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ELEV
OAKLEY
After the. . . incident in the restaurant last night, a guys-only zip-lining adventure seemed like the only right thing to do.
Things are still a bit tense between Tyler and me, but hopefully with a little fresh air to clear our heads, we can work our shit out and move on. I’m not the type of guy to hold on to grudges, and I don’t think Tyler is either, so this should be easy enough.
If not, well, I have no idea what to do next.
The three of us step off the shuttle bus, and Adam jogs ahead with the excitement of a child going through the Disneyland gates for the first time. I chuckle, and Tyler shakes his head.
“I’ve been wanting to go zip-lining since I was a kid,” Adam says in awe. His eyes are wide, full of adventure as he looks around the rows of ATVs lined up beside a small log building.
None of us have been zip-lining before, and it’s almost heartwarming to think that we’ll all be experiencing it for the first time together.
Ava was the one who reserved our spots for today, having been the only one who has any experience with zip-lining. She was positive that we’ll love it, and I don’t doubt it. We all have a thrill for adrenaline, and what better way to feed that thrill than by soaring over treetops?
“You’re telling me you never took your dad’s black card and went on a zip-lining expedition before?” Tyler asks, seemingly unconvinced.
“Who the hell would I have gone with? Our personal chef?”
“I don’t know, maybe your friends?” Tyler scoffs.
Adam gasps. “Wow. You’re a bloody genius, Tyler Bateman. Why didn’t I ever think of that?”
Tyler scowls. “Okay, jackass.”
“I never had friends that wanted to do that kind of shit before, and even if I did, I never had the time after hockey started to become more of a priority for me.”
I nod. “Fair enough. But at least we can do it now.”
Adam grins at me before our attention is pulled to a man and a woman as they step out of the building, clipboards in hand.
The man looks to be a few years older than us, with a warm smile and sea-blue eyes. He exudes a calmness that I’m sure you would need when it comes to working with people who might start freaking out once it comes time to actually zip-line.
Gracie would be that person. When she was thirteen, our mom took us to an amusement park, and after convincing both of us that she could handle being thrown into the air on one of the more adrenaline-inducing rides, she ended up having a complete breakdown as soon as she was strapped into her seat.
She hasn’t been to an amusement park since.
Tyler’s shoulder bumps mine. “How many people do you think will chicken out when we get up there?”
“Two.”
Adam sidles up on my other side, bouncing in place. “I’m going to be optimistic and say none.”
“Maybe it will be you,” Tyler says.
“As if. Maybe you’ll get cold feet, Mr. I’m-not-afraid-of-anything,” Adam retorts.
I snicker. “Let’s hope neither of you back out. If you don’t follow after me, I’m leaving without you.”
Someone clears their throat, and the group turns to face the speaker. The older man I noticed earlier looks around the group and says, “Hello, everyone. I’m Miguel, and this is Isabella.” He gestures to the woman beside him, and she gives us a wave. “We will be your guides for today. Please follow us inside to grab the ATV keys and a helmet. If you are riding with someone else, just grab a helmet. You’ve already been checked in on the shuttle, so once everyone is ready, we will head to the zip-line location.”
There’s a collective sound of agreement before we’re all heading for the building behind our guides. We collect our helmets and keys quickly and make it back outside in record time. Adam jumps on an ATV at the very front of the pack, with Tyler and me grabbing the next two.
I insert the key and turn on my ATV, the rumble vibrating through my legs and up my spine. Grabbing the handlebars, I squeeze and let a smile part my lips.
“You look like a kid in a candy store,” Tyler shouts at me. He’s turned to face me, looking like he’s gripping the handlebars of his ATV just as tight as I am.
