7This story was commissioned by AsFoxger as his prize for winning the 2016 Halloween Contest at the Huniepop-Fan community on DeviantArt. I promised him a 500 word drabble but had so much fun with his prompt that I quintupled my output.
AsFoxger also assisted with Kyanna's Spanish expressions, so thanks for that!
Braving the Plunge
by Cypher DS
o
Relaxing on the cliffs above a calm, blue ocean? Lame! Now a nice running leap into a cannonball dive? That was just the shake-up Kyanna needed to start the new year. White foam exploded from the sparkling blue, and her tanned face surfaced with a laugh and a smile.
"C'mon, Bels! Water's great!"
Fifteen meters above, a brown body quaking like an autumn leaf begged to disagree. "Kyanna … this is really high…" Ten terrified toes curled around the cliff's edge with a grip to rival eagle talons.
The Hispanic girl snorted. Did she have to swim out, climb up and jump a third time before her Indian friend found her sea legs? You're a yoga instructor – what happened to embracing flexibility?
"Just jump, you big pussy!"
The locals called the cliff Breakneck Peak but that was just a bold, showy name for the thrill-seeking tourists. Clear of rocks and crystal blue, only warm, grainy sand welcomed the toes that managed to plunge to the very bottom. The water was far too deep to injure anyone. Unless, of course, your name was Beli Lapran and your diving technique involved squeezing your eyes shut, flailing wildly with a horror movie scream and smacking the water in a gut-busting, face-planting belly flop. Even Kyanna had to wince at that one, and she'd been in labour for twenty one hours.
Still, the single mother couldn't help but tease, especially when her friend paddled over with that adorable sour-puss pout on her face like she was a kitten thrown into bathwater. "C'mon now, wasn't that fun?"
Beli might've agreed if she could keep her teeth from clacking. "I-it's c-c-cold."
Doesn't help that you spent half an hour standing on a bare rock in the middle of a windy day. "Aw, ya big baby. C'mon, I'll race ya back. One hour 'til sundown; plenty of time to warm up on the sand!"
Kyanna launched into an expert front crawl, pausing only when she realized the gap between them had less to do with speed than lack of forward movement. "C'mon, slowpoke!"
Beli was treading water on the spot, and from the wide-eyed look of panic on her face, Kyanna suddenly feared the worst. Leg cramp? She turned and paddled back. Beli waved her hands wildly.
"D-don't come any closer!"
Huh… For someone claiming to be cold, her face sure was bright red. When Kyanna came within arm's reach, Beli spun on the spot with hands crossed over her chest and bare shoulders.
Wait, bare? Kyanna kept her distance but squinted carefully, fairly certain there should have been some criss-crossing yellow straps around those bronzed shoulders. A mental lightbulb clicked and Kyanna snorted bubbles into the water.
"Ha! Don't tell me you lost your top!"
Beli squeezed her chest and forced her shoulders underwater. Her ears were steaming like a tea kettle. "I – I didn't lose it," she insisted. "It fell off and I can't find it. Kyanna, you have to help me find it!"
She'd be glad to offer her assistance just as soon as she could control her guffawing. "Bels, I think we're out of luck. Either it sank or it got pulled off by the tide but I can't see anything." Small as it may have been, a top that shade of bright yellow would've been hard to miss. Her observations clearly weren't soothing Beli's anxieties.
"I can't go out like this! People will see me!"
Oh they've seen plenty already, Kyanna thought to herself. Seriously, what did she expect would happen, wearing a skimpy little bikini like that?
"Well if you're gonna stay in, at least swim a little closer to shore." She didn't put it past Beli to die of embarrassment, but the way she was hyperventilating she was more likely to drown from exhaustion. Persuading her to paddle in, five feet deep, seemed like a good half step.
They sat in the shallows, facing opposite directions, of course. Beli kept her back to the beach and Kyanna kept guard. Is she seriously planning to sit here 'til the beach clears? Kyanna sighed and tried to make the most of her predicament – treading water to work in some cardio while she ogled the volleyball players with their six packs and bikini bods. She wasn't picky. It was pleasant enough, but argh, all this sitting around was killing her buzz! This was supposed to be her day off, but even with her mother babysitting Philip somehow she was still stuck watching over a fussy baby!
