Summer with teens. Those three words only ever mean trouble. People always think it is just a fun get together at the lake, but then it turns into a problem. The problems might include parents, or even first responders getting involved! 

One peaceful July morning in the town of Lake Oswego, I was hanging out at home, alone and bored. “DING” I jumped up from my seat, curious to see why my phone rang. It was a text from my best friend, Claire. 

“Do you want to go swimming with me? A couple of other kids are going.” This is just what I needed! It was hot, sunny, and the perfect day to cool off in water! Little did I know, she meant that we were going to go swimming after we jumped in. Not from a dock or stairs leading into the water. Nope! We were going to jump off a bridge near my house, then climb up and do it again! I had jumped off a bridge into water before, and the previous time was a much taller bridge, but this water was shallower than in my past jumps. Although I had a pounding heart beneath my chest, I knew I could do it. My biggest fear at the moment was if I would get into trouble. Afterall, there were no parents or safety precautions. Oh, and do not forget there was a city law that you cannot jump off the bridge. 

“Tons of kids have done this! Nothing bad will happen to me. I got this!” was what I had told myself. Claire on the other hand, she was very scared! 

“Let’s do this together.” I told her, “On the count of three! 1, 2,-” just as I was about to say three and we would jump off, she exclaimed, “Wait! I’m scared.” I started to remember the first time I had jumped off a bridge. I was up on the railing for literally one hundred million hours (not literally I was up there for approximately four and a half minutes). 

“It’s okay that you feel scared. After all, it is your first time right? You don't have to be scared. We will be fine!” I made sure to make her feel like it was not the worst thing in the world to jump off the bridge. 

“You are right Tatum, we’ve got this! This time we’re going for real!” I nodded my head in agreement. “3, 2, Oh I can’t do this!” she continued. 

“I promise  you you can. Pinky-promise me that we will seriously go this time?” Please be true this time. We had been here for 15 minutes already, debating whether or not we were going to jump. “Okay 3rd and final time. We have to jump this time, Claire.” I told her making sure this trip would actually be more fun than sitting at home like I had been doing before. “I am going to countdown from three, one more time. This time there better be no interruptions.” Claire and I both agreed that no matter what we would jump once I had said “1”. “Okay, ready? 3, 2,” I had been interrupted. But not by Claire this time, nor one of our other friends. But by a car honk. Everyone turned around. Claire and I had dry hair, whilst everyone else had wet hair. Uh-oh! The cops must have gotten a report and come to find us. Claire and I immediately climbed calmly off the railing safe onto the bridge’s sidewalk. “Did you guys by chance see this sign right here that says ‘Jumping off bridge is prohibited and there will be consequences that could be a fine’?” We all shook our heads. Claire wanted to assure the officer that we had  not jumped. “We did not jump! See, we still have dry hair!” She told him. He let us go and gave the other girls a warning. Claire and I walked back to my house and hung out there for the rest of the day.

In the end the boring summer day turned into a fun event, then a terrifying day, then ended with a lesson to learn. When push comes to shove, do not feed into peer pressure and jump off bridges.