The Grim Reaper Effect

-T H I R T Y - S E V E N-

"I saw a frog and it really creeped me out," I lied.

Griffin seemed both sympathetic and confused at the same time. He knew I had a fear of those slimy creatures, but even I knew my story didn't exactly line up. However, he was forced to let it slide because it was time for us to head out. We went kayaking first, getting all water activities out of the way for the day. There was no better time to be in the water than the morning.

Or so Indie says.

I climbed into my kayak once my life jacket was strapped on. Kira followed right behind me. Soon enough, everyone was in a kayak and in the water. Having done this before, I was far ahead of everyone. It was nice to be alone on the water. It gives you time to appreciate everything around you.

I took a deep breath, "This is so- AH!"

Indie was next to me smirking as my kayak spun. She had used her oar to push me. Once I gained control again, I glared at me. Before I could get my revenge, Julie floated right in between us. She was wearing a bright smile. Suddenly, her smile darkened, and she used her oar to push us both simultaneously.

Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, my kayak crashed into Bradley's. He gasped dramatically, "First, you try to take my man from me. Now you're trying to kill me?!"

"Bradley, it's not what it looks like! I-"

"I don't want to hear it!" He placed a hand on his chest, feigning his pain.

I rolled my eyes and shot Julie a glare, "This means war!"

"Catch me if you can!" I out her tongue and rowed away.

We spent the next few hours battling each other. At one point, Julie and I flipped Kira's kayak. Knowing she was after us, we fled as quickly as possible. Just when I thought the game couldn't get any more intense, Indie got Bradley and Griffin to join her. Battling with the girls was fun. Even Bradley was fun.

With Griffin, it was a fight for my life.

I hid behind Julie, fearful for my life. Griffin sent her barreling off to the left, leaving me exposed. I was quick to row away. Out of nowhere, Bradley appeared in front of me. As I tried to veer out of the way, I spotted Indie waiting beside him. Before I could go the other way, Griffin had caught up. The last thing I saw was the smirk on his face before my kayak was flipped over.

I quickly escaped and floated to the surface. All three of them were laughing loudly. Julie was apologizing in the distance. Kira joined in on the laughter. I decided in that moment that I was getting the last laugh. Without drawing their attention, I unclipped my life jacket. I took a deep breath and submerged myself. Griffin wasn't going to fall for it again unless I sold it with the lone jacket.

Ten seconds later, I was growing impatient and a bit faint. I knew I had about thirty more seconds before I passed out, meaning Griffin had ten seconds to "save me" before he was the one under water.

Why don't you pretend you're dead and float to the top? You'll be able to breathe and trick him.

That's actually a smart idea!

Yeah! Then you'll get CPR and-

And you ruined it.

Whatever, you know you want him to kiss you.

Why can't you be helpful for once?!

Where's the fun in that? It's way more fun to- Mackenzie?

What?

Why is everything getting blurry?

What do you-