XPLR | Colby Brock

~73~

THANK YOU FOR 500k!!! Wow! You guys blow me away. I love you all so much. I never dreamed of this. Now I'm sounding like Markiplier, we all get what I'm saying... I've always wanted to be an author, so this is a serious deal for me.... thank you. The picture above was taken on March 10, 2018. Barely six months ago!. I was so excited to have just one thousand reads. Also... Rose's birthday is in a few days.

I had long sense been distracted from Elena. I had to be. I dug through some rubble, looking for anything interesting. My half mask stuck uncomfortably to my face and made my ears hurt.

"Colby!" I called in the dark. I guess I never saw it being on the watching side of the camera, but they split up, a lot. I had found a compass. It was old and worn, but I thought it was awesome.

I shown my flashlight on the old compass. You could tell it was an old souvenir from the zoo, on the back of it was the old 1966 logo. 1966! Griffith Park Zoo with a tiger next to it. I bet a lot of kids had this very compass, and I bet a little kid dropped his right after his purchase.

"Colby!" I called again when no one answered. Suddenly I felt hands on my arms. "Boo!" He said with a laugh, then he laughed harder as I squeaked in alarm. "Colby!" I said, coming down from my adrenaline high. He let go and put his hands on his pockets. "I saw the opportunity and I took it," he said as he said as he push my hair back and kissed me for a few seconds until we felt a flashlight on us. "Come on, lovebirds. Let's keep moving," Sam said teasingly. I wonder if him and Katrina are like this.

Colby grinned and took my hand as we started going after Sam and Corey.

"Look what I found," I said to him as I handed him the old brass compass. He took it with his free hand and opened it with the small press of a button, like a makeup compact, and the little spinner said we're going northeast. He smiled and closed it, handing it to me. "Sam, look what Rose found," Colby called. Sam turned and returned to us.

I held out the compass and opened it. I'm glad my nails are painted instead of peeled into a weird pattern like they usually are. Picking at my nail polish is a nervous I have.

"Woah," Corey said and took it from my hands gently. He examined the compass and smirked, "At least we won't get lost now."

I chuckle at that as he hands it back to me and I put it in my pocket. This will look awesome on my aesthetically pleasing piano corner of my room. My favorite corner of the world.

Colby stopped in front of a fence and he nodded for me to come towards him. He grasped his fingers together and made a step for me. "Let's get over this fence and see what we can find," he said. I came to him and let him lift me up over the fence. I climbed up and glanced down as he watched me. He smiled at me as I jumped the fence.

"Are you guys sure there's no security here?" I asked. "There wasn't the last time we were here," Sam said as he passed the camera through the bars to me. "Still, if a bunch of young people kept breaking into the place then maybe there's someone around," I shrugged.

Colby tugged at the red ribbon in my hair. My hand grazed his hand as he took it and tied it around the fence post. I forgot about that... our own XPLR stickers.

Explorer. XPLR. Clever.

I used to be so into exploring. I was doing it every weekend with Elena, but now I'm barely featured in any of her videos... and I'm in most of Colby's. If I had know Colby would come between us like this, I wouldn't have ever become his girlfriend. Or his friend. Or his acquaintance. I would've... just stayed out of the way for her to have him.

But on the inside, I recoiled. I want Colby. Colby wants and has always wanted me... if I had rejected him, I don't think he would've gone after Elena. That's shallow. It would prove that I'm nothing to him, and I think from the beginning I've always meant something.

I looked up to Colby and Sam. Colby pointed to a rock and stepped on it, he was trying to climb a cliff. I want to be left alone right now.

I wonder what exhibit we're in. Yeah. That's what I'll distract myself with.

I walked away from the group and started to look for clues.

I wonder what my dad would say about Colby. No, that's not what I want to think about right now. I want to find out of this was the tiger exhibit.

He wouldn't like Colby. Well I know that. Because Colby likes you. And you're happy with Colby. I know that too. Dad isn't talking to you right now anyway. And I hope he never does.

I sit down on a rock and close my eyes. No matter how hard I try, I'll never escape my father... whether he's in my head or in person. But with luck and God on my side, I'll hopefully never see him in person again. I'll only have to face the demons he's left me with.

But then, I heard a scream.

I shot up immediately and looked around for Colby.

"Oh my god!" Corey yelled. "Are you alright?" Sam called. No Colby. "Rose!" Corey called after Sam spoke, but I was already on my way over there.

Colby sat on the ground, clutching his wrist. "Is this some joke?" I accused. It was the first thing that came to mind with them. "I think I broke it," Colby said. He showed me, and his wrist was already swelling up.

"I broke both my wrists one time trying to skateboard, I fell and caught myself. It kinda looked like his," Corey told us. I took Colby's good hand and helped pull him up.

"Ow," he mumbled. He looked towards me though, and gave me that carefree mischievous grin.

"Kiss it to make it feel better?"