Follow Gemma

You can catch up on Sabrina’s texts later, right now you have Gemma’s photoshoot to take care of. You grab her tank and swing it over your shoulder and close her hatchback door.

The weight of the metal pulls you down to the ground. “Ugh! This is heavy!” you realize, nearly falling over. “You carry all this by yourself?”

“I can carry that thing back and forth five times around! Just put your back into it!” Gemma calls back from below the rocks.

Gemma is clearly more fit than you are, but you take her up on her challenge and lug the heavy gear down the rocks. You stop at the precipice and look down. It is a long drop. You also realize that you’re still in your work clothes.

“I’m not dressed for this!” you call out.

“Leave your shoes! You won’t need them!” Gemma calls back. She’s already halfway down.

“Are you sure this is safe?” you ask, looking for a secure place to hold, after leaving your shoes and socks by the edge. You also drop your blazer and unbutton your dress shirt, rolling up the sleeves as well.

“It’s not getting any safer, ya whinger! If you want to stay up there all night, that’s fine by me! You’ll just miss out on the photoshoot!”

Missing out on the photoshoot is not an option. You carefully climb down the steep slope with the heavy tank threatening to make your descent even faster. Step by step, you make sure to find good foot and hand grips and slowly make your way to the base, Gemma is looking at you with a smirk. She has already set up her camera onto a tripod and even put together a little base camp with a little lounge chair and a portable grill.

“Took you long enough!” she goads, relieving you of the heavy oxygen tank. “I was afraid the sun was going to set before you made it!”

You’re too winded to think of any witty retort. Gemma laughs. “Ah, you should see yourself!” She thinks for a moment, “In fact…” She turns the camera around and points it at you. You are bent over, resting your hands on your knees and clearly out of breath. She snaps the shot and looks at the result.

“Did you… get my good side?” you ask, still barely able to breathe.

Gemma walks over and shows you the image. You look pathetically out of shape.

“I don’t know, is your good side the giant sweat stains under your pits?” she chuckles.

“Ugh… don’t post that on your ‘Gram…” you plead.

“Oh! Sabrina asked for a pic…” Gemma reminds you.

“Yeah, maybe she won’t feel so bad about getting left out,” you chuckle back. Self consciously, you pull off your shirt and try to wash it off in the shallow water nearby. You look around. From the bottom of the cliff, you are surrounded by rock with the water seeping into the small inlet that has formed at the base.

“What is this place?” you ask Gemma.

“It’s a little hideaway I found! People use it as a sort of hang out during the weekends and sometimes they lose stuff in the water, hence the treasure hunting!” she smiles and holds up her metal detector. “The rocks block the heavier waves from crashing in here, so you get to enjoy much calmer waters!”

You look around some more. It is an idyllic beach setting with calm waters that you can actually see the bottom of. It looks like the soft sand reaches all the way out to the depths where the water is deepest. Further along the water is the opening to the ocean. It looks large enough to fit a boat, which is likely how people normally get in. Climbing down seems too precarious.

Gemma snaps another pic while you’re deep in thought. You blink and turn to her. She shows you the second image. It looks much more manly with you in a tank top, staring off into the distance. “Maybe you should send Sabrina this one instead!” she suggests.

“The day’s not done, let’s see what we get after we’re done here,” you reply.

“Dets right!” Gemma says, eyes widened. She gives you a nervous look. “How should we do this?”