1

luis

being the youngest of three boys definitely has its advantages. i've watched my brothers get into some serious trouble when they were in high school. i was never expected to follow in their footsteps. i get straight as, i don't get into fights, and from age eleven i knew what i wanted to be when i grew up. i'm known as "the good kid" in mi familia-the one who's expected to never fuck up.

my friends know i have a crazy rebellious streak, but my family doesn't. i can't help it-i'm a fuentes, and being rebellious is deeply rooted in my genes. 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 from my ultimate goal of going to college and studying aeronautics, but taking a few physical risks every once in a while feeds that adrenaline rush i crave.

i'm standing at the bottom of a rock formation in boulder canyon with four of my friends. jack reyerson brought rock climbing gear, 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 summit i can anchor the rope for the rest of the group.

"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, making 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 know what the hell i'm doing. i'm not saying it's not a risk-it's just a calculated one.

"you're crazy, luis," jamie bloomfield yells from below as i climb even higher. "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 pretty much everything we do.

i don't tell them that climbing 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 met in the lobby that night was also an adrenaline rush. does that qualify me as a junkie?

when i'm halfway to the summit, i've got my right hand secured above me and one foot planted inside a small crevice. it's high enough to make me look down to see what i might be falling on if i do lose my grip.

"don't look down!" jack says in a panic. "you'll get vertigo and fall."

"and die!" jamie adds.

dios m