Behind her, Beli's teeth were chattering like a woodpecker's beak. Poor thing, she was freezing her boobs off and she still wouldn't make a quick run to the car.
"You know, I could make you a top," Kyanna offered. "Plenty of seaweed to go around; I could weave you a nice cover."
Beli squirmed at the thought. "Kyanna, it's all slimy and icky!"
Icky. Such a princess word! An adorable little Indian princess!
"Okay, how about I go diving for seashells? We'll string you up mermaid style."
"No! There's little crabs and leeches living in those."
The thought of Beli wailing and quivering before a harmless sea bug actually made her want to go diving anyway.
"Hmm… there's a burger shack on the beach. How about I bring you some buns?"
"Kyanna, you're not helping!" Beli punctuated her wail by smacking her palm against the water. Seriously? She actually smacked the water like a little kid, and now she was breaking down into a crying session. Oh lord…
"Bels…" Kyanna's arm reached out to pat those heaving shoulders, but her friend wriggled away from the offered comfort. She was paralyzed and miserable – too cold to stay in, too mortified to walk out. At this rate, the poor thing would freeze to death. Kyanna gave a final sigh. Looks like I've got no other choice.
"Here, take this." Beli startled as something green flew over her shoulder and splashed in front of her. She puzzled over the wet, stretchy fabric, a padded tube with shoulder strap-
"Kyanna, th-this is your –" Beli turned around and squeaked like a mouse, seeing Kyanna and her bare shoulders treading water.
"Hey, I'm a hairdresser. It's my job to take a little off the top." Quipping aside, she swapped to her firm, motherly tone. "Probably a bit roomy for ya, but it should do the trick. Now put that on before you catch your death of cold."
Beli was too frozen to argue otherwise, and soon she was modest enough to stand up – yellow bikini briefs down below, a lime green sports bra up top.
"But Kyanna, what'll you –" then she squeaked again as Kyanna stood with nothing but bronzed arms cupping her ample chest.
"C'mon, let's go," she grunted.
The walk back inland went pretty much as she expected – horny guys cat-calling and wolf-whistling, the more subtle sun-tanners angling their sunglasses in her direction, and a host of middle-aged moms shooting dirty glares as they hid their wide-eyed little boys from the topless harlot. Kyanna rolled her eyes and marched on through the worst of it.
"Yeah, yeah, guys. Like you haven't seen a pair before. Hey, cabron – take a picture already; it's the best you're gonna get!"
Beli followed in her shadow, fully aware that the abuse and leers slung Kyanna's way would have been leveled at her.
"I- I'm really sorry, Kyanna…"
"Pfft, it's no big deal. Let 'em whistle and stare all they want. They're just boobs." Enduring nine months of swollen udders and a sore back - to say nothing of Philip's aggressive teething - had kinda taken the 'fun' out of her funbags. Still, Beli felt compelled to explain herself.
"I just … I don't want people looking at me … that way."
Kyanna could only scoff. "Then why the hell were you wearing that ridiculous bikini in the first place? Not exactly discreet when you're covering up with three triangles and a piece of dental floss." She meant to joke around, but Beli folded in on herself like a frozen orchid.
"I, I mean … a friend gave it to me. As a joke," she added. "I don't have any other bathing suits…"
"You could've told me that, y'know. I would've taken you shopping! Pick up something more your style." Like a burqa, she thought to herself.
"I know but … well, when you called and said you wanted to show me this special spot on the beach, I mean … you just sounded so excited and I didn't want to disappoint you."
Kyanna shook her head. "It's okay to say 'no', Bels. I wasn't gonna be mad with you."
"I know," Beli whispered, but the pause before that meager line suggested otherwise. "But, I mean, I really wanted to go to the beach with you. I like spending time with you." She exhaled. "And ... I wanted to challenge myself. I sort of made a resolution for the new year: every day I would get out and do one brave thing."
"Stepping out of the comfort zone." Kyanna nodded. "Well, I'd say jumping off Breakneck Peak makes for a good start."
"Not really," Beli muttered into her chest. "I was so scared up there I was sure I'd cry. I only really jumped because you kept shouting at me and I didn't want to make you mad. I thought … if I didn't jump … well, you'd get tired of hanging out with me..."
