Paradise Lost (Private 9)

Okay. Don't panic. You're in control here, remember? This was not some animal. I just had to turn away from the shore. It had to run out of gas eventually.

I pulled right and there was an awful grinding, clicking sound. The handlebars wouldn't turn. The steering mechanism was locked. I looked up at the beach. My friends were gathered on the sand, looking out at me, alarmed. Noelle waved her hands above her head to warn me, as if I didn't see that I was closing in on them fast.

I could hear shouts, but I couldn't make out what anyone was saying over the roar of the Jet Ski's engine. Sweat broke out under my arms, along my lip, down my back. I was going to hit the shore at top speed. There was nothing I could do to stop. And then, one word managed to make itself heard over all the chaos in my mind.

"Jump!"

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I took a deep breath, stood up on shaky legs, and flung myself off the side of the Jet Ski. My ankle banged against the side of the ski, and a shot of extreme pain blasted all the way up my leg. I bit down on my tongue as I went under and tasted blood as my side slammed into the floor of the ocean.

Damn, the water was shallow. I hadn't realized just how close I was. I shoved myself up and stood, turning around wildly to see the shore. The Jet Ski made an awful whirring sound as it bounced up over the sand, soared across the slim beach area, and slammed into a palm tree. The explosion seemed huge for such a small vehicle--a burst of flame flared hot and instantly died. A monstrous plume of charcoal-colored smoke wafted into the sky, and the tree's trunk was singed black. I looked over at my friends, who were all huddled together at a safe distance from the impact. The second my eyes met Noelle's, she came sprinting toward the water and waded over to me.

"Are you all right?" she asked, grabbing my arms.

My ankle and tongue both throbbed. "Um ... I think so. I think so, yeah."

"What the hell happened? " Kiran asked, catching up. We all waded back to the beach together, where I fell right on my butt in the wet sand, too weak to stand.

"I don't know. It wouldn't slow down. ... It wouldn't turn," I said, staring at the grip marks on my hands from where I'd dug my palms into the handlebars. I looked over my shoulder at the flaming tree, which luckily hadn't taken down any other vegetation with it.

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"Okay . . . that is just one too many near-death experiences for one vacation."

Everyone else was coming into shore by that point, gathering around us to make sure I was okay. Graham and Sawyer were the first to arrive, followed by Upton, who dropped right down next to me and helped me out of my life vest. Finally, Amberly, Paige, Sienna, and Daniel beached their Jet Skis. Daniel ran over and broke through the crowd.

"Reed, thank God. I'm so sorry," he said, out of breath. "I can't imagine what went wrong. I had all the Skis checked by a mechanic. They all got a clean bill of health."

Paige and Sienna hung back, as if they weren't at all interested in my welfare. I could see them through everyone else's legs, whispering behind their hands. I shoved myself off the ground and looked at Daniel.

"Don't worry. I know it's not your fault," I said.

I shoved by him, ignoring his look of confusion, and walked over to the girls. Upton got up and followed after me, as if he was afraid I might suddenly faint and he had to be there to catch me.

"What are you two trying to do, kill me?" I demanded.

Paige and Sienna's jaws dropped in unison. "What?" Sienna asked, her face creased in consternation.

"Reed," Noelle said in a warning tone from behind me. As if anyone could stop me now.

"You're totally insane," Paige spat, looking me up and down.

"Am I? Two days ago, you and Poppy tell me to watch my back, and

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today your brother's Jet Ski goes haywire and I almost die," I blurted, getting right in her face. "Sounds like sane logic to me."

"It sounds to me like your past experiences have made you somewhat of a narcissist," Paige said, not backing down an inch. "Breaking news-. The world does not revolve around Reed Brennan. Not everyone on the planet is out to get you."

I felt a humiliated, angry blush fire up my cheeks and burn my eyes. For a split second I was at a loss for a comeback, which annoyed me even more. But then Noelle stepped up next to me and faced off with Paige.

"You threatened her?" she demanded.

Paige and Sienna both laughed as if they were surprised at being confronted. As if threatening me was so obviously the right thing to do, they couldn't believe Noelle was even questioning it.

"We were pissed about what she and Upton were doing to Poppy, so we showed her her place," Paige explained with a dismissive shrug.