With the shrill piping of some hellish whistle they were off. The spectral echo of the hellish note had hardly blew out from her ear when the combatants alongside her had raced up the wooden tower. In an instant the calm Oklahoman afternoon was filled with a rambunctious and ecstatic cheering of a hundred kids and the banging of feet against wood. The tower groaned sickly as it shifted with the weight of the young boys and girls that greedily climbed up like chasing gold. There was a slavish, zombie-like automation in their expression that betrayed all humanity and allowed them to forget that this was a terrible idea. 

Especially given the school's history; she still remembered too well the pencil lobotomy. She had been there when that poor boy put the eraser of a number 2 clean through his eye. Watching these insane souls climb up she heard that wet squishing and meaty cracking of that pencil piercing his eye at every step.

The boy next to her and Soarise – he had to be no older than fifteen – had shot up without hesitation, and already his grip was suggestive to his actual skill. Furthermore the limp rope that was supposed to protect him hung flaccid off to the side. Dropping down behind him and smacking against his featureless, doughy ass. It was very indicative to the safety of this whole mission, and why she didn't climb.

She could have climbed to try and save everyone, but that would imply getting Soarsie and That Pole to climb too. But from the pre-climb trade offs none of them were willing. She could only stand and wait and be there to say, “I told you so” along with the other two.

And maybe, just maybe, there was money to be made.

She stepped away from the wooden climbing tower. Uneasily looking up its heights. Behind her she could feel the unapproving glare of the coaches running up and down her back. She wasn't going up. She had failed them. Or at least the head coach. But she didn't care. A life after school and cornfields was too important to her. Daddy had told her, “Don't you go do fucking stupid shit”.

And here it was.

And watching dough-ass, she knew it was coming soon enough. He had already slipped once, blaming it on Soarise without a second thought. Then climbed again. But when he reached out to touch a stone smooth and still slick with morning and noon dew there was no doubt to his fate.

Norlandia's skin went cold as she looked up as he leaned back from the tower. Arms flailing in open air. Her breath froze solid in her chest as he parted from the side, his bare feet unable to contain the leverage. He must have had faith in the system somehow, because he didn't scream. But when he realized he was no longer anchored and the rope too loose at his side he did scream. Painful and frightened as he plummeted down like a sack of bricks to the Earth below.

With a thump he hit the grass, bouncing limply as his weight first came down over his shoulder before his ass could catch up and recoiled him back up. In a snap of a finger his body was limp and his head fell back onto the cool grass, eyes shut and mouth opened lazily.

“Holy Jesus fucking shit!” Norlandia screamed as she recoiled back from where he had fallen. She threw herself back as he heart drummed excitedly in her chest. Her head pulsed with mixed feelings of shock and horror, but total sickened knowing this would happen. She could do it. She could say: I told you so.

And he lay there. His fingers twitching painfully at his side.