Chapter 36: Ziplines

I woke up feeling refreshed. For the past week, I've one nothing but sleep. It was nice to finally have time to myself. I hadn't left the house since graduation. Kira's been working, and Indie went to Maine for the week. Tanner still had school and Lindsay still had finals last week and packing to do this week. Griffin was helping his dad with work again, which meant I was absolutely alone for the majority of the day.

Mufasa hopped onto my bed, resting his large head on my leg. I scratched his head, causing his tail to start thumping against the bed. Lately, I've been confiding more in him. My friends were great, but sometimes I needed to talk without getting a response. Besides that, he was the only one here.

"You don't think I need to leave the house, do you Fasa?" He huffed, repositioning his head. He stared at me from the corner of his eye. "Don't give me that look! I earned this!"

He yawned before settling in next to me. I sighed, knowing he was right. I needed to get out of the house. I took a shower and changed into something other than sweatpants. I pulled on a black and white striped crop top and red high waisted shorts. I sprayed my hair with water and picked up my phone.

"Mufasa, your mom's going ziplining."

-*-

Everyone agreed to go ziplining with me, which was perfect. Griffin, though reluctant, agreed too. When he arrived, I could see the exhaustion in his eyes. He must've been working too hard, as always.

I glared at him, "How many breaks have you taken in the last week?"

He shrugged, "I went to sleep at night-"

"Griffin, you and I both know your concept of sleep is an hour and a few minutes. How many breaks have you taken?"

He sighed, "None, but I'm fine. Trust me, Mackenzie, I will-"

"Griff, you need to get some rest," I sighed.

"After we go ziplining, I promise I'll get some sleep-"

I shook my head, "That's not good enough. I know you, Griffin. You won't actually sleep unless someone makes you."

"Would it make you feel better if I slept on your floor?"

I considered this for a second. I wouldn't have to worry if he actually sleeping because I'd be able to see. The only problem is I'd be interrupting his work. Griffin's serious about his work and I already interrupt him enough.

One more glance at his tired eyes and I was sure, "Fine."

He flashed me an apologetic smile before we left. The trip wasn't long. We arrived within minutes. Kira and Julie were waiting for us outside the ticket booth. Julie was laughing herself into tears while Kira spoke. When they noticed us, Kira stopped, but Julie couldn't quite seem to calm herself.

I raised an eyebrow at them. Julie took a few deep breaths to stop laughing. Kira was staring directly at Griffin behind me. I furrowed my eyebrows, glancing at him. He was returning the stare. There wasn't any tension, which made things awkward for Julie and I. After a few more seconds of absolute silence, Kira cleared her throat and smiled at me.

"What made her Highness decide to leave her castle?"

"I honestly don't know. Your guess is better than mine," I shrugged. "Any idea when Indie's gonna be here?"

"She said she'll be here in a few minutes," Julie chirped.

I groaned, "That means an eternity in Indie's time."

So, we stood there waiting that eternity. Julie was busy tapping away on her phone while Kira picked at her nails. They both sat on the ground together, Julie's head resting on Kira's shoulder. They were good for each other. I could see Julie becoming more confident. Kira was building confidence too. Something about her personality shifted. Kira spoke her mind more and she was slowly shedding her goody-two-shoe attitude.

I was somewhat proud.

Once Indie and Bradley arrived, we went and bought our passes. We were handed our harnesses and a man explained how to put them on. Indie and Julie got theirs on pretty easily. Kira, Bradley, Griffin, and I were all completely dumbfounded. Somewhere in between the "v on the b", I lost focus. My gaze shifted from the man to Griffin.

His eyebrows were furrowed, showing how hard he was focusing. His jaw was set, adding definition to his jawline. I found myself wishing for a picture of his parents. I wanted to know who he took after more. His family was always a sensitive subject for him, so I never really brought it up.

Whenever it did get brought up, his eyes would go cloudy for a moment before he spoke. It was a small detail no one noticed except me. That alone spoke volumes to me. Not only did his eyes cloud over, his jaw always set. It was another habit of his that not many noticed.

Maybe you and Griffin should talk.

About...?

Him.

