MAX'S POV
"Where are we going?" She asks for what seems like the billionth time.
"We're almost there," I say, "and I hope you feel like walking a little bit today."
"I could do a little walking today..." Kate replies, sounding intrigued.
Just as the silence starts to get awkward, we approach a sign saying, "Welcome to The Catskills!"
I turn down the rocky road and into a parking lot at the base of the forest.
"We're going for a walk?" She asks as I park the car. In my peripheral vision, I can feel her dark hazel green eyes locked on me.
"We are," I say, hoping Kate's feeling alright, because otherwise, how could I be so stupid to put Kate in an uncomfortable position.
"Yay," she says, her voice is high pitched and excited. She zips up her coat and runs her hands through her wavy brown hair.
I can't help but laugh at her happiness. I didn't know it before, but I'm falling in love with her faster than I thought I was.
"What?" She says smiling.
"Nothing," I say, opening the car door.
We climb out and the air is cold compared to the heated air in my truck.
"Are you cold?" I ask as we walk the path, branches scattered across the forest floor.
She shakes her head and we walk between leafless trees in a cool breeze.
I lead her up the path as it starts to get steeper. Eventually, the hill turns into man made stairs composed of big rocks.
I look back to see Kate right behind me, just as she looks up at me, her foot slips on the rock. She gasps and reaches out for something to grab onto. Quickly, I grab a hold of her and half pick her up and half catch her. I pull her up next to me and she leans into me, laughing as she tightly grips my hand. I laugh with her and we continue walking.
"We are almost there," I say, holding on to her small, cold hand.
"Where are you taking me?" She asks once more.
"Somewhere I used to go all the time," I reply, thoughts and flashbacks of David swarming in my mind. I squeeze my eyes shut for a millisecond then open them to see the huge rock on the edge of a small cliff. The sound of running water surrounds us.
"Wow," she says sounding very relaxed.
I haven't been here since David died, but I'm not sad. There's something about Kate that makes me forget everything that happened to David. It's something I should tell Kate. She's let me into her life quicker than anyone, or at least that's what Leanne said when she threatened me to take care of Kate, so I need to make up for that somehow.
She walks towards the edge of the rock and peers down at the rushing river below. Her eyes drift over the treetops and up at the blue, sunny sky.
"This is it," I say, watching her closely.
"It's so beautiful, why don't you come anymore? You said you used to come here all the time?" She says, looking back at me.
I walk up next to her and sit down, she sits taking my hand and leaning into me a little.
"Before I was even born, my mom was married to this guy she met from school in Germany. He was an exchange student from Iceland, pretty strange, but my mom married him straight out of college. They had a son, David, and when David was 3, the guy my mom married was in an accident and was killed," I explain and Kate gasps.
YOU ARE READING
Saving Kate
أدب المراهقينKatherine or Kate can't stop herself. What runs through her mind nobody can. It's just that kind of thing that sticks with you, eating disorders and cutting. No matter what anyone says to her to make it better, it just makes it worse. Kate is going...
