Free Beyond the Stars by Kelly Beltz

checking the height of the water.
    “Thanks,” I muttered.
    Noah turned to me. “So, Sami, what do you think?” he asked, knowing we were out of earshot from the others.
    “About what?”
    “About Sarah,” he said, tilting his head in her direction.
    “I don’t know. She’s pretty.” I shrugged my shoulders.
    “Yeah, she is, isn’t she?” he said, looking back at her with ogling eyes.
    “Why are you asking me? Do you really like her or something?” I asked. Noah was always a little strange when he talked about the girls he dated.
    “I don’t know yet.” He scratched his head.
    “Well, when did you meet her?”
    “Last night,” he said smugly.
    “ Oh , I don’t even want to know.”
    “Sure you do. She does this thing with her legs. Incredible!”
    “ Ahh , too much information.”
    “But it was fun. You should try it,” he jested.
    “Please, would you stop?”
    “Look, I’m trying to help you out. You need to quit ignoring your sex life. It’s such a waste to not use that tight body of yours.”
    “You’re a slut,” I teased, raising my eyebrows in disapproval.
    “ Virgin. ”
    “Humph!” I huffed quietly. Noah’s appetite for sex never ceased to amaze me. I couldn’t help but make fun of his promiscuity when he teased me about my inexperience. We both chuckled as the others approached. Jack gave me a peculiar grin but didn’t ask what we were talking about. Curiously, I looked at Sarah, trying to figure out what she did with her legs.
    I listened to the group while they shared in their excitement for the day. Then, as if by accident, I spotted Noah slip Jack a folded twenty dollar bill into the palm of his hand.
    Noah spoke quietly to Jack, “I can’t believe you got her here. Maybe you do know her better than I do.”
    “You highly underestimate her,” Jack retorted.
    I pretended I hadn’t noticed and turned my face away from them to look at the water. I felt a wave of anger surge through me. Although I was happy to hear Jack’s defense, those jerks had made a wager on whether I would show up or not! First, Noah poked fun at my lack of a sex life, and now this. I couldn’t help wondering if he wanted me to see his bet, since he wasn’t exactly inconspicuous in handing Jack the bill. Did he say those things to challenge me because he was so competitive? Either way, he knew just how to provoke me. That’s it! I’d show those boys how to manage a raft. Now, with my adrenaline pumped, I could easily take on a few splashes of water. Let the games begin!
    We all got dressed in our life jackets and helmets and boarded the raft. Jack realized that he and Noah were busted after I blatantly denied his offer to help me get ready. He slapped Noah across his life vest with the back of his hand and frowned.
    “You’re a jerk, Peterson, trying to get me in trouble,” he muttered under his breath. I hid my smile.
    Noah smirked. “Yeah, but it’s all in good fun, right?” Jack gave him an irritated glare. Minutes later, I had all but forgotten about their bet when our raft surged through the rapids, bumping off rocks from both sides of the creek. It was exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time.
    “There, push off there,” Jack instructed Josh.
    “I’m on it,” he said with enthusiasm, using his paddle to push off the river’s bottom.
    Noah shouted at me, “ Sami, hang on ,” when our boat went crashing into a foreboding jagged rock beside me. The jolt from its impact lifted my body up from the raft and threw me airborne. A forceful wave of water furiously gushed up on my side of the boat immediately after. I would have fallen out if it weren’t for Jack’s super-human reflexes.
    “Oh, no you don’t . Come here.” He quickly reached out and grabbed hold of my arm, securing me tightly to his side.
    “Thanks,” I said after the wall of water finished drenching us.
    As we rafted, I watched the men with admiration. They seemed to be devising a strategy on the fly.