung and my eyes filled. I pulled Evie into a tight hug. “I love you, Evette Marie Sherman,” I whispered.

She hugged me back. “And I love you, Jaye Jacqueline Morgan,” she replied.

I was aware of another arm around me; a small arm from a small girl. “I love you guys, too,” Lynnie whispered. “And I’m glad you’re okay, Jaye-Jae.”

I smiled and put an arm around her. “We love you, too, Lynnie-Bear. You’re my best friend, too, you know.”

Lynnie beamed. “And you guys are my best friends, too,” she announced.

There was a moment of silence before Tay called out in a mock cry, “Anyone have some Kleenex?”

Zac smacked his older brother in the chest. “Grow up, Tay.”

continue
The Index
The Window Seat