248 Days

May 5th

I detected no proof of my friends and Claire's belief. Luckily the depressing thoughts of the truth of the matter were replaced by distracted thoughts from the growing tension between Grayson and I. Graduation, the day that marked the end of the 248 days, was rapidly approaching and though he tried to hide it, I could tell Grayson was stressed. He was a lot more jittery than normal and completing the memories with a greater determination, which I hadn't thought was possible.

     He hadn't abruptly woken me in the early morning in a while, but today he fell into his old habits of marching into my bedroom unannounced. Immediately drawing my curtains open, the sunlight revealed cargo shorts and a shirt littered with badges. Tight strap under his chin keeping the ridiculous hat atop his head, he wore a brown satchel and rubber boots. It was a typical boy scout's outfit. At first, I thought I may still have been dreaming. Rubbing my eyes tiredly and realizing that he was in fact stood in front of me, I howled with laughter.

     "Good morning, Adams."

     "What are you wearing?" I ignored his greeting, body curled in laughter.

     Taking a step to the side, he twirled, offering me panoramic view of his choice of clothing.

     "Please tell me I don't have a matching outfit."

     "Unfortunately, you do not," he sulked. "You always refused to wear these."

     I exaggerated a content sigh. "Thank god."

     Playfully, he narrowed his eyes. "I rather like to think I pull this off well. Don't I look great?"

     Twirling again, he shot an impatient gaze my way, fishing for a compliment. Snorting, I threw a pillow at him. I certainly wouldn't admit to agreeing to his statement; not aloud anyways.

     "You've got five minutes to meet me downstairs for breakfast," he said. "And, then I'll help you pack."

     "Pack?" I asked. Grayson was already nearly out the door. "Are we going somewhere?"

     "We're going camping."

      I really should have guessed as much.

     Meeting him for breakfast as he had requested, sure enough the moment we put our plates away, he dragged me back to my room. I practically didn't have to do anything. I sat on my bed and watched Grayson fill a backpack with clothes he thought I would need.

     "How long will we be gone?"

     "Just a day." He grunted against the effort of forcing the zipper shut.

     "A day! You've packed enough for a week."

     "You can never be over-prepared."

     I furrowed my brows, the idea of camping with him suddenly making me weary. Why did I need so many changes of clothes? My theories were nothing short of mud and water wrecking my clothes and Grayson purposely getting lost in hopes to lengthen our trip.

     "You're over-thinking again, Alex. Would you rather I under-pack?"

     Brows shooting into my hairline, I didn't need to consider his words. It was better to be prepared for his nonsense. "Carry on."

     Dragging our bags downstairs, Grayson requested that I get ready as quickly as I could. Pulling on the pair of shorts and grey tank-top he had left on my bed, I met him at the front door. His bag on his back and mine circling his abdomen, his hands were filled with a cooler, a tent, foldable chairs, and a mystery bag. Once again it proved difficult to convince him to let me carry my own weight but following unsuccessful wrestling, he found himself incapable of passing through the doorway. He was forced to cave. I took my own share of baggage.