“Naw,” I said. At first the water in the river seemed warm, but then it turned freezing. I’m not sure why. “I’ve got to text my mom and get back.” I could feel myself starting to shake.

We climbed out of the water and started making our way up the steep bank. When we got to the top, I noticed a wooden cross with some plastic flowers on it.

“What’s that?”

“It’s for a girl who died.”

“From jumping?” I asked.

“Yeah. I think she hit her head on a ledge.”

I nearly threw up.

All of a sudden, I wasn’t numb anymore, or cold. My legs were all wobbly and my ears were ringing.

I nearly died! Just like the girl.

“Yeah, and another kid got paralyzed a few years ago. Hit his back on the way down.”

I could hardly see. I thought I was going to pass out. Why had I been so crazy? Why did Ben risk our lives like that?

“You’ve got to be careful when you jump here. Can’t panic. And you can’t let anyone catch you jumping. They keep talking about building a fence, but they never do.” Ben looked at me. “You okay, man?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said.

He slapped me on the back. He didn’t hit the part that was bleeding, but it still hurt because my whole body felt bruised.

“Do your brothers jump here? And your dad? Is that how you learned?”

“Not really. Both of my parents and my brothers do stunts for videos and movies, mostly bike stuff. We come here sometimes to cool off. This is just jumping in a river. It’s not that hard. Don’t worry. The first time is always the scariest.”

I was pretty sure there wasn’t going to be a second time, but I didn’t say that.

When we rode back to his house, I felt like I’d gone on one of those carnival rides that spins you around and around so you feel like you’re spinning even when it’s over. I think I was in shock.

When I got off the mountain bike, he made me show my back to his brothers, and they made faces.

“Little dude,” said Jiro. “Close call.”

“Not really,” I said. Even though it was THE CLOSEST CALL EVER! But with these guys, I had to keep playing like it was no big deal.

“Ben, you got to be careful with your friends,” said Greg. “He coulda got hurt.”

Still, I think they were impressed.

“You should have seen our mom jump in that bad boy,” said Jiro. “She did a backflip. We got video.”

“Is your mom home?” I asked Ben. I really wanted to meet a mom who would backflip into that gorge.

Ben’s face went dark. “Nah,” he said. “She’s not here.”