There Are No Words

Chapter 5B

Cian

It's about three dares and two truths later before it's Ruari's turn to ask someone to go next. Jenny smiles at Walker and then looks at Ruari to accept a turn.

"I'll go," she says, turning to look at Siofra and then back at Walker. "I'll do a dare."

I watch Walker get ready to object but then he relents. It's just a game and he can't get all overprotective only a few minutes after Jenny and he have hooked up. Besides, them playing the game has been going well for them so far. What could happen? Then again, there's a look in Ruari's eyes I don't quite trust. He is a little too eager.

Rubbing his palms together, Ruari dares Jenny to kiss someone new; stipulating that it can't be Walker this time. I choke on my soda and look up at his sneering face. Why is everyone suddenly so gung-ho on hooking Jenny up with a bunch of guys tonight? Siofra looks right at me with panic in her eyes. Jenny must be freaking. She would never turn down a dare, but completing this one will be too much.

Before I can voice my opinion, though, Walker is on his feet and across the bonfire up in Ruari's face. "What kind of shit you trying to pull, Ruari? Jenny's not kissing anyone else here tonight."

Fionn and I get to our feet and pull Walker back, as Archer and Brody block Ruari from him.

"Calm down, Walker. Calm down. It's just a game. Jenny doesn't have to do this. It's ok. No one is going to make her," Courtney says.

I look over to where Jenny is sitting with Pearl. Siofra is looking between Ruari and Walker, when I see her silently agree with Walker.

"Yeah, Ruari. Not cool." Siofra injects. "Come up with another dare."

Absorbing the hostile energy around him, Ruari forcibly removes Archer's grip from his shirt.

"Whatever. I dare you to..." he says as he looks around for an idea. Finding his options slim, he settles his sites on the rope hanging over the pond.

"I dare you to swing into the pond." He says in a disappointed huff, sitting back down with the now-frazzled rest of us.

Looking over at the pond I'm secretly glad I haven't gotten that dare. It isn't a hard one, but with the sun down and it being twilight, the pond'll be freezing. With no sun to warm her, Jenny will be a popsicle in a matter of seconds. Then I realize that she'll have Walker to warm her up afterwards. Suddenly, the idea of jumping into the pond doesn't seem so bad. Maybe if I jumped in myself Siofra would offer to warm me up. The thought makes me smile.

"What's so funny?" Brody asks, looking at me.

"Huh? What?" I reply, realizing the gang is looking at me.

Walker shoots me a confused glance.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about something else."

As if he could read my mind, Fionn chimes in. "Yeah, I bet you are," he grumbles, looking between me and Siofra. I feel like she can read my mind now, too, and I blush like a schoolboy. "Screw you, Fionn." I reply.

"So, are we going to wait around forever, or what? You gonna jump in, Jenny? Or, are you turning down a dare?" Ruari asks, sourly; still pissed from the earlier scuffle.

Courtney stands up and walks Jenny over to the pond. Jenny takes off her shoes before grabbing ahold of the rope. Smiling, Jenny looks up at us and finally lands a last glance in Walker's direction. Then she blows him a kiss and sets sail.

I don't notice what was happening at first. I had been looking away to see Walker's reaction to Jenny's kiss, but when I heard the crack I quickly looked back in time to see her fall, screaming into the water. The overhead branch was thundering into the pond after her. Instead of coming up for air, Jenny stayed under. It only took seconds, but in that moment, it felt like time was standing still. While I groped for a reaction, Walker took off his shirt and jumped into the pond after Jenny.