Her throat tightened and her eyes stung. It was a holy moment for Pris, and the final realization she couldn’t do this anymore; couldn’t live a life of quiet, desperate silence. It was her fault for not asking for help.
It was her responsibility to finally fix it.
Bailey spoke first. “You have to talk to him, Pris. It’s the only way. I know it’s hard, and you’re scared to say the words, but just tell the truth. Exactly how you did with us.”
“Agreed,” Dev said. “It’s not that you owe it to him, even though you do. You owe it to yourself.”
Pris nodded. “Yeah. I think you’re right.”
She breathed in the fresh, clean air. Stared at the rocks and azure sea; the boats bobbing gently along the shore; the sway of the mighty trees weaving a carpet of thick green leaves beneath her. Pondered her sisters’ words and the way she felt now that she’d unburdened herself.
It was all going to be okay.
Her sisters flanked her, their shoulders bumping gently. Bailey lifted her phone. “Let me grab a few pics.”
A woman’s voice echoed behind them. “Would you like me to take a picture of the three of you?”
“That’d be great, thanks,” Bailey said, handing her the phone.
They posed tight together, smiling at the camera, the great beauty of Positano unveiled beneath them.
And Pris knew this moment had changed her forever.
They thanked the woman and wandered about a bit. Took more pictures. Took a break and ate their granola bars. Guzzled water.
Dev gave a long sigh. “Well, shit. Now we have to get back.”
They all looked at one another and began to laugh. They took the return route at a slower pace. Pris no longer felt there was a race against herself, or that she was trying to outrun her demons.
“Our reward will be the lemon slushies,” Bailey panted out as they reached the midpoint. “There’s a place called Lemon Point and it’s famous. It may be the only reason my legs are still working.”
“I’m buying a treadmill when I get home,” Dev declared. “I’m tired of sucking at fitness.”
“A treadmill can’t give you this type of workout,” Pris said. “Remember Rocky IV when Rocky trained in Russia using nature as his gym? Meanwhile, the other guy used this top training gym with all these fancy machines. Who won, huh?”
“Rocky?” Dev asked.
Pris shot her a look. “Funny. I like how some of the movie classics remain timeless. Thomas loved Rocky. I used to repeat the mantra ‘No pain’ when I danced.”
Bailey shot her a curious look. “You always looked dreamy to me when I watched you dance. Like you were in another world of rainbows and unicorns. I guess I never thought of you in pain.”
That made her laugh. “Are you kidding? Sure, when I was involved in the actual dancing I was transported, but most of the time I remember my aching body, my bloody feet, and daily ice baths. It’s a brutal world. Honestly, I think the only reason I didn’t get an eating disorder or need therapy was Mom. She was constantly checking in and telling me my body wasn’t a vehicle to sell tickets, but something I needed to treat like a holy temple.” She wrinkled her nose. “Crazy, right? But it got to me. When my teachers would yell and correct and pick apart everything I did, I remembered Mom’s words and how she believed I was more than a class. It worked.”
Dev let out a breath. “Okay, that’s so cool, you never told us that.”
“Why didn’t you want to talk about your dancing, Pris?” Bailey asked.
She thought about the question, her insides no longer raw and tender. Funny, just sharing all that junk had allowed her to poke at the wound, and it didn’t hurt as much. It was like a scab forming over a cut that could finally heal. “Because it was all mine,” she said simply. “A world I was a bit selfish about—something that belonged only to me and I didn’t have to share. Dancing gave me purpose, and God, I loved it. I loved it so much.”
“Makes sense you lost your way,” Dev said. “You tried to replace it with other people, but I don’t think that ever works.”
Bailey shot her sister a look. “That’s deep, Dev. I’m impressed.”
Dev stuck out her tongue and ruined the moment.
They passed another large group, moving to the side of the steep cliff, then reshuffled. Bailey began to shift back and forth on her feet, doing a strange little dance.
“What’s the matter with you?” Pris asked.
“I have to pee. Bad.”
Dev lifted her brow. “Dude, they have no porta potties out here. You have to hold it.”
Bailey bit her lower lip. “Can’t. Gonna pee my pants soon. I have to go.”
Pris widened her eyes. “You can’t! There’s nowhere to go out here! We’re in the rocky section. Why couldn’t you have gone when there were plenty of trees to cover you?”
“I didn’t have to go then! I’ll climb up that hill there and you can block me.”
“You can’t pee on the Path of the Gods!” Pris squeaked out. “That’s illegal.”
Bailey began to jump a bit more. “Doubt it. I gotta do a natural thing and it might as well be on a natural path.”
“Oh my God,” Dev groaned. “This is not happening. There are tons of people around; someone’s going to come!”
“Then they’ll get a surprise. Keep a lookout.”
Pris watched in horror as her sister darted a glance back and forth on the temporarily empty path, then began to climb the rocky hill. There was no real covering, no thick shady trees, just a few small bush-like shrubs that were mostly sticks. Bailey squatted and began to work down her shorts.
“I can see your ass,” Dev hissed.
“Nothing you haven’t seen before.”
Bailey’s relieved groan cut through the air. Pris averted her gaze, sweeping the path for anyone, then stiffened. “People coming! Hurry up!”
A couple appeared in her vision, laughing together, carrying backpacks and wearing baseball caps. Urging her sister on, she watched as Bae finished up and stood, tugging her shorts up.
And then it happened.
Her foot must’ve gotten caught on a stone, because she suddenly went down. Dev shrieked and Pris watched in shock as her sister tumbled down the slight hill toward them, legs flailing as her shorts tangled up around her ankles.
Pris jumped toward her, breaking the last of her fall with her body and landing them both on the ground from the force of the hit.