I leanedagainst the inside of the fence and took a swig from the Jameson bottle. Jamison was crouched down next to me, scratching a note into the dirt. It read: Couldn’t wait for opening hours. Sorry. Hope this covers it. She then circled the chain like a snake, dropped a hundred-dollar bill in the center, and covered it with the broken padlock.
“That more than covers it,” I said.
“Obviously,” she retorted. “Still, best to be humble when breaking the law. Don’tcha think?” She took the bottle from me and tipped it back, taking a swallow. “Come on,” she signaled. She had made me promise not to go ahead without her.
In front of us was a wall of trees with a little path down the center. We walked quietly side by side in the dark with nothing but moonlight to guide us. I couldn’t believe how much I wanted to ask where we were going. It was like my brain was malfunctioning, like the only thing I could think about was what was in store for me. Apparently, she was right. I was terrible at surprises. Who knew?
The path beneath our feet was well worn and I could see the break in the trees up ahead. I picked up speed, outpacing her because I just couldn’t wait. I had to know what she was keeping from me. As I crossed through the end of the trees, the dusty ground in front of me continued for about twenty meters and then fell off, a sheer drop into the smoky black glass of water at night. It was a quarry that had been converted into some kind of a swimming park. Off to my left, there were stairs down, and from where I was standing, I could make out the shadows of a man-made beach area. I didn’t know Texas could be this beautiful. During the day, I’d guess it was pretty honky-tonk, but nestled below the starry expanse of the purple late-night sky, it was spectacular, a living breathing Instagram photo. #nofilter
“Wow,” I said, mostly to myself, just in awe of the view. I stared at it for a few minutes, expecting Jamison to saunter up next to me. When she didn’t appear, I turned to her just in time to see her drop her panties into the pile of clothes at her feet. Then, wearing nothing but her smile, she took off running straight for the edge. She didn’t hesitate for a second. She just dove, and before her body bent to the will of gravity, she glowed, a shooting star come to life.