We rushed through the bushes,
crunching, crashing, but we had to be careful, if we were caught we
would be sent home and banned from returning to camp. In the darkness
the air was buzzing with cicadas and smelled of the humidity rising
from the ground. The moisture had been left there by the early
seasonal storm and its scent was impregnated by the familiar scent of
eucalyptus. It was the perfect summers night, and it was about to get
better.
We burst through the treeline to the
sandy river bank and turned westward toward the jetty. Joseph began
pulling of his shirt as we approached and tossed it aside as he
stepped onto the wood. He kicked his flip flops off then pulled off
his jeans which brought whoops and hollers from all our friends. He
turned and jeered at us before doing a back flip off the end of the
jetty into the water. We couldn't help laughing at his cockiness. As
he resurfaced he gestured for the boys to give him the cello. They
tossed it in beside him before one leaned over to pass him the bow.
He glanced around for me and I was pushed forward to the end of the
jetty so he could see me. “This is for you Ash.” He grinned as he
gently pressed the bow against the cello's strings. He began playing
Bach's suite six for cello. We could see it was difficult for him, he
had to hold the weight of the cello with one hand so it wouldn't
sink, while also trying to press on the right strings. But he was the
best cellist at camp, maybe even in the whole Sydney region, so if
anyone could do it, it would be him.
He finished with a long flourish before
raising the bow and bowing. We all clapped and cheered and he
laughed. The boys knelt down and reached for the cello to see how
badly damaged it was. I turned to look at it as well, hoping the
water hadn't warped the wood too badly, when suddenly I was grabbed
under the arms and tossed into the water. As I resurfaced everyone
was laughing again. I turned to Joseph who was swimming toward me,
“Was I good?” He grinned.
“Of course, you're the best.”
“Don't I know it.” He grabbed my
shoulders and shoved me back under the water. I came back up gasping
for air as I heard him laughing. “Oh Ash, you're too easy.”
“You're such a bully.” I grumbled.
He grabbed me and hugged me, “BBF's
right?”
“We better be, because as your twin
you're stuck with me.”
He grabbed my ponytail and squeezed the
water out of it, “Good, now give me my twenty.”
