34. Blake
BLAKE
This hiking trip is the worst fucking idea ever!
Why the hell did I want to come?
If I’d known Grady was going to be a grumpy ass, allergic to my touch, I would have just stayed at Football Frat.
And put up with Wily and Satch’s disappointment? Not to mention the plethora of answers they want over your college education.
“Grrr!” I stomp my foot, my anger rising when I hear Grady coming up behind me.
Screw him. I am not talking to him for the rest of the day.
He can take his fucking itinerary and shove it up his ass!
I hope his arm’s okay.
Shit, if anything happens to him out here and I have to be in charge…
yeah, I’m not gonna manage that. I love this forest so much, and I see how instinctual it would be to survive out here.
Everything he’s taught me so far has be en very natural and common sense-ish.
But if he got badly injured and I had to take the lead?
My pace slows just thinking about it, and I move to the edge of the trail, letting him pass me.
“You good?” he murmurs, lightly touching my elbow.
I ease away from his touch, refusing to look at him.
He holds his place, eyeing me for a beat until he figures out that I am not saying a damn word. His sigh tells me so.
“We’ll stop for lunch soon. There’s a clearing up ahead.”
I don’t respond, standing my ground until he’s moved off and I can just follow right behind him.
Okay, so maybe I’m dampening the mood a little, but he yelled at me first. I was trying to be nice, and it pissed him off, so I’ll ice him out and see what that does to his mood.
I’m just being logical, right?
Anger spikes through me again, knotting my stomach and stealing my hunger.
When we sit down to eat and he passes me a bag of veggie sticks, I glare up at him, silently indicating that I’m not hungry.
“You gotta eat. You need to keep your energy up.”
With an irritated huff, I snatch the food off him and force it down.
He munches on some cheese and crackers, and then we silently do a swap before he hands me a stick of jerky to finish up with.
I shake my head, my nose wrinkling at the disgusting-looking piece of dehydrated meat.
“It’s protein. You need it.” He waggles it up and down. “ Take the jerky, Blake.” When I don’t move, he grabs my hand and slaps the stick into my palm. “Fine. Eat it as you walk.”
Ugh, this is shit!
I cannot do this anymore. Yes, it’s been less than thirty-six hours, but I don’t care. He’s being a dick! And I’m not spending my spring break in this vortex of irritation.
“I want to go.”
He pauses mid-chew, studying me carefully before finishing his mouthful. “Go where? Back to Football Frat?”
I nod, one decisive movement as I pull my shoulders back and lift my chin. “I’m not staying here with your grumpy ass anymore. I have better ways to spend my time.”
My voice is so short and snippy. Ugh. I sound like my mother when she’s pissed off with the world.
Wincing, I keep my eyes averted, even when he lets out a heavy sigh.
Although my head is angled away from him, I can sense him running a hand down his face. After a long, painful beat, he finally murmurs, “There’s this… spectacular rock face I wanted to show you. It’s one of the highlights.”
I sniff, my insides jumping at the idea. If he thinks that’s a highlight, what has everything else been before this?
Spectacular.
Who the hell uses that word?
Shit, it must be so freaking pretty.
Clenching my teeth, I stay statue still when he lays out the rest of the plan. “Let me at least show you that. Then we’ll cut through the forest and get a few hours in before we lose the light. It’ll just be one more night, and then I’ll take you home in the morning, okay?”
With a thick swallow, I bob my head again, desperately trying to ignore the burn of discomfort spreading through my chest.
He’s giving me what I asked for.
I should be feeling elated. Not like this. Most definitely not like this.