Chapter 37 (pt. 1): Never Been Better

"So, it's settled!" Kira beamed. "We're going camping!"

I groaned, dropping my head on the table, "Outdoors and Mackenzie don't go together."

She just rolled her eyes and finished her ice cream cone. Indie shrugged, not caring what we did. They agreed with the fact that we had to spend as much time together as possible. Unfortunately, Kira came up with the idea of camping. She said it was a great bonding experience. Especially since we were forced to talk to each other and spend time together.

Honestly, I was fine with camping. However, there was the Griffin situation. After that day I overheard Andrew, I realized I had to distance myself from Griffin. It was better for both of us to have some time apart. After all, I was going to die soon. There was no point in hoping for something if it will end before it can even start.

I couldn't tell Indie and Kira without telling them that Griffin's a Reaper. Though I trusted them, I didn't want to risk telling them that I was going to die. Lindsay didn't even know. She thought Griffin and I met completely by coincidence. It was better that she didn't know. It was better that no one knew.

I let out another groan and shut my eyes, searching the blackness behind my eyes for answers. At this point, I felt like I was trapped in a box. The only way to escape was to tell Indie and Kira the truth about Griffin, which I wasn't about to do. Suddenly, I was struck by another solution.

"I'm currently trying to avoid Griffin," I sighed.

Indie furrowed her eyebrows, "And why's that?"

"I'm... well, I think I'm starting to like him in a non-friendly way-"

"Mackenzie! That's great!" Kira blurted, pulling me into a hug.

"Uh, no it's not. I don't want to start something new-"

"You and Micah-" Indie started, but I quickly cut in.

"It's not about Micah. It's me. I think I want to be Mackenzie without strings," I bit my lip, hoping that would be enough.

Luckily for me, it was. Kira frowned, "I get it."

Indie raised her hand, smiling sheepishly. I knew exactly what she was going to say before she even opened her mouth to speak. However, I let her speak, knowing Kira probably hadn't caught on yet.

"I kinda already invited everyone."

Kira sighed, running a hand down her face. After a few more seconds of silence, she began pacing. Her face displayed exactly how focused she was on coming up with a solution. I sat and waited patiently for that solution. As far as I knew, there wasn't a solution, which could prove to be bad for me.

Minutes had passed before Kira finally stopped pacing and turned to me. She shook her head and I groaned, knowing the next few days would be rough. Avoiding Griffin was hard enough as it was considering he was my Reaper. Now, I was being forced to spend a four-day weekend in the wild with him.

-*-

As I packed, I heard a small knock on my door. Before I could answer, Indie barged in. She had on her heart-shaped sunglasses and red lipstick to match. I raised an eyebrow at her, wondering why she'd want to wear makeup going into the woods.

"Don't judge me!" She flipped her hair and took a seat on my desk, pulling her shades off. "I won't be able to wear makeup for another four days besides lip gloss. Give me a break."

I continued packing and getting ready for the trip. I quickly pulled my hair into a ponytail, getting it all out of the way. I was already dressed in a red crop top and shorts. The majority of the pants I packed for the trip were shorts. Besides that, there were shirts, tank tops, my swimsuit, sandals, and a few more necessities. I mentally went through my checklist of items, knowing I'd still forget something important.

After going over my list once more, Indie and I hauled our bags out to her truck. I quickly ran back inside and hugged my dog before leaving once again. Indie was borrowing her stepdad's truck for the weekend, so we'd be able to fit everyone and everything. I was the first person on her list of people to pick up.

Before she pulled off, Griffin knocked on my window. I offered a smile, screaming silently to myself. He tossed his bag in the trunk and took the backseat. I knew I'd be sitting next to him once everyone got in the car, so I enjoyed my time in the front seat while it lasted.

"Hey, Griffin!" Indie greeted. "Ever been camping before?"

"Yeah. When I was a kid, my parents took me," He said with a small hint of sadness in his voice.

As Indie and Griffin carried out a conversation, I stared out the window. Both my mind and heart were racing. Griffin and I hadn't talked since that day and I had the full intention of avoiding him even longer. Unfortunately, that wasn't in the cards for me and the universe loved seeing me suffer.

