Chrysalis

Chapter 12 - Hang With Me

Chapter 12 - Hang With Me

In the car, Greg told me he was bringing me on a three part adventure. Apparently he knew the exact ways to cheer anyone up. Adventure one was a 30 minute drive just outside of town, to some nature reserve park. When we parked, he blindfolded me (against my will) and began to lead me into forestation.

"Don't even think about kidnapping me. I've already texted Hannah my location. She'll know!"

"Relax," he chuckled. "I'm not kidnapping you. Just walk, but be careful. Trees fall all the time here."

I sighed. "I hate walking. I only go into nature to smoke where no one will find me."

"We'll split one when we're there, it'll be a reward for exercising."

"Are you calling me fat?" I scoffed.

He slapped my ass. "Walk!"

I rolled at him but continued my careful steps. He led me with one hand intertwined and the other on my shoulder. Of all the hands I've ever held, his felt the most normal. I didn't get butterflies like I did with Arie, or shaky palms like I did with Darren. This was right. I was relaxed. And it scared me so much.

"Gre—Clarrrrrk. I'm tired. Carry me."

"What? No! I'm not carrying you, princess."

I knew he was insulting me, but it was so cute to have him call me that. Darn it. "I thought you wanted to cheer me up? So far I just feel worse."

He groaned and kept walking in silence. I began to accept his no, when all of the sudden he stopped and swooped himself in front of me. "Hop on. Quick!"

"YAY!" I couldn't believe that worked. Nevertheless, I was excited to ride Greg.

When I jumped onto his back and he stood straight, I was expecting him to groan at my weight but he didn't even flinch. I knew I wasn't fat, but I sure was thick enough for anyone to be a little taken back by lifting my weight. Either he was strong, or he was sucking it up for my sake. Either way, it turned me on.

"Okay," he said after another five minutes of walking. "We are here." He gently placed me down onto the ground and continued to lead me over to what felt like a bench. "Sit easy, try not to move..." He placed my hands for me, one on a chain and the other on an arm rest. By this point I was guessing we were on a swing. "Okay, I'm gonna take your blindfold off, but keep your eyes closed until I say so, okay?"

"Ai ai, captain." He took off my blindfold and then moved behind the bench/swing.

"Hold tight, Like really, really tight." Then, he pushed the swing, over and over until it was steadily moving long and high.

"Ready?" he called. "Open!"

Just as the swing was going forward and hitting a peak, I opened my eyes. For that one brief moment in time, I was flying. It didn't feel like the float that I got when I was high, or that moment when you jump into a pool and for a moment you're airborne. This was like that feeling right before you fall asleep, or when you cross the 'we're here' line after a long-ass road trip. This was like peace.

As I swung back again I screamed. "Holy shit I thought I was gonna die! Or live! Or everything, all of it, all at once! Ahh! Where are we?"

"My little brother calls it The Edge of the World. Pretty, isn't it?"

We were a town on the prairies, so any hillside here was a grown over dump of some sort. But here, there was a crater with edges like a cliff. Inside, flowers, trees, and a pond. The drop was only about ten feet or so, and it was the size of maybe half a football field.