"Bels, we're pals, okay? I'm not gonna ditch you because you chicken out on a dare." Though it does drive me loco how you can't say what's on your mind. "You're too important, okay?"
That creeping blush again. "Y-you're important to me too, Kyanna."
The parking lot. They'd completed their walk of shame just as the sun had completed its lap around the horizon. A sheen of copper gold spilled over the waters, a beautiful consolation prize for their upset plans.
With an assist from Beli, Kyanna unpinned the keys from her swimming shorts, popped her trunk and fished out a blue t-shirt from her day bag. "Whoo, a little chilly out here," she said, appraising her eager girls poking through the fabric. "Looks like that's it for the day."
Other, younger beach-goers were transitioning for evening bonfire blazes, but not her. Not with a kid waiting for mamma and her mother waiting to share coffee and gossip. "I gotta go, Bels. Oh, you can give me the top back next time, 'kay?"
"Wait!"
Kyanna turned, startled by the serious frown – Beli's sudden game face. She breathed deeply and curled her fists, arms outstretched at her sides. She was fighting so hard to control her nerves; the least Kyanna could do was shut the car door and hear her out.
"Yeah, Bels?"
A deep exhale. "For today. I still need one brave thing."
Then her arms crossed over her chest, seized the hem of the green sports bra and pulled the top over her head. Her breasts followed the fabric as high as they could, then spilled out with a healthy jiggle.
Clunk. Kyanna's keys dropped to the ground.
Freeing her head from the stretchy top, Beli shook her shortened locks like a shampoo model. "Phew, that's better," she declared. "Just a little tight for my liking and - Oh wow, you're right. It is cold!" Gooseflesh tickled her chest and her tips stood at full attention.
Kyanna just blinked. Her brain was in blackout mode, shutting down all higher functions besides 'stare' and 'gape'. Somewhere during this time, Beli handed over the borrowed top but it simply slipped through Kyanna's fingers.
"I – uh, um ah – I mean," A huevo! Are you heading to the well to draw water? 'Cause dude, those jugs look plenty full already!
Oddly enough, Beli seemed to grow bold at her stunned shell-shock, giggling and planting her fists on her hips while she scolded. "C'mon, Kyanna. They're just boobs."
Just? Kyanna resisted the urge to shake her friend silly. Chica, adding 'just' before tits as big and breath-taking as those is like adding water to your tequila. It's a crime against nature!
"You know, if you keep staring like that I'm going to have to charge," Beli giggled.
Cash or credit? Kyanna wasn't religious but she was ready to dump her purse as a temple offering to those massive shrines. So big, so full, so perfectly perky! Are your folks back in India crop farmers? 'Cause hot damn, your mamma gave you a huge pair of melons!
Out loud, she coughed. "Um, yeah. Um … wow."
Beli's nervous fidget began to resurface. "Okay, I think I'm good for today." She quickly tossed on a thin button-up blouse that immediately clung to her wet skin; an epic fail of its job of 'concealment'. Kyanna gulped. Maybe that's why they call them sweater puppies. All she could think of was the pet store across from her hair salon and the pudgy little puppies pressing their dark, perky noses against the window, whimpering for the nice Hispanic lady to play with them.
"Huh, I guess I'm missing some buttons…"
Hmm? Had Beli said something? Kyanna had been too busy craning her neck to glimpse that heavenly underboob. She kept staring in a daze as Beli walked to her car, started the engine and backed out of the lot. When her friend rolled down the window and poked out her head – and cleavage – Kyanna followed like a sunflower.
"Today was fun. Let's do this again, okay, Kyanna?"
Huh? "Oh y-yeah."
With a smile and a wave, Beli's car puttered off. Kyanna managed to return a wave, and then she was back to her pleasant trance. When she finally woke and stumbled into her car the heavens were dotted with the sparkle of stars.
Kyanna leaned over the steering wheel and gazed into a sky as dark and inviting as Indian hair. January 8th … that left 357 days in the year. Three hundred and fifty seven days for Beli to test her limits with three hundred and fifty seven acts of bravery.
Kyanna revved her engine and grinned. Helping her friend through each and every trial, watching as she squirmed and whimpered - and ultimately succeeded - was going to be totally sweet!
Can't wait to see what surprises you drop tomorrow, Bels. And if you're stuck for ideas... I can flash you a handful of suggestions.