~The Forbidden Fruit~

~The Forbidden Fruit~ Chapter Eighteen

Andy pov.

"Is there water at the top because I am dehydrated."

A mysterious smirk took over Drew's face.

"Mmm, something like that."

Colby pushed himself off of the ground and dusted himself off.

"Well, the quicker we get it over with, the better. Bro, where do we go next?"

"Up that tree over there, then across the gap between the mountains, around and up Suicide cliff and we're there." Drew rambled breezily.

"Suicide cliff?" Naiomi and I chorused.

Drew chuckled lightly.

"That's not really the name, I just call it that because it looks like a cliff someone would jump off of to commit suicide."

I sighed in relief and brushed my hair out of my face, Colby stalked up to Naiomi and I, offering us his hands. We took them and stood up to follow him to the big tree at the far end of the plateu; its branches were jutting in every direction and curling up toward the sky. In a way it reminded me of the tree from Harry Potter that tries to kill you.

"Andy, could you help me up please?" Drew called.

I rolled my eyes and made my way over to him, like he couldn't get up all on his own. He already said he wasn't tired, now he needed help? But since he helped me out I decided to return the favor. Extending my arm to him was probably the dumbest thing I could've done, when he closed his hand around mine he jerked me forward and made me fall. My features twisted into an image of shock as my body fell ontop of his, my hair tumbled around his and my head forming a curtain. That signature smirk rested on his lips while my head hovered centimeters above his. With the way my legs were positioned; one between his legs and the other on the outside of his left leg, I had half the mind to knee him in the nads.

"Oops, I guess I don't know my own strength."

Unimpressed and a little irritated, I curled my lip in disgust.

"You are so obnoxious." I breathed and pushed off of his chest with my palms, I left him lying on the ground and joined Naiomi and Colby who were idle by the tree.

Shortly after, Drew got up and explained that we would have to climb the tree and swing across the gap from a vine. This made Naiomi and I uneasy but we had no other option, it was bad enough that I was afraid of heights; possibly plumeting to my death from a weak vine made me twice as apprehensive. Colby climbed up the trunk of the tree to the two lowest branches first, Naiomi tried to go second but was too short to reach the branch. The blonde boy instructed her to hold her arms straight up in the air, then he sat with his legs on either side of the thick branch and grabbed both of her arms. Naiomi held tight to his arms as he easily pulled her body up and onto the branch with him.

I tried to go next but I was shorter than Naiomi and was nowhere near close to touching the branch; I jumped a few times but that failed. Drew moved behind me and grasped my waist firmly, swiftly and easily he lifted me up high above his head far enough to grab the branch. Colby offered me his hands and helped into the tree effortlessly. I was glad he came along the extra pair of strong hands and muscle was beneficial. Drew scrambled up the tree like a squirrel and smirked at my surprised expression, what was he? Spiderman?

All the way to the top of the tree the four of us climbed, Colby assisting Naiomi when she needed it and Drew helping me when I did. By the time we made it to the top I was shaking like a leaf, I watched Drew unwind the vine from the tree and soar all the way across the dark, wide trench beneathe us. He threw the vine back and Colby caught it, he made it across without hazard as well. My best friend and I debated over which one of us should go first and decided she would go; the poor thing screamed all the way to the other side. Colby caught her when she made it and I would've been surprised at her hugging him tightly the way she did, had I not been on the verge of wetting my pants. Drew tossed the vine back to me which felt flimsy in my trembling hands.