It wasn't long before we arrived at Bradley's house. I sighed, letting go of my front seat and joining Griffin in the backseat. He sat as close to the window as possible in order to keep some distance between us.

"Are you sure you don't want to sit in the back with Griffin?" Indie asked her boyfriend.

"We're taking a break like Ross and Rachel," Bradley shrugged.

Griffin groaned, "We aren't together!"

Indie and Bradley broke into laughter. I smiled to myself, turning to face the window. After a few minutes, Kira and Julie were climbing in with their things. Before we left, Bradley and Indie switched places. Indie didn't know where the campsite was, but Bradley did. It took all of two minutes for Indie to fall asleep. She could never stay awake for long drives, which was another reason Bradley drove.

"You okay?" Griffin whispered to me.

I nodded, "Just a little tired."

He frowned, "Mackenzie, are you sure? You've been-"

Before he could question me further, I rested my head on his shoulder and shut my eyes, "Yeah, I'm sure."

Just like that, he stopped asking questions and relaxed his shoulders. I wanted to keep my distance, but Griffin knew me, so he'd know I was lying to him. It was easier to shut him down completely than to talk to him.

Yeah, because ignoring your problems makes them go away!

I haven't ignored you and you have yet to leave me alone.

Shut up.

I smiled smugly to myself before slowly nodding off to sleep.

-*-

I woke up, rubbing my eyes. I slowly began to realize where I was. I had moved from Griffin's shoulder to his lap. My face heated up in seconds. My body froze, and I couldn't make myself move. I heard multiple voices, telling me everyone in the car was awake.

Which means everyone already saw me.

I closed my eyes again, pretending to be asleep again. The only thing worse than the situation is me being awake to experience the embarrassment. After a few minutes of me slowly dying, the car came to a stop. Griffin began moving, tapping my shoulder.

"Mackenzie, we're here," He whispered.

I sat up slowly, stretching out and rubbing my eye. I let out a small yawn to add to the effect. When I was sure he bought it, I followed behind Kira, ready to actually stretch out my limbs. As I took in the campsite, everyone began unloading the car. The sun was high in the sky, meaning we had the whole day ahead of us.

I grabbed my bag and followed the girls to our cabin and plopped down on a bed. There were two separate cabins, so we decided the girls would take one and the boys would take the other. I didn't care where I slept so long as it wasn't a tent. That was the initial plan, but Indie found out about this place and rented it for the weekend.

Immediately, Kira and Indie began stripping out of their clothes. Julie and I shared a look before plopping back down on the beds. They wanted to go swimming as soon as possible, but I preferred to nap first. Sleeping in the car doesn't count because it never recharges energy.

"C'mon! It's a nice, hot day! We should be swimming the lake, not sitting around in a cabin!" Indie pouted.

"You guys can have fun. I will be taking a proper nap," I winked before shutting my eyes.

Before I knew it, I was being dragged by my feet off the bed. When I hit the floor, I let out a string of swears before standing up. Kira smiled smugly at me. I rolled my eyes before grabbing my swimsuit and going to the bathroom. If I was going to change, it was not about o be in front of them. Mostly because I wanted a minute alone.

As I changed out of my clothes, I realized I'd be in front of Griffin with my swimsuit on. The thought made me stop and consider my actions. When I was packing, I didn't consider that he'd see me, so I packed my new bikini. It had a black bikini top and black bottoms with pineapples on it.

You're such a child. He saw you with nothing but a towel on and this is the deal breaker?

But-

You act like he's some perv who's gonna sit and stare at your boobs the entire time.

But I-

You're going to make this trip hell if you consider every little detail. Griffin's your friend before anything else, so start treating him like one. Stop being an asshole and go have some fun with your friends before it's too late.

I nodded, needing the advice. She was absolutely right. If I was going to have any fun, I'd have to loosen up and stop being so rude to Griffin. He didn't do anything to deserve to be treated like this. I took a deep breath and joined the girls in the cabin. They were all dressed and ready. Julie must've slipped into her swimsuit while I was having a mini-crisis in the bathroom.

"Let's go swimming!" I exclaimed.

