An Unexpected Girl

chapter thirteen

They had barely made it thirty minutes into the hike, and Iris was already feeling extremely exhausted. The fact that she hadn't eaten breakfast that morning wasn't helping matters, either.

Her body was screaming out at her, and she was in so much pain.

"You seem like you're tired already," Adi said from beside her, sending a sideways glance in her direction.

Iris ignored Adi, focusing instead on not passing out, and the last thing she needed was Adi's side comments. Iris bit down on her lips slightly, choosing to remain quiet and conserve her energy.

Iris couldn't, for the life of her, understand why she had invited Adi to come with her on the hiking trip. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision and Adi's annoying comments were making her realize she had made the wrong decision.

The rest of the group was up ahead, with Adi and Iris lagging behind. Iris knew it was because of her, but no matter how much she pushed, her legs could only take her so far.

"You really need to build up your stamina. We're not even halfway there." Adi laughed slightly, shaking her head as she did so.

Iris closed her eyes, breathing deeply for a few seconds to calm her nerves, which were quickly becoming enraged.

It worked for a little while, and Iris continued ignoring Adi, forcing her legs, which felt like lead to keep moving. That was until Iris took a drink of water and Adi made a comment about how she should conserve her water, seeing as they still had a long way to go.

"You've hiked here before?" Iris finally asked, seeing as ignoring Adi didn't seem to get her anywhere.

"Yes, a couple of weeks ago."

"Of course you have," Iris mumbled, rolling her eyes. She wasn't even surprised that Adi had just transferred here this semester, but was already familiar with the hiking routes and whatnot. It seemed like just the type of thing Adi would do.

"I prefer hiking at nighttime, to be honest," Adi responded, completely ignoring Iris' sarcastic response. "It's much less sweaty."

"Mmm, hiking at nighttime. You're trying to get murdered?"

"I can protect myself," Adi responded, a smirk playing on her lips, "but your concern is adorable, nonetheless."

Iris really wasn't appreciating Adi's mock flirting with her. It annoyed her more than anything, especially seeing the smug look that appeared on her face each time.

"Whatever," Iris said, deciding she wouldn't waste any more of her energy on back and forth with Adi.

Unlike her, Adi didn't seem to have even broken a sweat. Meanwhile, Iris was drenched completely. She was sweating so much that she was constantly having to swat at her forehead to prevent the sweat from dripping into her eyes.

Iris' throat was parched and dry to where it was becoming painful, and no amount of water that she drank seemed to help. Coming on this hiking trip was definitely the wrong move for someone like her.

Iris was more than relieved once they reached the halfway point of the hike. The group stopped in an expanse of grass to take a break.

Iris immediately walked away from Adi, laying down in a patch of grass a little distance away. Adi was really getting on her nerves. Iris took a deep breath, enjoying the few moments of calm. Everything was peaceful and for a few moments, Iris forgot about the stressful situation that she was in. 

That was, until Adi walked right up to her, sitting down in the grass directly opposite her.

"Just a reminder that you invited me here, so don't think you can get away from me. I have an obligation to make sure that you don't die, which includes not letting you out of my sight."