Escapade | Daniel Seavey AU

15

"Mom, can you stop taking pictures of the tattoo? It still looks like there's blood prickling out," I whined, letting out a groan of frustration when another flash appeared from behind me. "It's not that big of a
deal."

"My baby is all grown up," she feigned a sob, wiping at a nonexistent tear by her eye. "Next thing you know, you'll be off to college, your voice will get deeper and start growing facial hair."

"Hey! I already am growing facial hair," I protested, pulling my shirt back on. She only laughed, patting my cheek gently.

"There's a difference between eyebrows and facial hair, sweetie," she retorted, earning a glare from me. "Anyway, what would you like for dinner?"

"Anything really," I told her, "oh yeah, is it alright if I hang out with Brennan tomorrow?" I asked her.

"Oh? What are you guys planning on doing?" I wasn't sure if I should've told her because despite her wanting me to be more adventurous, maybe cliff-diving was a stretch. For all I know, it would end badly and I didn't want my mom to blame herself.

"Probably have lunch together or something," I told her, "is it okay?"

"Daniel, you're eighteen, of course it's okay, you don't need to ask my permission," she chuckled, reaching out to pinch my cheeks. "And plus, I'll be going out with friends tomorrow, I was going to tell you during dinner."

"Oh okay," I nodded, "I'm going to shower first, then I'll come down to help with dinner." She nodded, a smile on her face as I headed upstairs. I pulled my phone out, noticing that the battery was dying and plugged into the charger, turning on my bluetooth speaker and connecting my phone with it, letting music blast as I headed towards the shower.

I'm glad that my mom ended up liking Brennan because the longer that I'm with her, the more I'm noticing how much more comfortable I am being around her than I've been with anyone else. Of course Corbyn is still my friend but ever since the conflict we've had, it has been quiet between the two of us.

But she's still closed-off. Especially when she got the phone call. Everyone has their fair share of secrets, but even though Brennan might come off as someone that's as open as a book, she still has a handful of secrets kept within her. And part of me wants to discover them, I want her to open up to me as I would open up to her.

The thing is, you haven't opened up to her.

It takes time to talk about a family member's death even if it took place three years ago.

But hopefully I can talk to her about it tomorrow.

_____

I had prepared a few things to bring to the activity I was going to do later today. It was—thankfully so—a warm day today, so I could wear my swimming trunks out. Brennan would be picking up at ten and we would go off the where she found the cliff, before we grab lunch after. My mom had already left with her friends and I was left alone at home.

Mom was being quiet the entire morning, barely holding a conversation during breakfast, but she waved it off since she started her period and I only nodded, not wanting to pry.

I glanced at my phone, the time displayed on the screen. 9:52AM. If I had to admit, I was anxious. I've never done something this extreme in my entire life, and the thought of doing seemed exciting. Although, there was something off about today, I wasn't able to put a finger on it and the thought disappeared when I heard a knock on my door.

Opening it, Brennan stood on my porch, her hair still the same as yesterday and dressed in a muscle tank, revealing her tattoos and shorts, sunglasses propped atop her head. "You ready, Seavey?"

"There's no backing out?"

"Nope," she grinned, her dimple appearing in her cheek. I grabbed my backpack that had the things I needed before locking my door behind me and following her to her car. The drive was tedious, music was playing to fill the air but no words were shared between us. Conversation only sparked up when we pulled into the familiar woods, the bridge coming in view.

"Hey, the graffiti is still there," I pointed out.

"Yeah, they never really repaint it," she stated, and glancing over to her, I noticed a sad smile on her lips. "I'll park the car the same place as before and we can just walk to the place, alright?" I nodded, sending her a small smile. Once the car was parked, we climbed out and I followed in step with her, looking around the place as she recalled the path she took to go to the area she found. The woods looked less creepy during daylight, especially with the sun out. The rays peeked from the tops of the trees, giving a peaceful vibe to the walk as birds chirped around.

"And here we are," she extended her arms to her sides, revealing the spot. It was clear area; a cliff, like she had said, hung over a lake below us. "I feel like cliffs have become our thing," she looked back at me with a smile, the wind causing her hair to fly around. "But come on, the water looks nice."

"We should stretch—"

"Daniel, we're going to cliff-dive, not swim in the Olympics," she laughed, pulling her shirt over her head.

"But what if we get a cramp under water?" I mumbled, doing stretches for my legs. "We should be careful."

"Fine, fine," she approached me, following the movements I was doing. "Gosh, sometimes I feel you're a grandmother in a teenage boy's body."

"I mean, I could be," I laughed, causing the corner of her lip to twitch up as she rolled her eyes. "How was it when you jumped? How high did it feel?"

"Oh I lied, I never cliff-dived my entire life," she informed with a nonchalant smile. I dropped my hands from above my head.

"What?"

"Relax, I tossed a pebble, it survived," she rolled her eyes. "And plus, it didn't look that high so worse case scenario, belly-flop or broken limb."

"Are you—" I slapped my hand over my forehead. "How could you say that when you've never done it?"

"Like I said, grandma," she taunted.

"Well shit, Brennan, I'm sorry I don't want to die," I sarcastically responded. "I'm not risking it."

"Yes, you are," she insisted. "You're going to risk it and like you said yesterday, I'll be paying your medical bill."

"If I got an infection on the tattoo!" I reminded angrily.

"Oh yeah about that," she remembered, heading to her bag and retrieving a water-proof bandage. "I got this."

"Oh thanks," I took it from her hand then added, "at least my tattoo will be protected when my body is found at the edge of the water, mangled!"

"Oh please, you're being dramatic," she waved it off dismissively. "Come on, you've stretched, I'll even hold your hand." She extended her hand towards me, wiggling her fingers as the mischievous grin reappeared. "Take off your shirt."

"I am—"

"Daniel, please," she pleaded, widening her eyes and dramatically jutting her bottom lip out, even going as far as her bottom lip wobbling. There was no denying she looked incredibly adorable right now, but my head was going against this idea, especially since it hasn't been tested out yet so the outcome could go in either direction.

But my heart was beginning to grow fond for this girl and I found myself releasing a heavy sigh, before I pulled my shirt over my head and glared at her.

"Here, let me put on your bandage."