The Grim Reaper Effect

-T H I R T Y - S I X-

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.