What I Never Told You

Chapter 12

  The RV screeched to a halt and I jerked forward. I caught myself against the driver's seat just before my head hit it.
  "How on earth did you pass your driver's test?" I asked Ryan.
  He turned to face me. "Who said I did?"
  "You mean you've been driving without a license?"
  "Yeah," he said like it was no big deal. "No harm, no foul."
  "Are you being serious? You could've killed someone!"
  "But I didn't."
  "You killed my will to live. That ride was the worst thing I've ever experienced." I let out a frustrated groan and snatched the keys from him. "I'll be driving on the way back." 
  I climbed out of the RV and joined the rest of the group.
  "Wow, it's beautiful." I had seen tons of pictures of the Swiss Alps but they did not do it justice. The crystal blue lake shimmered as if it was filled with topazes.
  What was their secret? None of the lakes in the U.S. were as clear and beautiful as this. The mountains served as a backdrop and were powdered with snow.

  I spun around taking in my surroundings and letting it sink in. I was at the Swiss Alps. "How is it so warm here?"

  "Ahh, one of the many mysteries in life. I have no idea, but I love it. We should go for a swim," Aurora proposed.

  I wanted to argue, but I didn't want to explain why. After all, the whole reason I was here was to get away from the drama and my mistakes.

  We all changed into our swimsuits and set up our towels on the grass.
  The boys immediately dove into the water while the other girls and I lied on the towels, soaking in the sun's rays.
Hopefully, we'll just tan the whole time and I won't have to come up with an excuse for not going into the water.

  After a while, Noah got out of the water and tripped over a canoe.
  "What the..." He fell, face first into the dirt.
  Aurora propped herself up on her elbows and let out a loud laugh. "How did you not see that?"
  "I'm fine by the way. Thanks for asking. And I was distracted."

  Yeah, distracted by checking her out.
  "And why are there canoes here in the first place?" he asked.
  "There must be a river nearby." She stood up and walked over towards the edge of the water. "Let's check it out."
  "Yes! Hey, Ryan! Get out of the water! We're going to go find a river and go canoeing!" Amber yelled.
  She didn't bother waiting for him and began walking towards the opposite side of the thick patch of trees.

  The roar of the water grew louder as we continued walking through the forest. Amber, Ryan, and I were carrying one canoe over our heads and Aurora and Noah were carrying the other.
  My arms were on fire, trembling and ready to give out any second.

  "We're hereee," Amber sang.

  I didn't need to hear more than that. I threw the canoe to the ground and collapsed against it. "Thank goodness, I was about to pass out."

  "Get up, Bella. We're going for a ride." Aurora grabbed my arms and tried to pull me up.

  I didn't budge. "You can't be serious." I nodded at the water. "Look at how strong the current is."

The water was moving rapidly like it had somewhere to go.

  "It's not that bad. I've surfed in worse," Ryan said. He stood in front of me and scooped me up.
  "Put me down!" I kicked my legs and protested.
  "I don't know... I kind of like holding you." He rocked me back and forth.

  I looked at Amber. "Can you deal with this?"
  She smiled. "Nope."
  To Ryan, she said, "Don't put her down until we get the canoes into the water."

  Noah pushed the canoes into the water and tied them against a tree trunk. "Ok, we're all set to go."

  Ryan stepped into one of them, still carrying me, but the choppy water shook the boat and he lost his balance. He fell onto the seat, with me on top of him.