C-53

C-53.2

"Yo Alex hold still"
I yell down the ladder. I swear she's doing it on purpose. I look down at her and there are tears on her cheeks. Cameron notices too and an animal like noise escapes his mouth. He manages to make a cut at Alex through the laughter.
"Alex why're you crying, are your arms giving out"
"Shut up Cameron"
She takes a hand off the ladder to wipe her face causing one of the legs to lift off the ground. I grab on to the step so tightly it stings my dry hands. Liam, propped up on the tree, runs over and grabs the ladder, pulling the lifted leg back to the ground.
"Oh God I'm sorry" she sniffles "you know how my allergies get"
I give a half hearted laugh and proceed to climb up the ladder. A plank of wood in my left hand, nails in between my teeth, and the hammer in my pocket. The missing plank didn't leave a whole too big, it shouldn't take long to fix. I climb up another step and my mom opens up the back door.
"Kori" she calls.
I look at her and give her a slight head nod.
"Please be careful, a fall from that height..." she takes a breath "just be careful"
"Its ok Mrs.Anderson, we got her" Liam reassures her.
Cameron gives her a thumbs up and that seems to he enough for her as she walks back inside. She swings open the door and Lacy pushes past her and runs out.
"Hi Lacy" Cameron yells
Lacy runs towards him at full speed. She jumps on him knocking him down and licking his face.
"Ew Lacy, gross" He pushes her off and she runs towards Liam and Alex. She runs to Liam first, knocking him backwards causing him to fall on Alex. They both hit the ground and the ladder begins to follow. It falls backwards and I grab onto the branch in front of me as the ladder leaves my feet. I pull myself up the branch and stand on it, hugging its neighbor
for dear life.
•••••
The branch is no thicker then me, and though I am short and stumpy, this branch isn't promising. I look down at my friends. The look on their faces puts a buzz in the back of my head. I start to shake violently, boiling water pours out of my eyes and down my face, leaving 3rd degree burns on my cheeks.
"Alex just breathe your okay" Liam yells up.
My vision goes blurry so I sit down and try to calm myself. I close my eyes and focus on what I hear. Lacy barking. Alex yelling for my mom. The wind brushing past the leaves that surround me. I take a deep breathe and focus on smells next. Fresh cut grass, probably from the neighbors. The dirt from mom's garden. The lavender Shampoo from my locs. Burgers maybe, I don't know something on the grill. I take another breath and open my eyes. I pull my vibrating hands off the branch and move them around, focusing on things i can feel. I move my hands up to my head and focus on the wool like texture of my hair. Down to my shirt, i stick my finger through the hole in it's front pocket. Another breath and I move my hands back down to the branch, running my hands up down the oak's thin arm. Almost there. Two things i can see. There's an ant carrying a tiny leaf down the tree. I follow it and look down at my friends. My heart begins to beat faster. I look down at my chest and my heart looks as if its going to jump out my chest and land on the ground. veins and arteries crawling out of it and going on their way to a less anxious heart. I shut my eyes so tight it hurts. One more deep breath. I count, In-2-3-4, Out 2-3-4. I'm think Im okay. Im okay.
I hear a clank and look back down the tree. They've lifted the ladder back up against the tree.
"See" i say out loud "your okay kori"
I start to stand up, slowly, careful not to shake the tree. As soon as both my legs are extended the tree lets out a rubber band like snap. And then...
black.