Evan's body lay sprawled on the outcropping below, just above the reservoir.
Millie hadn't meant to. She was only joking, only trying to stop him from being such a wimp. She could still feel the touch of his skin against her palms from when she was laughing and pushing him, which happened at the same time she remembered which cliff jumping ledge they were on—the higher ledge, the one with the outcropping at the bottom. They always knew to clear it with extra distance.
Her limbs locked as she stood over the edge. She couldn't take her eyes off Evan and the water, too still and eerie. The distance obscured the details, but it was clear his knees weren't meant to bend like that. He wasn't moving, and already a steady pool of blood spread under his head. She considered stepping off and joining him.
Vaguely, she recognized that Jesse was saying something behind her, but she didn't care what. All she could hear was her mind replaying the sound of Evan screaming and of his body slamming into the rock.
She registered what Jesse was saying only when he grabbed her arm and jerked her from the edge. He turned her shoulders to face him. "Millie, what do we do, what do we do," he kept saying.
"I have to sit down." Her head felt foggy and warm in the same way it had when she'd once fainted on a hundred-degree hike. She sat cross-legged and watched as Jesse stood rigid above her, eyes wide. Millie vomited next to his bare feet.
"We have to do something," he kept saying. He paced back and forth and seemed to not know what to do with his lanky arms. The cold of the sand and the red rock felt nice on Millie's bare legs. She wore only her black bikini.
"Where's your phone?" Jesse said. Millie couldn't form words. "Phone, phone, phone, phone," he mumbled under his breath. He turned and found her crocheted shoulder bag perched up against a rock, then shook out its contents.
He picked up her phone off the ground. "What's your password?"
Millie said nothing. His voice was a distant echo.
"What's your password?" He yelled louder.
When Millie didn't respond, he threw the phone and hit her in the stomach. "Snap out of it and put in your password." He was crying.
"You know he's gone. Take one look at him."
"Well if he isn't already, then the only way he's gonna survive is if we actually do something and get him to the hospital."
She tossed the phone back. "The password's two zero nine four."
Jesse dialed, then Millie listened to the one-sided call while she crawled back to the edge.
"It's my friend. We're at Red Fort Reservoir."
She lay on her stomach and peeked her eyes over the edge. More blood pooled around Evan, but he looked peaceful. Something compelled her to keep staring, as if it were her punishment for pushing him.
"No, he's not moving." A pause. "No, I don't know if he has a pulse." Jesse was barely intelligible he was crying so hard. Millie tuned him out and tried to figure out why she wasn't crying too.
"You're a real help," Jesse said when he ended the call. He took off his shirt.
"Don't."
"I have to do something. I can't just stand here and wait around."
"It's no use."
He didn't listen and instead jumped off the edge with a running start.
Millie watched as he resurfaced and climbed onto the outcropping where Evan was splattered. He shook Evan's shoulder and kept calling his name. The blind faith of him.
All the blood swirled to her head when she sat up, and her vision went dark for a few seconds. Sirens sounded in the distance. From her high vantage point, she could see the red lights flashing on the opposite side of town.
Without deciding to, she started back down the hiking trail that brought them there. After a minute, or maybe five, she realized that she hadn't put her sandals back on but didn't care enough to turn around and get them. It was difficult to navigate down the rocky path, but her body seemed to be moving under some other force of command. The hard ground didn't hurt her feet.
She rehearsed what to say to the first responders. She hadn't pushed him. He had fallen. A simple accident, entirely Evan's fault. She hadn't pushed him.
Jesse would have to have enough sense to say the same.
Millie hadn't meant to. She was only joking, only trying to stop him from being such a wimp. She could still feel the touch of his skin against her palms from when she was laughing and pushing him, which happened at the same time she remembered which cliff jumping ledge they were on—the higher ledge, the one with the outcropping at the bottom. They always knew to clear it with extra distance.
Her limbs locked as she stood over the edge. She couldn't take her eyes off Evan and the water, too still and eerie. The distance obscured the details, but it was clear his knees weren't meant to bend like that. He wasn't moving, and already a steady pool of blood spread under his head. She considered stepping off and joining him.
Vaguely, she recognized that Jesse was saying something behind her, but she didn't care what. All she could hear was her mind replaying the sound of Evan screaming and of his body slamming into the rock.
She registered what Jesse was saying only when he grabbed her arm and jerked her from the edge. He turned her shoulders to face him. "Millie, what do we do, what do we do," he kept saying.
"I have to sit down." Her head felt foggy and warm in the same way it had when she'd once fainted on a hundred-degree hike. She sat cross-legged and watched as Jesse stood rigid above her, eyes wide. Millie vomited next to his bare feet.
"We have to do something," he kept saying. He paced back and forth and seemed to not know what to do with his lanky arms. The cold of the sand and the red rock felt nice on Millie's bare legs. She wore only her black bikini.
"Where's your phone?" Jesse said. Millie couldn't form words. "Phone, phone, phone, phone," he mumbled under his breath. He turned and found her crocheted shoulder bag perched up against a rock, then shook out its contents.
He picked up her phone off the ground. "What's your password?"
Millie said nothing. His voice was a distant echo.
"What's your password?" He yelled louder.
When Millie didn't respond, he threw the phone and hit her in the stomach. "Snap out of it and put in your password." He was crying.
"You know he's gone. Take one look at him."
"Well if he isn't already, then the only way he's gonna survive is if we actually do something and get him to the hospital."
She tossed the phone back. "The password's two zero nine four."
Jesse dialed, then Millie listened to the one-sided call while she crawled back to the edge.
"It's my friend. We're at Red Fort Reservoir."
She lay on her stomach and peeked her eyes over the edge. More blood pooled around Evan, but he looked peaceful. Something compelled her to keep staring, as if it were her punishment for pushing him.
"No, he's not moving." A pause. "No, I don't know if he has a pulse." Jesse was barely intelligible he was crying so hard. Millie tuned him out and tried to figure out why she wasn't crying too.
"You're a real help," Jesse said when he ended the call. He took off his shirt.
"Don't."
"I have to do something. I can't just stand here and wait around."
"It's no use."
He didn't listen and instead jumped off the edge with a running start.
Millie watched as he resurfaced and climbed onto the outcropping where Evan was splattered. He shook Evan's shoulder and kept calling his name. The blind faith of him.
All the blood swirled to her head when she sat up, and her vision went dark for a few seconds. Sirens sounded in the distance. From her high vantage point, she could see the red lights flashing on the opposite side of town.
Without deciding to, she started back down the hiking trail that brought them there. After a minute, or maybe five, she realized that she hadn't put her sandals back on but didn't care enough to turn around and get them. It was difficult to navigate down the rocky path, but her body seemed to be moving under some other force of command. The hard ground didn't hurt her feet.
She rehearsed what to say to the first responders. She hadn't pushed him. He had fallen. A simple accident, entirely Evan's fault. She hadn't pushed him.
Jesse would have to have enough sense to say the same.