The Rink

chapter twenty three: the end

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER OF THE WHOLE BOOK. thank y'all for following along with this story. all the love for this book never goes unnoticed. that being said, I HAVE ANOTHER DNF BOOK I AM CURRENTLY WRITING. at the time of you reading this, i will have already posted the preview chapter for my next dnf story titled "Last Hope". chapters will probably be released weekly for that story. i will also be releasing more oneshots from my ongoing oneshots book "bathing in moonlight" (which includes both karlnap, dnf, and knf oneshots and mini stories).

thank u guys again. i hope you enjoyed this story. like i said, there is much more to come from me.

-gracie (author)

George huffed, his breath coming in and out quickly in short puffs. His heartbeat increased, the anticipation pushing him through the moment.

"I can't...I can't go much longer." George breathed, wiping sweat off his forehead.

George looked to Karl, the view of their hike up a small mountain just starting to peak above some trees.

"We hiked all the way up here, bro. No chance you're gonna quit now." Karl said, taking a swig from his water bottle.

They had been hiking for hours at that point. Granted, it wasn't too hot- it was actually a pretty mild fall afternoon in Switzerland. And towards the top of the mountain, a cold breeze broke their heavy sweats slightly.

Still, George wasn't too physically active, besides roller skating. And Karl was even worse off than George.

Karl noticed George was lost in his thoughts, trying to debate on turning back around. But after a while he went up to George, giving his best friend a light shove towards their final destination.

"Come on. It's probably like...two more minutes up this hill." Karl reassured George.

George took in a deep breath, feeling the front of his thighs burning from the exertion. Yet he followed behind Karl still, distracting himself by playing an internal game of eye spy with himself.

On this hike he had spotted towering trees he had never seen before, strange bugs meandering on the ground, wispy white clouds above their heads. It was like a dream. George knew all along he had wanted to take Karl on this trip. No other person could get George through long hikes, seemingly everlasting car rides, and airport security problems.

George was insanely grateful he was able to make this trip. And with their last day there being tomorrow, the view of the mountain that they finally reached the top of was an amazing treat.

Karl and George just stared out at the view, atop one of the tallest mountains in the surrounding area. The sun was peaking out behind fluffy clouds, shining warm rays onto their skin.

"Was this worth the hike?" Karl asked, putting a hand on George's shoulder.