“Fun? I can do that.”
***
Jeremiah stopped the boat and dropped anchor.
“We’re swimming with sharks here?” Dean’s voice spiked in fear.
Liam busted out laughing and I couldn’t help but smile. I thought that might be the first time I’d heard him laugh since we arrived.
“That’s the idea,” he told Dean.
“In the ocean?” Dean gulped, looking down into the dark water.
“That is where they live.”
Dean paled and looked like he was about to be sick.
“You’ll be okay, dude. They wouldn’t want to eat you,” Jeremiah said. “They’ll go for Ollie and his luscious blond locks first.”
“Hey!” Ollie cried, reaching up to rub his hand over his blond hair. “No they won’t! They’d rather have you, Dreaded-Wonder! You whip your hair back and forth and it’ll look like a fucking fish flailing about.”
The guys continued to bicker back and forth about who the sharks would be most likely to make a snack out of.
All the while Dean got paler and paler, until I was sure I could see the faint lines of his veins through his skin.
“I can’t do this,” his voice was shaky.
I reached for one of his hands, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Yes, you can. This is an experience you don’t want to miss out on.”
Overhearing our conversation, Jeremiah said, “We might not even encounter any sharks. You can never predict it. You’re more likely to see some fish. That’s about it.”
“But we’re in deep water,” Dean mumbled like we didn’t know. “I feel like you’re lying to me,” he continued, pointing an accusing finger at Jeremiah.
Jeremiah merely chuckled.
“Please, Dean,” I begged. “For me?”
I hated that he was truly terrified, but I also knew he’d regret it if he didn’t do it.
He glanced back at the water and squared his shoulders. “We better do this before I lose my nerve.”
Jeremiah bustled around the boat, grabbing gear—goggles, snorkels, and flippers.
We shucked off our life jackets and put on the other items.
Dean still hadn’t regained his color, but I knew he’d be okay.
Most of the time the fear of what was to come was far scarier than the aftermath.
“I’ll go first,” Liam said, jumping into the water.
Dean inhaled a breath, looking on like he was afraid Liam wasn’t going to resurface, but he did only seconds later.
Next Ollie and Talia jumped in together.
“You better go before you lose your nerve,” Jeremiah told him, dipping his head towards the ocean.
Dean began to chant softly under his breath.