I knew exactly what she meant. She wanted me to address the constant elephant in the room.

His world.

Everything about Griffin was so mysterious and unexplainable. It was mainly because half of his life was blocked off and heavily guarded. It was like anything he told me, he only told halfway. There was an entire side of him I knew nothing about. Consequently, I had to do the same thing to my friends whenever it came to him. I couldn't tell them everything because he's a Reaper, something that shouldn't that shouldn't even exist.

Yet, here he was.

"Mackenzie?"

I blinked a few times, snapping back to reality. The entire group had their harnesses on while mine was still sitting in my hands. I smiled sheepishly at the group, still not knowing what to do with the darn thing. Luckily for me, Griffin excused the group, promising to catch up with them. As they walked away, he offered to help me put my harness on.

"Where'd you go?" Griffin asked, helping me fasten the belt.

I shrugged, holding the harness up, "Just got lost in thought."

He tightened the belt, "Too tight?"

I shook my head, "Though, that does give me 'that's what she said' material, so thanks."

Once it was on, he stood up straight, looking me in the eyes, "You've been doing that a lot lately. Getting lost in thought I mean."

"I have a lot on my mind," My comment came out snarkier than expected.

He raised an eyebrow, "Any particular reason?"

I took a deep breath, "Griffin, this is my last summer ever. In August, my friends are going off to college and I won't be able to see them ever again. It's a lot. Now, can we catch up with them? I didn't pay to stand here."

As we walked, I could tell my words were running through his mind. It was like he was calculating the meaning. He was deeply affected by them for a reason I didn't know. He's been doing this since he was sixteen, meaning he's gone through this many times before. This time shouldn't be any different.

Then why is he always so fidgety whenever I talk about it?

Griffin cleared his throat, "Mackenzie, in all my years, I've learned a few things. The main thing I've learned while working is that you can either conquer life or let it conquer you. You don't have to decide on that now because, like you said, you didn't pay to stand here."

We met up with the group at the top of the hill. They were already hooked to the line and waiting for us. This time, I just shrugged and waited for the man to hook me to the line. Once Griffin and I were hooked on, they told us to go whenever we were ready. Indie was the first to jump, having done this before. Of course, she grabbed Bradley's hand on her way, whisking him away too. The last thing we heard before they went was a small yelp from Bradley.

Kira stared out, fear all over her face. Before I could reassure her, Julie's hand wrapped around Kira's, giving her a small squeeze. Kira's face lit up, smiling down at her girlfriend. She then turned to me with a smirk.

"See ya!" With that, they were gone.

I turned to Griffin who looked even worse than Kira. His face was hauntingly white, and his jaw was set yet again. I was almost positive he had stopped breathing. I frowned, confused. He said he wasn't afraid of heights and he was perfectly fine on the Ferris wheel. And the water tower. I took his hand in mine, grabbing his attention. He immediately took a deep breath of air, regaining his color. Finally, he peered over at me.

"Where'd you go?" I asked, repeating his words.

He didn't answer. Instead, he turned to the worker, "Is there any possibility we can go on one?"

The man nodded, unhooking Griffin and turning to me. I didn't argue when he hooked us on one line. I was too curious to work up any type of argument. He flashed us a thumb up and took a few steps back. I suddenly realized how close we were. We weren't usually this close except when we hugged. Even then, we weren't this close.

Ooh, la la.

Shut up.

"Ready?" Griffin whispered.

I nodded, "Whenever you are- AH!"

Immediately, he had kicked us off and we were soaring through the air. I couldn't seem to stop myself screaming from both excitement and fear. The wind whipped throw my hair, sending it in every direction. After a few seconds, I stopped screaming, fearful that a bug would fly into my mouth.

The view of the trees was breathtaking. I had never seen anything quite like it. Though it all passed by quickly, I still took the time to appreciate it all.

All of a sudden, we were spinning. Immediately, I started freaking out. It was thrilling in more ways than one. I suddenly clung to Griffin's arm that was wrapped around me. Before then, I hadn't even noticed it.

After a certain point, we slowed down. As we slowed to a stop, I realized just how important having a "v on your b" was. That v would've saved my b from a very uncomfortable wedgie. Everyone else seemed to be in the same situation as the workers came to bring us down.

