A Shortcut that Claire Doesn't Want to Take

And so, they made their way up the mountain, with Claire trailing behind her friends, struggling to keep up with their brisk pace. With each step, she wished she was back in the comfort of her own home, watching TV or reading a book. The sun beat down on her, and her legs started to ache from the exertion.

"Let's take a break," one of her friends suggested, as they reached a clearing in the path. They all collapsed onto the ground, pulling out water bottles and snacks from their bags.

But even as she sat there with a granola bar in hand, Claire couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The trail ahead looked even steeper and more treacherous than the one they had just completed. And to make matters worse, her friends were discussing taking a shortcut.

"Are you guys serious?" Claire blurted out, her voice betraying her irritation. "We've already been hiking for hours, and now you want to take a harder route with climbing involved?"

Her friends just shrugged, their faces determined. "It'll cut our time in half,' one of them said. 'And besides, the view from the top is totally worth it."

But to Claire, it didn't seem worth it at all. She was perfectly content with taking the normal, longer route. She wasn't one for shortcuts or taking unnecessary risks. But her friends seemed dead set on taking the shortcut, and before she knew it, they were already heading up the steep incline, with ropes in tow.

Claire hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest. She watched as her friends started to scale the rocky terrain, with ease and agility that she didn't possess. And as they disappeared from sight, Claire was left standing alone, wondering what to do.

She could feel herself being pulled in two directions. On one hand, she didn't want to be left alone in the middle of nowhere, with no sense of direction. But on the other hand, the thought of taking the shortcut and possibly injuring herself was almost unbearable.

In the end, her stubbornness of not going to shortcut won out and decided to go the longer, easier route.

"Fine!" Claire pouted, "Guess I'll see you all at the top soon then!"