Apple

"I swear to God, Zachary Goode, if you drop me-"

"Relax Cammie. I'm not going to drop you."

Zach held me up at the waist as I plucked apples from the tree. For some reason, he thought it would be fun to go to an apple orchard. So here I was, ten feet in the air with Zach holding me up like that scene from Lion King.

"Just pick it already," he complained.

"I have to find the perfect one."

"They are all the exact same!"

"No they aren't. Besides, this was your idea."

"Just hurry up. Bex and Grant are waiting for us in the car, and we both know that those two do not like to be kept waiting."

"Please," I said. "They are probably chucking their apples at each other because Grant was being stupid again." My eyes landed on a perfect red apple that was just a few inches above my reach. "Zach I need to go higher."

"Sorry, this is as high as you're getting."

"Fine." I grabbed on to the nearest branch and pulled myself up, Zach's hands falling away.

"Hey!" he yelled from below me. "Get down. You're going to hurt yourself."

"Sweetie, I went to spy school, I think I can handle a tree." I grabbed the apple and smiled. "There I got it." Then I saw it. The grasshopper. I hate grasshoppers. They are the only things I am scared of. It's a total irrational fear, but for some reason, they freak me out. "Zach," I said, my voice laced with fear.

"Cammie, are you okay?" His voice was filled with worry. "What's wrong, are you-?"

"I'm going to jump Zach," I told him.

"Don't do that."

The grasshopper hopped forward and I shrieked, throwing myself from the tree. Luckily Zach was ready. I landed in his arms before scrambling out and sprinting in the direction of the car.

"Cammie!" he yelled from behind me, "Wait! What was up there?"

I stopped at the edge of the orchard. Zach didn't know I was scared of grasshoppers, no one did.

When he reached my side, Zach looked at me in confusion. "What was that?"

I sighed. "A grasshopper."

"A what?"

"A grasshopper, okay? I'm scared of them."

I smile lit up his face. "You're scared of grasshoppers?"

"Shut up."

He pulled me into a hug. "Don't worry, I will protect you from all those scary," he laughed, "grasshoppers out there."

I pulled away and slapped him, holding back a smile. "It's not funny."

He put an arm around me as we walked to the car. "Yes, it kind of is."

I glanced down at my hand. "Guess what?"

"What?" he asked. "Are you scared of penguins too?"

"No, I still have the apple." And then I chucked it at him and ran.

Of course he soon caught me, as he always did, wrapped me in a bear hug, and threw me over his shoulder as he carried me to the car, muttering, "Grasshoppers, really?"