"Why me?!" Bradley cried. "I'm the innocent one of the group!"

We all stop groaning in pain to give him a look. He may have been the more innocent one in his relationship, but not by far in this group. He rolled his eyes at us before he was helped down. Indie -being the first one on the ground- came over to Griffin and me.

"What do we have here?"

"A bad way to end a good trip," I hissed. "Seriously, why didn't I listen?!"

"Not your wedgie, stupid! How come you two got to go together?"

"Uh, because we asked...?" Griffin answered sarcastically.

Indie immediately ran over to her boyfriend and pointed to us. I rolled my eyes. They were cute together. Indie deserved someone like him in her life. Ever since they got together, she's become more comfortable being herself. He brought out the best in her.

Once Griffin and I were down, I let out a sigh of relief. It was nice not having a harness constricting my pants. We all wanted to go again, now in pairs. As we walked, I fell behind, causing Griffin to do the same. He was smiling from ear to ear. I had to bite my lip to keep from doing the same.

"Hey, Griff?"

"Yes?"

"What was up with you?" I asked. "You kinda spaced out up there and I know you aren't afraid of heights."

He sighed, "Sometimes my mind goes to places. Dark places. And it puts images in my head that I'd rather not see. The minute I saw you falling-" He stopped, taking a breath. "I felt more comfortable knowing I could be right there just in case."

I frowned, "I-"

"Kenzie!" Indie called. "C'mon! We're going together!"

"What about Griffin and Bradley?"

She shrugged, "They can pair up too."

Griffin shook his head, "I'd rather not."

Bradley stuck out his bottom lip, "C'mon Griffin! Have you no love in your heart?"

"Not for you."

"I thought we had something special!" Bradley wiped away a fake tear. "Fine. I'll go alone!"

I turned to Griffin, "You're just gonna leave him hanging? You're ruining the bromance."

Griffin's face twisted into a look of confusion, "Bromance?"

"Yeah. We all ship it," Kira chimed in.

Even Julie nodded her head, "I'm the president of the fan club. By the way, Mackenzie you need to renew your membership."

"Already?"

"Yeah-"

"Excuse me?! Griffin and I prefer to keep our relationship private, thank you very much," Bradley rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Isn't that right, Griffy?"

"What are you talking about?!"

"It's okay. We don't have to go public yet," Bradley said, blowing Griffin a kiss.

Griffin sighed, massaging his temples, "You guys are so weird."

-*-

After a while, we decided to hang out at my house. To my surprise, Lindsay was there. She wasn't supposed to be home for another week. As she walked out of the kitchen, like a shadow, Andrew followed. I felt my heart drop. One glance at Griffin told me just how quickly his good mood disappeared. Unfortunately, Andrew took note of this. His face twisted into a wicked grin.

No one else noticed the shift in the atmosphere. Kira and Julie were still in the kitchen making lemonade while Indie and Bradley were still picking out a movie. I had to think quickly. If Griffin and Andrew stayed in the room for too long, things would go downhill very quickly.

I shot up from my seat and excused myself from the room, bringing Lindsay with me. She looked both angry and confused at the same point. Once we were in my room away from everyone, I took a deep breath and glared at her.

"Lindsay, you weren't supposed to be home for another week," I said through clenched teeth.

"Wow. Thanks. I feel loved," She frowned.

"Lindsay, I already told you Andrew and Griffin don't get along," I sighed.

"I think they can set aside their problems and being adults-"

"That's the thing, Lindsay! This isn't just some small disagreement. Thanksgiving would've been way worse had I not separated them. Why can't you just trust me for once?"

Lindsay glared at me, "Well what do you want me to do? Kick my boyfriend out?"

When I didn't respond, she scoffed. After pacing around my room a few times to calm herself, she finally took a deep breath and looked at me once again. Her gaze was now full of rage. She wasn't about to calm down anytime soon.

Deep down, I knew forcing her to kick out Andrew was wrong, but I couldn't help myself. I was friends with Griffin in the end. Not Andrew. I felt more compelled to defend my friend, not some guy I hardly knew. I only felt guilty Lindsay was caught in the middle of it.