They cheered and we all marched outside. Bradley and Griffin were both in their trunks and ready to head out. My heart leaped up into my throat when I saw Griffin. I had almost forgotten his beautiful abs. He wasn't super ripped, but he was definitely in shape.

I must've been staring because Bradley stepped in front of Griffin and held out both arms, "We may be on a break, but don't forget he's my man!"

Griffin grimaced before rolling his eyes, "Should I have brought a whistle?"

Bradley frowned, peering over his shoulder at Griffin, "W-what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means-" Griffin pushed one of Bradley's arms down. "-I'm sleeping in the car."

Indie grabbed Bradley by the ear and pulled him down to her level, "Stop being creepy! People don't like that!"

We all broke into laughter. Even Griffin cracked a smile. As the laughter died down, Griffin and Bradley grabbed the canoes. Not only were we swimming, we were canoeing. Though I never went canoeing with my dad, I've always wanted to do it. If anything went wrong, I knew how to swim and save myself.

I was excited to go for the first time with my friends. I couldn't think of a better way to kick off the summer. We took the trail to the lake. It was the best for all of us because the only people with any sort of sense of direction are Griffin and Bradley. Any other way would most likely result in us getting lost.

The second Kira caught a glimpse of the lake, she grabbed Julie's hand and charged towards it. She let go once they reached the lake and got a running jump into the water. Julie tiptoed into the water, careful in every one of her steps. She raised another foot to take another step and was dragged into the water by Kira.

"C'mon! The water feels awesome!" Kira called to us.

Julie popped out of the water nodding her head, "C'mon guys!"

That was all it took to send Indie running. Bradley set down a canoe and chased after her. Yet again, I found myself alone with Griffin. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that he was my friend and to set my feelings aside.

"Are you gonna drop the canoe or what?" I placed a hand on my hip.

"Why would I-"

"Wrong answer!" I shouted, knocking the canoe out of his hands. It fell behind him, crashing into the sand.

Before Griffin could question me, I grabbed his wrist and began towards the water. My foot wasn't even submerged before he came to a halt. I tried tugging him along, but he stood his ground. With a sigh, I turned to him with a frown.

"Griffin, you aren't afraid of the water, are you?"

He shook his head, "I still have to grab the other canoe. You can go have fun, but I have a job to do."

I groaned, "No, no. I'll go with you. Then we're swimming!"

He chuckled, "Then we swim."

I smiled and led the way back to camp. He quickly caught up, walking alongside me. For a while, the walk was silent besides the crunching of leaves under our feet. Neither of us said anything until we got there. As he reached for the canoe, he stopped and turned to me.

"Mackenzie, what's up? I knew you weren't just tired in the car."

I froze, "Uh, well, I-"

"You overheard Andrew and I talking, correct?" When I nodded, he continued. "Then you heard what I said about the matter."

"Yeah, you said you didn't care, but Griffin I know you do. I know I don't know much about you or your world, but I know how much you care about the life you've built up and I don't want to ruin that for you. Don't say that you don't care because I know if you hadn't met me and I wasn't the person I am, you'd say you care a lot. After I'm gone, you're going to care, so don't pretend you don't right now-"

"Mackenzie, you're my friend first. Last time I checked, your friends are usually more important than your job. You've made the last year so unbelievably amazing. Seriously, it's like a breath of fresh air. I feel like I can finally be the teenager I was always supposed to be when I'm around you. I just wish..." He trailed off. "Mackenzie, if you want to know more about my world, I'll tell you. I just don't want you worrying about matters you shouldn't."

I smiled, pulling him into a hug, "We better get back."

He hugged me back, "Do we have to? Bradley and I are going through something right now."

I laughed, "I bet."

We quickly got back and joined the others. My mind was at peace for now. The world seemed to be back to normal now that Griffin and I were back to normal. Somewhere along the line, he changed my perspective of my world and I was still deciding if it was for better or worse.

Once we got back, I excited ran into the water. Kira cheered me on while Indie splashed me. I spun around, expecting Griffin to be standing behind me. Instead, he was sitting on the beach with a smug look on his face. I flashed Indie a smirk. He was getting in the water one way or the other.

"What just touched my foot?!" I screamed. Griffin only rolled his eyes, so I decided to up the scare factor. "Oh, my- HELP!"

