“Not that I know of,” I replied and took a step back as Cole unhooked the latch. “What’s his name?”
“You mean her name,” he corrected, stepping inside. “Athena is a girl.” At the sound of her name, Athena shook out her mane before nuzzling Cole’s forehead.
“She’s so…huge.” Now I was inching away as stealthily as I could. Growing up in the city, I didn’t have much experience with animals, but I didn’t want to admit that I was frightened of Athena.
Cole didn’t notice. “You wanna go for a ride?” he asked, his voice jumping up. He didn’t wait for a response; he was already pulling a saddle off the wall.
“No way!” I was backed up against the opposite wall, as far away as I could get. Nothing could get me on that thing—not even a super-cute boy.
“Jackie,” he said as he arranged the saddle on Athena’s back. “Remember what I said about living a little?”
“Yeah,” I shot back. “Remember what I said about hating you?”
It took a bit of coaxing, but Cole succeeded in getting me on his horse. I was so set in my refusal that Cole attempted to trade five of his morning bathroom minutes to me, but I told him there was nothing that could entice me onto Athena. I, of course, was wrong. There was something worth the uncomfortable feeling of sweaty palms and a jittering heart. After promising that he would get Jack and Jordan to stop following me around with their video camera, I let Cole boost me into the saddle.
For the first ten minutes, I kept my eyes shut tight. My every nerve was prickling, and all I could focus on was the horse moving below me. But then I started to notice other things, like the feeling of Cole’s body pressed against mine and the warm spring sun on my face.
Cole took things slowly. He walked Athena through the fields, and the wind rippled the grass around us. I was finally settling in, enjoying Cole’s arms around me as he gripped the reins, when the meadow met up with the forest, the long, waving grass transforming into strong trees. Giving the reins a quick tug, Cole slid out of the saddle. After tying Athena to the nearest tree, he helped me down and we started into the forest, following a well-trodden path.
“You’re going to like this,” he said. Glancing back over his shoulder at me, his face lit up with excitement.
And he was right.
It only took five minutes to reach the clearing, but I knew when we were there. The world around me belonged in a fairy tale. Above us, a forest river ended in a tiny waterfall, the pool at the bottom forming a crystal-clear swimming hole. The sun shone down on the water, making it glimmer like glass, and the greenery around the edge was covered in water droplets sparkling like little emeralds.
The Walters had created a beach entrance with pure white sand, and the water lapped at the shoreline like we were at the ocean. There were two blue beach chairs pushed into the sand, positioned just so, and behind them, a picnic table in the shade. A tree near the water’s edge had wooden planks nailed into it so people could climb to the thick branch that hung over the water. Cole smiled, took off his shirt, and shuffled up the tree like a little boy.
“Now what are you doing?” I asked him, even though I knew.
Cole let out a holler, which was followed by a splash as he cannonballed into the water. “How’d I do?” he asked when he resurfaced.
I shrugged. “Eh, I’d give it a four and a half.”
“Out of five?”
“Ten,” I replied, watching him tread the water.
“Fine, Simon Cowell,” he said, sloshing back up onto the beach. “Let’s see you do better.”
Kicking off my sandals, I dipped my feet in the water to test the temperature, only to hop back instantly. “Are you crazy?” I asked, surprised there wasn’t a thin sheet of ice over the pool.
An alarming grin crept onto Cole’s face. “Maybe a little,” he admitted, before darting forward and locking his arms around my waist.
“Cole! Cole, no!” I shouted, kicking my legs wildly, but he scooped me up in one swift motion and tossed me into the water.
It took less than three seconds for the whole thing to happen, but my body reacted instantly, all of my muscles tensing up in preparation as I soared through the air. At first, when I hit the surface, I felt nothing. An instant later, as my body plunged into the icy pond, the pins-and-needles feeling rushed up my limbs like a chain reaction. I was so caught off guard by the whole thing that I managed to suck down a mouthful of water. I came up coughing, my lungs feeling as if they were frozen solid.
“Your entry was shaky,” I heard Cole saying. “I’ll give you a two, and that’s me being generous.”
“I h–hate you!” My teeth were chattering so badly that I nearly bit my tongue.
“Yes,” he agreed, nodding his head. “I think you’ve already pointed that out today.”