"No," She finally said.

"What?"

"I said no, Mackenzie. I'm not kicking my boyfriend out for you. Sorry, it's just not happening. They can either set their differences aside or we're going to be watching a fight tonight," Without another word, she headed for the door.

She stopped before reaching for the knob. I walked up to her, curious as to why she stopped. When I reached for the knob, ready to kick her out, she grabbed my hand. Before I could say anything, I suddenly heard two voices outside the door.

It was Andrew and Griffin.

I leaned into the door, wanting to know what they were talking about. More than that, I wanted to know how they were talking without tearing each other's heads off. Griffin hated the sound of Andrew's name, but here he was, talking to Andrew like it was any other day.

"You need to stop being so reckless around her," Andrew sighed.

"You needn't concern yourself with my personal affairs, Andrew. This matter does not concern you," Griffin snapped.

"I don't want you going down the same trail..." Andrew stopped. "Just be more careful."

"Andrew, you know how I feel about repeating myself," Griffin's voice became grim. "You needn't concern yourself with my personal affairs. You know nothing-"

"You were about to kiss her!" Andrew finally lost his cool.

"What? How do you-"

"On her birthday. How else do you think the dog got those treats?"

I froze, shocked. Andrew was there that day. It all started to make sense. There was no way Mufasa could've gotten those treats himself. Even if he did, he would've gone to someone else first before me. Andrew sent him in to stop us. He knew Griffin was going on a downward spiral by getting closer to me. If he would've actually kissed me that day, he would've lost everything he spent his life building up.

I stumbled backward, realizing just what I was doing. I allowed myself to have feelings for a guy who was more than just off limits. I told myself he came before I did, but it was never true. If it were, I wouldn't have let this continue to escalate. I wasn't being his friend. I was being selfish and tearing him down.

"What have I done?" I whispered to myself.

Lindsay flashed me a look before falling forward. Andrew immediately caught her, though he raised an eyebrow. Griffin gave me the same look. Before long, they both realized what we were doing. Lindsay stood up straight and smiled at her boyfriend, though he just gave her a stale face.

"You two were eavesdropping," Griffin stated without emotion.

"How much did you hear?" Andrew crossed his arms.

Lindsay rolled her eyes, "Not much. Just Mackenzie and Griffin's boring love life."

I shot her a glare. Griffin sighed with relief and relaxed. Lindsay took note of this and furrowed her eyebrows. Immediately, my heart rate picked up. I knew exactly what that face meant. She was about to make him regret sighing out loud. Before I could stop her, she started.

"What did you think? We heard the part about the council-"

My heart dropped.

Griffin immediately looked over at me in disbelief. I shook my head, assuring him I didn't say anything. Andrew smiled sheepishly at him while Lindsay continued.

"I mean, I heard that part. Kenzie didn't. Griffin, does my sister know what you are, or do I have to be the responsible one here?"

Griffin frowned, "How do you know-"

"My boyfriend's a Reaper, Griffin. Did you really think he wouldn't tell me? Now answer my question," She glared.

Griffin ignored her once again, turning his attention to Andrew, "Do I need to say it, or do you already know?"

"Know what?" Andrew gave him a puzzled look.

"So, you don't know? Let's fix that right now. Andrew, you truly are an idiot."

Andrew was quick to defend himself, "I would've wiped her memory if it became a problem!"

This riled Griffin up, "Did you forget you aren't fully a Reaper?"

Andrew glared, "Your point being?"

"Andrew, you don't have the power to do that. Even full Reapers have a hard time doing that. I'm one of the few exceptions."

"Yeah, so am I. I've done it before," He rolled his eyes.

Lindsay and I shared a look before we spoke, "Excuse me?"

//

Sorry, I'm posting this so late. Happy MLK day. Also, tomorrow's Lin-Manuel Miranda's birthday... just putting that out there. One last thing: I know everything about uploads has been so iffy, but I might end up going on a short break to get myself together. Both creatively and mentally. A/n coming soon. Anywho, thank you so much for reading.

Tatty bye <3