I threw myself into the water. I heard muffled voices yelling above the water. Seconds later, I was being pulled from the water. Griffin's face was full of horror. I let out a few coughs, knowing it would drive him crazy.

Just as I had expected, he began to panic further. He began running to get out of the lake. Before we could get too close to the shore, I used all my strength to pull Griffin underwater with me. I opened my mouth to laugh, but my mouth was filled with water. I resurfaced gagging and spluttering water. I glanced at Griffin who was glaring at me.

"...how may I help you?" I smiled.

"Oh, you're going down!" He yelled, pouncing at me.

I let out a scream before going underwater again. Griffin tried letting go of me, but I clung to his abdomen like a leech, so he couldn't move. He tried shaking me off, but I only tightened my grip. He finally gave up and brought us both up. I cheered victoriously. He rolled his eyes and laughed.

I glanced over at my friends and they were laughing at us. I took a bow and it was met with claps. I shut my eyes and bowed again, laughing now too. As I took another bow, I felt something on my thighs. I yelped as I was shot into the sky.

Dramatic much?

I peeped out of one eye to see I was perfectly fine. What I found out was that Griffin had gone under me to lift me up on his shoulders. I became suddenly aware of the warmth of his skin. I did my best in ignoring it, repeating to myself that he was just my friend. Suddenly, I became aware of something else.

"Don't you dare drop me!" I ordered.

"I hadn't even thought of that," Griffin looked up at me with an evil grin. "Would be a shame if I were to... drop you. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Griffin, I mean it. Don't drop me!" I crossed my arms.

My arms quickly separated when he jerked his body backward. They wrapped themselves around Griffin's head. Griffin let out a laughed, standing up straight again. I let go of him, crossing my arms yet again. He knew I couldn't do anything, which was inconvenient for me.

I could swim in the water and save my life, but being dropped into the water is different. There's no taking control of the situation until you're underwater. Something about that always bothered me. Not enough to make me fearful, but enough to make me fight back.

Use your feet, stupid!

I began swinging my legs, the backs of my feet hitting Griffin in the chest. He looked up at me, still as smug as ever. Threatening him didn't do anything, which always proved to be bad for me. As I was thinking of a way to get out of my predicament, Indie grabbed everyone's attention.

"I've decided we're playing Marco Polo!" She announced. "First round, Mackenzie's it!"

My jaw dropped, "That's not-"

She raised an eyebrow, "Eyes closed, remember?"

"Oh, you're doing down!"

"Hey, that's my line," Griffin said from below before turning his back to our friends and letting me down.

"You know the rules, right?" I asked after he resurfaced.

"Do I know the rules?" He scoffed. "Do I know- no, I do not, please explain."

I quickly explained the game and once he understood, we started the game. I called out to everyone, take extra care not to make a sound after calling out. I heard every voice, all far from me. I grinned to myself and called out again. I knew someone was trying to sneak behind me. Once they all answered, I sunk underwater and swam quickly to where I last heard the voice. I grabbed hold of someone's ankle.

I stood up to see Kira standing there, glaring at me, "That's not fair! You have cat ears!"

I shrugged and joined everyone else. Indie quickly swam over to me and smiled, "You and Griffin seem to be okay now."

"Yeah, we're cool. He reminded me that he's my friend before he's anything else," I smiled at the thought.

"You two would make a killer couple. Seriously."

I rolled my eyes and waited for the game to start. Her words did stick with me. There was no denying that she was right. At least, that's how I felt. Though, my vision of a perfect relationship would be anything better than what Micah and I had. Perhaps that was why I always admired everyone else's love lives.

Indie and Bradley had something good. Bradley didn't abuse Indie in any way. He respected her and never hid the fact that he did. He was always proud of her accomplishments. Indie felt the same way about him. Kira and Julie were just as good, but for different reasons. Julie balanced out Kira. She calmed Kira and made her be herself. Kira gave Julie more confidence to assert herself.

Micah and I never complimented each other. He was full of himself. I didn't think too much of myself. Ideally, we'd balance each other out, but we didn't. Instead, we brought out the worst in each other. Though, Micah was more upfront about it