The two friends looked at each other, unsure if they should continue.
“C’mon,” said the red-head, “I see a path across those rocks.”
“Can’t we go back? They must be worried by now. What if they’re looking for us?”
“Haven’t you ever wanted to do some exploring? Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Why don’t you go first?”
Lily looked tentatively at the flat-ish stones in the water. Well, I am having fun, she thought to herself. She took a step onto the first rock, being careful not to lose balance. She could feel the river splashing onto her boot, threatening to push her in. After steadying herself, she did a small hop onto the next rock.
“Be careful,” Lily said to the girl behind her, “it’s a little slippery.”
Lily slowly made her way to the other side of the river bank, then shouted over the rushing water that it was Kat’s turn. The freckled girl gave a double thumbs-up and started hopping on the rocks.
“Go slower! Be careful Kat!!” Lily said.
“What!?” Kat yelled, but didn’t wait for a response. She kept jumping from stone to stone, until she was only a few hops from Lily.
“You dummy! You’re going too fast, I got worried!” Lily said, pouting.
“Come on, look, I’m fine. See?”
Kat made another hop, landing directly onto the wet surface of the next rock, nearly falling. Lily gasped, but didn’t say anything. With a “Hup!” Kat jumped again, but the rock she jumped off of gave out under the sudden shift of weight. It dislodged only a little, but it was enough to mess up her jump, and she began to trip.
Lily quickly stepped onto the last rock and reached out, catching Kat before she fell face-first into the rushing water.
"Hehe," Kat giggled, assuming all was okay. That is, until she noticed a feeling missing from her hand.
“Shit…”
Lily looked down and realized the same terrible thing: in Kat’s panic, she accidentally dropped her hat into the water below. They turned their heads and saw an orange shape floating off downstream.
Lily’s heart dropped. She saw how much that hat means to her friend. Maybe she’s just sentimental, but she couldn’t bear the thought of Kat losing it. She stuck her arm out, almost jumping into the water. Screw it, she’s got to get it back, she doesn’t care if she gets wet doing it. Preparing to get splashed, Lily closed her eyes and fell directly into the rushing river. She knew if she could do something, anything, to help Kat, it was this.