𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐲'𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞

27 | 𝐼𝑛 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑙𝑒𝑠ℎ

My eyes studied the yellow sign, slightly faded by time. Nevertheless, the black letters were still  legible, despite the sign being puckered out of the ground with a splintered wooden pike. 

AVENTURINE

I should've prepared my physicality rather than my kissing skill with Victor. I knew nothing about a zipline park, but here we were. Straight from school and wearing the worst attire. In my defense, Sullivan told me he'd prepare me to know what we were doing, but it was only fifteen minutes prior to us leaving the school building that I found out where we were going.

Of course I couldn't say no to something as simple and spontaneous as that. Especially on the first date. This was the first impression, the real impression that mattered. Therefore, I was left stranded in my gray cropped sweatshirt with a pink flower centered on it and black leggings.

I surveyed the wooden planks twenty feet off the ground, saturated in rainwater, but my attention deviated from the gorgeous blond and green eyed guy who explained how he'd come here often, to the overwhelming zip lines connecting wooden poles together.

"Do you need help?" Sullivan inquired, gesturing to my harness. "How about you go get an employee and then I'll meet you by the start line?" he suggested, making me get flustered again. I spun on my heel, hurrying to a blue plaid shirt with the Aventurine logo spread across his shoulder blades.

"Excuse me, Sir?" I inquired, intrusively peering over his back. He pivoted abruptly and I recognized him immediately, the baseball cap revealed the small slice of pizza embroidered along the lip. I whispered hissingly, "what the fuck are you doing here, Victor?"

"I say the same to you!" he remarked, scanning the field of ziplining equipment and customers. "Shouldn't you be on your date with Sullivan?"

"I am on my date with Sullivan!" I snapped.

"Why the hell would he take you here?" Victor tugged me aside and his shirt was stained in that greasy pizza smell with a faint trace of roasted peppers. "This place is a grime filled pothole."

"Since when did you start working here?" I retorted, staring down at his nametag with the 'Hi, My Name Is' above it.

He threw his arms up in an exaggerated motion. "For not even a week but more importantly, you can't even walk down the hallway without clumsily tripping, how is he trusting you twenty feet up in the air?" He gestured to the floating beams of wood.

"I'll be fine!" I snapped. "Now, help me with this harness--"

"You better not die," he warned. "I'll kill him." His hands wrestled with the straps along my stomach, securing them in place before jerking me towards his torso, making me stumble into his build. 

My heart stuttered at the faint taste of his breath in my mouth. "I have to go back to my date, Vicky," I grumbled.

"Hmm... you don't sound so happy--"

"Riyah!" A voice called from across the lot, I gave one last brief smile towards Victor before juggling the straps and metal clasps in my hands as I met by his side. My heart quickened in pace as the instructor described what we needed to do. After getting most of the instructions engraved in my brain, we started on the course.

Sullivan and I were at least six' feet up after a few mini safety-practices. His metal hook was clasped on the thin line. He looked at me with a smile. "Are you having fun?"

"Yeah!" I beamed, but I was struggling. I noticed he was having a blast. Seconds after I responded, he snapped his second clasp on the string and pushed off the wooden board, yelling in excitement as the zipper sound prolonged in my ears. His feet pounded to the opposing side of the line, shouting for me to come over.