The Grim Reaper Effect

-T H I R T Y - S E V E N-

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.