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Luis

Being the youngest of three boys definitely has its advantages I’ve watched et into soh school I was never expected to follow in their footsteps I get straight As, I don’t get into fights, and frorew up I’ood kid” in mi familia—the one who’s expected to never fuck up

My friends know I have a crazy rebellious streak, butrebellious is deeply rooted in enes The kid my family sees on the outside isn’t necessarily what’s on the inside, and I intend to keep it that way I vowed never to stray fro aeronautics, but taking a few physical risks every once in a while feeds that adrenaline rush I crave

I’ at the bottom of a rock formation in Boulder Canyon with four of ear, but I don’t wait to strap on a harness I grab one of the ropes and attach it with a carabiner on my belt loop so when I reach the suroup

“It’s not safe to go up without gear, Luis,” Brooke says “But you already know that, don’t you?”

“Yep,” I say

I start a free solo ascent,my way up the rock formation This isn’t the first free solo I’ve done at Boulder Canyon, and I’ve had enough training to knohat the hell I’ it’s not a risk—it’s just a calculated one

“You’re crazy, Luis,” Jaher “If you fall, you’ll die!”

“I just want everyone here to know that I’m not responsible if you break every bone in your body,” Jack says “I should have had you sign a liability waiver ”

Jack’s father is a lawyer, so he has an annoying habit of announcing his lack of responsibility about prettywe do

I don’t tell the without a safety harness is an adrenaline rush It actually makes me want to push myself harder and take more risks Jamie called me an adrenaline junkie after I snowboarded down the black diamond slope in Vail on the winter break trip last year I didn’t tell her that fooling around with the girl I ht was also an adrenaline rush Does that qualify me as a junkie?

When I’ht hand secured above h enough toon if I do lose rip

“Don’t look down!” Jack says in a panic “You’ll get vertigo and fall ”

“And die!” Jamie adds

Dios mío My friends seriously need to chill They’re white, and haven’t been brought up in a Mexican fa on the edge Even though I’h not to take risks, I feel most alive when I do

The suetting a bird’s-eye view of the landscape It’s fucking a I used to live in Illinois, where the landscape was co out across the Colorado mountains makes h in the sky, and I feel invincible

I reach up with e of a crevice in the rock face about ten feet from the top I’m almost there As I scan the rock for a spot to placesharp pierce my hand

Oh, hell That wasn’t good

I just got bitten by so

Instinctively, I quickly plant lance at it Two small punctureout of them

“Stop scratching your balls so we can get up there before the sun sets, Luis!” Eli Movitz screams from below

“I hate to break the news to you guys,” I call down to them as the tip of a snake’s head appears above ot bitten by a snake ”

I didn’t get a good look at the sucker, so I have no clue if it’s venoo hits al and I squeeze

“Holy shit, man!” Eli yells to me “Was it a rattler?”

“I don’t know ”

“What did it look like?” Jamie calls up to me “Did it have stripes?”

“I only saw the tip of the head, and I’et a closer look,” I tell her, wondering if I should move sideways and continue the last ten feet of o back down

I’ this situation My hand definitely stings, but it’s not numb Surely if I was just pu nuht about now

“I knew Luis shouldn’t have free solo’d it,” Jack’s voice echoes from below “I knew it! Nobody listened to me, and now he’s stuck up there while venohout his body ”

“Shut the fuck up, Jack!” I yell “Snakes don’t have fuckin’ legs, so hoas I supposed to think there’d be one hidin’ in the face of a damn rock that’s ten feet below the summit?”

“Do you feel, like, normal?” Brooke asks

“A snake just punctured s, Brooke,” I say as I head back down slowly It et numb “Of course I don’t feel normal ”

“Get a ranger with antivenom!” Jack yells to the rest of them We’d have to drive to find one None of us have our licenses yet, so we’re screwed Actually, I’m the only one who’s screwed

With all the talk of antivenoht and lose traction

My foot slips Then my hand, the one without two puncture holes in it, starts sweating all of a sudden and I lose asps and screaet a foothold or a hand on so solid It’s no use