The Summer Reunion (unedited version)

34| Trust (water)Falls

The car rattled as we travelled down a narrow dirt pathway. Due to the terrain, we had to take the jeep. We left a few minutes ago and turned onto the road following the outskirts of the lake. Izzie said it would only be another minute before we reached the waterfall.

Grayson and I sat on opposite ends of the backseat, avoiding gazes and staring out our separate windows. My head lolled back against the headrest ever few seconds. I was having trouble keeping my eyes open since it wasn't even seven thirty yet. I know I said I wanted to spend more time with Izzie, but falling to my death isn't how I wanted to do it. You can't spend time with someone if you're all mangled and you know, dead. 

The car stopped so abruptly my seatbelt dug into my chest as I jerked forward. Drew's not exactly known for his subtlety, and neither is his driving. 

"We're here!" Izzie hopped out of the car and onto the grass.

When I opened the door I was severely underwhelmed.

"Where's the waterfall?" I looked between Izzie and Drew, "Let me rephrase. Where is the water?"

They had dropped us off at a dead end in the trail. The only thing surrounding us was trees. I twirled in a circle, looking through the dense forest. One spot caught my eye to the left where the bushes were thinner and a narrow trail led deeper into the woods.

I threw my hands up in exasperation, "We drove all the way here and now we have to hike?"

"It's not long at all," Izzie reassured me and followed behind Drew through the forest.

I huffed in protest but trailed at the back of the line. When Izzie mentioned this earlier she made it seem like there would be more relaxing in the water and less trekking to impending doom.

My conversation with Grayson last night resurfaced in my thoughts. Not the one in his bed, although that had been on rotation like a playlist, but the one we had at the fire.

Were there bears around here?

Grayson was walking ahead of me. More gracefully than me as well, I might add. As we continued our "walk" I tripped over roots, rolled my ankle on rocks and got hit in the face with branches Grayson accidentally "let go of". I'd catch him trying to contain his laugh every time I sputtered another leaf out of my mouth. He found it immensely funny. I tried to "accidentally" step on his heel as payback and ended up getting another face full of leaves. I swear I heard him giggle. 

My mind focused back to the bears. I kept scouring the trees and tall branches for them. I read somewhere they like to lurk up high. If we were to run into one, there would be no hiding. How do you get away from something that is faster than you, can swim, and can climb? I can barely do anything of those things to begin with, let alone better than a bear. Or any of the people around me. 

I tugged on Grayson's hand until he fell out of step with the others.

"Can you walk behind me?"

He stared at me in confusion. "Why would I do that? No offense but you can barely keep up at the end."

"All this walking is making my feet hurt. I have a blister-" I stopped myself and walked ahead of him. "That's not important. What's important is, if a bear comes to attack us, I'm not the first one to be eaten."

I heard his footsteps falter behind me for a quick second. "Huh?"

"The bears. If they attack," I tell him in a tone insinuating he should try to keep up. "They'll either go for the front of the line or the back of the line."