The Secrets We Share

ONE

noah

We stood there at the edge of the cliff, the wind whistling as the sun beamed down on us. The ocean water rushed below, and I eyed the short drop with a careful glance, then the beach a little way to the right. I was sure people were thinking of us as daredevils, jumping off the cliffs into the sea to celebrate the beginning of summer.

"You jump first." I ordered. Jason, my closest mate, turned to glance at me. "Hell to the no. You first."

"No, you."

"But the water's going to be freezing. I'm not prepared for it." 

"It's goddamn summer."

"Then you go first."

"NO." I had to admit, I wasn't particularly prepared for the icy cold water to touch my skin-

"I'll go first," A girl's voice came from behind us, and a moment later a girl of around sixteen, with her long brown hair loose and sparkling green eyes launched herself off the cliff, spread her arms, and whooped as she flew down to meet the water's surface. 

A second later, another girl with strawberry-blonde hair and wide blue eyes dived off the cliff, and followed her friend down, down, down. 

"Now I feel like a coward," I complained, running a hand through my dark brown hair. Jason grumbled under his breath, so I shoved him off the cliff, leaping after him. 

And so I fell. 

*

Dawn

It was immensely satisfying to watch the guys falter as I ran past them and leaped off the cliff.  

It was also satisfying to watch my best friend, Aria, follow seconds later, landing in the water in a heap. 

But the best part was high-fiving her as one of the guys shoved the other off. 

"That'll show them who's got more courage," she laughed. I flicked some water at her face, and she ducked under and tickled me. Breathless, I pushed her back with the aid of some more water and then swam for the sandy beach, the cold water swirling around me- cold, but welcoming. The smell of summer- that was what the water smelt like. What the beach smelt like too. 

I could feel her drawing alongside me, and I grabbed her arm and towed her until we hit the sand and we stumbled out of the water, laughing our heads off like maniacs. 

"Aren't they the not-quite-but-kind-of-bad-boys from school? In our class?" I asked between laughter. As in, missing most classes doing shady stuff but still getting okay grades... like what?

Aria wiped her mouth, getting more sand on her face, and nodded. "I think so. In any case, at least we can settle that regarding jumping head first into icy cold water, we're much more daredevil than they are." 

"Agreed," I smiled. I remembered the brown-haired boy- Noah?- and my smiled widened as I recalled his astonished- and slightly annoyed- expression. 

"We win," I laughed, grabbing her hand and pumping it in the air. 

"Right you are," she said, her fingers tightening around mine. 

"Let's do it again!" I said excitedly, already tugging her towards the cliff path. "Come on."

Snorting with laughter from my eagerness, she let herself be pulled, kicking up clouds of sand. 

*

noah

I'd known that it had been Dawn that had pushed past Jason and I to jump first, and I felt slightly disgruntled- okay, a lot- that she had somehow made both of us feel stupid as we stood there, staring at them both. I'd never thought that she would've been the daring sort of girl, but then again, I didn't know her that well at all. 

I ignored the slight fizz in my blood as I remembered her confident smile and her sparkling eyes as she'd leaped off the cliff, spreading her arms out wide like she was a bird about to take flight. And a graceful bird too, at that.

"I swear, I'm just gonna jump off the cliff in winter to just to prove them wrong," Jason sighed as he rubbed a towel through his hair. Beside him, I lounged on the sand, drying off in the heat of the sun. 

I squinted at the cliffs- and suppressed my surprise as I watched two female figures launch themselves off the cliffside again. Seriously. 

"The water'll be too cold for you in winter." I shivered as I thought of the freezing temperatures. 

"Well, that'll show them that we aren't stupid scaredy-cats. Or at least, I won't be." 

I shot him an accusing glare and he returned it without hesitation. 

"Well, when it's 5 degrees and I have to shove you off the cliff because you back out, you'll be a wet, stupid scaredy-cat."

Jason sniffed, offended. "You'll be the one jumping off first to test the water temperature," he shot back, and I tipped back my head and laughed. 

Later though, I still couldn't shake the image of Dawn flying through the air, swift as an arrow, and free as a bird taking flight.