Page 37 of Mud, Love, and Chemistry

“I don’t feel very good. Kinda nauseous. Actually, I’ve been feeling a little sick for the last few minutes.”

Uh oh. “Do you have a headache at all?”

“No, but I feel a little lightheaded. Why?”

“That’s altitude sickness.” I start digging through my backpack, pulling out an energy bar, an electrolyte drink packet, and a bottle of water. “Here,” I say, handing him the energy bar. “You need to eat some carbs, and hydrate.” I empty the electrolyte packet into the bottle of water and shake it.

“I don’t really feel like eating.” He tries to hand the snack bar back to me.

I push his hand toward him. “I know, but you need to or it’s only going to get worse.”

Reluctantly, he opens the package and takes a small bite.

I sigh. “We can sit here as long as you need. Take small bites, wash it down with a lot of water.”

“Thanks,” he says, appreciation dancing in his tone.

“You’re welcome.” A pang of guilt stabs me. “I’m sorry I didn’t even think about you not being acclimated to the altitude. I keep forgetting you only moved here recently.”

He shrugs. “It’s okay. I wouldn’t have thought about it either. Obviously.” Chuckling, he takes another bite. “I mean, I didn’t have any issues at the Mud Down.”

The mention of the day we met leaves a bitter taste on my tongue. I wash it down with my own water. “Well, you were at elevation for a few days. You had probably acclimated enough at that point.”

“I’ve been living in Colorado for over a month. Shouldn’t I be acclimated by now?”

I shake my head. “Greeley is like forty-six hundred feet. So is Grand Junction. We’re at almost nine thousand here. It makes a difference.”

Taking another bite, he nods.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better. Sitting down has helped.” He sips his water, crinkling his nose. “This is awful. What is it?”

I laugh. “Electrolyte drink mix. You know, the stuff they give kids when they get sick so they don’t get dehydrated?”

“Bleh.” He sticks his tongue out before smacking his lips. “Poor kids.”

“Poor you, right now. You have to drink all of it.”

“Seriously?”

“Mhm. Hiking guide’s orders.”

He feigns a gag. “This is so going in my report.”

I giggle, but cut it off when I notice he’s not laughing. “Wait. You’re serious?”

“Of course I am. I promised I’d give an accurate account of how you handled the hike. This is part of it, and a big part, at that. It’s not every day your hiking partner tries to kill you.”

I scoff and stand up. If that was meant to be a joke, it sure didn’t sound like one. I glance down at his energy bar. It’s only halfway done, but I can’t rush him. He needs to rest before we can continue. That doesn’t mean I have to hang out with him, though.

“I have to pee,” I lie before storming off into the thicket.

Sam has to be the most infuriating person on the planet. How I got stuck with him, I’ll never know. It’s like I’m being punished, but I have no idea what I’m being punished for. In fact, I feel like I’ve been punished enough already between dealing with Connor’s abandonment and Sam’s lies.

Once I’m far enough away from the trail, I put my hands on my hips and look to the sky. It’s a beautiful day with a small smattering of clouds. I should be happy I’m out here. I should be ecstatic that I get to hike on a day like this. But, here I am, gritting my teeth every time Sam opens his stupid mouth.

Whenever I think he’s warming up to me, and I let my guard down, he chimes in with some jerk-off thing to say. He ruins every nice moment we begin to have.

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