“So, Tony’s cute,” Macey said to me a few minutes later, coming up behind me and resting her arm on my shoulder.
“I guess so,” I replied, glancing at the zip-lining instructor again. But if I were being honest, I wasn’t super focused on Tony.
“I should get his number.”
I chuckled. “I bet you won’t have to. He’ll probably ask for yours by the end of the tour.”
“You think so?” Macey asked, twirling a lock of hair and openly ogling our instructor.
“Definitely.”
Our conversation ceased as Tony began giving instructions, and we all tuned in to listen.
He explained the course rules, the do’s and don’ts of zip-lining, and demonstrated how to stop on a small zip-line near where we were harnessing up. He had us all practice on the mini zip-line to ensure we knew how to go down it correctly. My stomach did a little flip as I tried out the baby zip-line, and from that moment, I knew this was going to be a problem. If I were already getting nervous on the baby one, what would the really big ones feel like?
“Great job, everyone! You seem to be getting the hang of it already!” Tony said, beaming at us.
Tyler smiled over at me and lifted his hand for a high-five. I flushed and gently returned the gesture.
“You all signed up for the extended tour, so we’ll get to go on a couple more zip-lines on a different trail near the end,” Tony said.
Macey, on my left, leaned into me, her eyes sparkling. “I wish he’d take me on an extended tour.”
“Macey!” I snorted, immediately catching on to her innuendo.
“I bet it would be exhilarating,” Macey added, and I shoved her playfully.
“No more talk of ‘extended tours,’” I said, but a giggle escaped me despite myself.
Thankfully, Tony didn’t seem to notice our inappropriate jokes and continued naturally with his instructions.
“If you’ll all follow me, we can start on the first zip-line. It’s not far up the trail here.”
We all shuffled up the path into the trees, the clink of harness clips and carabiners filling the air. I followed behind Macey, with Tyler close behind me. I felt slightly winded when we reached the first zip-line. It was onlyabout a third of a mile, but I quickly realized I wasn’t physically fit for this kind of activity.
“Alright, who wants to tackle our first line of the day?” Tony asked enthusiastically, and Macey didn’t hesitate.
“I’ll do it!” she said bravely, stepping up to Tony and allowing him to clip her onto the zip-line. He double-checked her helmet, and off she went.
She gave a little laugh as she departed, then zoomed down the first line, which appeared to be a couple of hundred feet long. Once she reached the other side, Shelby was the next to volunteer. Everyone went except for Tyler and me, who were the last ones to go.
“They just get bigger from here,” Tyler said with a sympathetic smile. “If you want to go back, I’m sure no one would judge you. I can go with you back to the cabin.”
“No, I’m fine,” I said. But I was still breathing heavily from the hike.
“It helps if you close your eyes,” Tyler said with a smile. “I’ll see you on the other side.”
Tyler went, and then finally, it was my turn.
I took several deep breaths, and then Tony helped push me off the ledge, and suddenly, I was flying.
I barely held in my scream as my feet left the platform and I began to fly over a portion of the mountain. The wind whipped at the tendrils of hair sticking out beneath my helmet, and even though I told myself to close my eyes, they remained glued open. My eyes became watery from the sting of the wind, and I rapidly blinked to clear my vision. Before I could even process what had just happened, I reached the end of the line and it was over.
CHAPTER 26
“Great job, Hope!” Macey beamed at me when I made it to the other side, but I was still recovering from the trip down. Tony came barreling down the line soon after me, and he didn’t seem affected at all.
“Great job, team! Let’s head to the next one.”
