buddy; grayson d.

ten

{song for chapter: sunflower - rex orange county }

kennedy

"alright" zach claps his hands together as he stills the boat, "who's going first?" he asks, a devious smirk painted on his face.

"me!" i say immediately, strapping myself in a life jacket.

i grab ahold of the inner tube and wait for zach to give me the go to climb into the water. inner tubing was always my thing, out of all of us, i stayed on the longest and had the most fun, i never wiped out unless zach did some crazy shit, which wasn't very often unless he was feeling risky with the boat.

i jump down into the water after strapping the tube to the boat. i climb into the tube, grayson making sure the rope doesn't get caught on anything as he smiles at me, i wave back.

zach looks back at me and i give him a thumbs up, signaling i was ready. he started off slowly and my grip on the tube tightened as the boat began to pick up speed.

i lift my legs up so they don't slap against the water as water continuously drenches my face. zach started off easy, but after a while he began swaying me back and forth, causing me to drift multiple times. zach hit a big wave as he was turning the boat at full speed, causing my tube to fly up and fling me off with it. the water slapped against my body hard but adrenaline still pumped through my veins. i waited in the water lonely as the boat came around to pick me up.

"you okay ken?" grayson asks as the boat approaches me. i nod and wait for zach to turn the motor off so i can get on. i climb back on the boat, dragging the tube behind me. i unbuckle my life jacket and let it fall to the ground as zach starts the boat again.

i catch graysons eyes on me, more specifically my body as he waits for me to sit down. his eyes move from my legs up to my chest and eventually meet with my own, causing me to blush as i sit down, wrapping a towel around my body.

"are you sure you're okay?" grayson asks, concern laced in his tone.

i laugh, "i'm fine, i promise." his eyes scan my face as i reply, a smile taking over his face.

"just making sure." he replies, leaning back in his seat as he brushes his leg against my own and looks back down to my legs.

we arrive back at the cabin 30 minutes later, everyone eager to get inside except for grayson and i. we sat on the dock all alone, graysons feet running through the water while i sat criss-crossed.

"let's go kayaking." he says suddenly, turning to look at me.

i scoff at his randomness, "why?"

he smiles as he stands up, "it'll be fun" he offers me his hand and i take it, standing up myself.

he walks us over to the kayaks on the shore and pushes them into the water, waiting for me to get in. by this time the sun was setting, the sky a bright orange with hints of baby pink.

i start paddling as grayson follows behind me, trying his best to catch up with me, which he eventually does.

"you're like a puppy dog on a leash." i laugh as i spot grayson beside me.

he looks at me quizzically but manages a laugh, "that's because there's no one else i'd rather be around." he says, shrugging as his paddling dies down.

i blush and look away from him, "shut up"

"no" he snaps sarcastically, "look at me" i look up to him, a piece of hair managing to fall into my face.

"i like you kennedy." he says, tapping onto his paddle with his index finger.

"so you've said." i nod, brushing my hair out of my face, "i don't know why you do." i laugh.

he gives me a plain expression, "who wouldn't like you?" he asks quizzically, "you're the complete package ken."

i shake my head as a small blush creeps onto my face, "no i'm not"

"you're beautiful, you're smart and sassy and you don't pretend, sounds like the complete package to me." grayson shrugs nonchalantly, looking away as a boat drives by.

my heart flutters at the words grayson says to me, does he really think of me that way? or is he pretending?

"i still have no idea why you of all people likes me." i laugh, picking up my paddle and taking a short stride.

"what is that supposed to mean?" grayson asks from behind me.

i scoff, "you could do a lot better grayson." i say as i look back at him.

"bullshit" he laughs, using his paddle to splash me.

i squeal lightly, nearly falling out of the kayak i sat in.

"dickhead." i laugh as he smiles back at me.

"babygirl."

hello!

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