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Chapter 14

"I don't think this is a good idea." I say giving us both one last chance to change our minds and go back into the school. Before he says anything the engine is roaring and he gases the large truck out of the parking lot leaving my father's car sitting there along with some of the other seniors' cars.

Logan laughs as the engine roars and the car flies forward. I let out a small scream of thrill and he looks over and smiles realizing that I am actually having a good time. He drives up the school road and turns out of the industrial park where our small school was located. To get to the highway you make a left, but he made a right.

Noticing the strange direction, "Where are we going?" I ask.

"A few years ago my friend got lost trying to pick me up from school. He ended up at the end of a road they hadn't developed on yet. The view is... well I am going to let you see for yourself." He explained with a type of accomplishment and pride in his voice that for the first time let someone other than himself in.

"I've never been this far back in the industrial park." I say as I look out the window at some of the oddly shaped buildings lining the empty road.

After driving for a few minutes we end up at the end of a road that is surrounded by trees. There is a narrow tire path that goes through the woods insinuating that this place was not only known by Logan, but is visited quite often. He slowly pops his front tires over the curb and applies pressure as the back tires struggle to climb. He drives slowly through the trees staying on the browned path as I look out the window laughing. "This is the kind of thing that only happens in movies and books."

"You find a lot when you're not looking for it." I take my eyes from the thick woods to look at him as he says the words. In front of us there is a break in the trees to an opening. He pulls the truck to the side of the clear and backs up until the front tires are once again aligned with the dirt path. He puts the gear to park and turns the keys to the off position. "You ready to see the best view?" He opens the door and jumps out. I follow his lead and step down from the cab of the truck.

I walk to the bed where he has put the gate down and is now sitting looking out over the drop. I walk closer to the edge of the cliff that holds one of the most beautiful views I have ever experienced in my life. From where I am standing I can see for miles. We have managed to get high enough to oversee most of the city. You could see the entire mall that was located only minutes from our school. Below there were tons of people busily driving along the highway that bridged over a portion of the city only to merge into the traffic.

"The view isn't the best part." For a moment I had forgotten that I was not alone at the top of this overlook.

"I don't know what could beat this." I say with a smile and open my arms to point to the massive view that was taking place right in front of me.

"Take a seat and you'll see any minute now." I walk over to the bed of the truck and jump up facing the view.

"It's kind of strange that your friend got lost picking you up from school and thought it would help to drive through the woods." I laugh while asking for an explanation.

"Yeah, well my friends aren't the smartest people." He joked as he put one of his feet up on the edge of the bed.

"Do you come here a lot?"

"I do quite a lot. It's a great place to clear your head when you have a lot going on. It's a good place to escape to." I felt like he was hiding from a lot more than what he was willing to share, but I was not going to push him for more. It is just a shock that I am here in the first place. "Ok. It is about to get better."

I took my attention away from him and looked back over the edge. Nothing seemed any different than what it had looked like 10 minutes ago. The airport that was a short drive from our school had just dispatched an airplane that was taking off the runway. Not much time later, the plane was flying over the place where we were sitting. The overlook was so high that the plane seemed close enough to touch. The car shook as the plane passed directly over us. I looked over at Logan who was already looking at me waiting to see how I would respond to the miracle moment that had just unfolded in front of us. I smiled and shook my head. This place was as close to heaven as it could get and I was more than happy to be here.

"This place is amazing." I said still in disbelief that something so beautiful could exist in such a place I thought was only busy and ugly. He smiled and laid back in the bed of his truck. We remained silent, but the silence wasn't awkward. Any awkwardness could be masked by the beautiful life picture painted right in front of us. At least 20 minutes pass by before he sits back up and looks over the overlook before jumping down from the bed. "We should probably head back to the school and sneak back in before they realize you, Ms. goodie-two-shoes, was ever gone." He smiled at me as I jumped down and he slammed the gate shut.

"I am not a goodie-two-shoes!" I fight with a smile. He returns the smile and walks on the opposite side of the truck and jumps into the driver's seat. I climb back into the passenger's seat and he starts the loud engine. "Did you buy this car like this?" I asked.

"No. My grandfather bought this truck two years ago before he was diagnosed with cancer. Afterwards he gave it to me. I try and customize everything on it."

"I'm sorry." I say without thinking.

"Sorry that I customize my truck?" He asks knowing darn well what I am actually referring to.

"No I meant I'm sorry about your grandfather being diagnosed with cancer."

"Oh, that old fart is doing just fine! He won't let any little cancer keep him down." He laughed. I smiled and let out a small laugh to his easy reference to a serious situation.

"Do you skip school often?"

"No, this is the first time I've skipped an actual class on purpose."

"Oh." I am not really sure what to say.

"Surprised?" He asks. "I'm not all bad."

"I didn't mean it that way. You flew out that back door like you've done it a few times."

"It's not hard. You just push the bar with both hands and it opens." He jokes. Before I can realize what I am doing I swat his arm and let out a tricked snark. I pull my arm back in as soon as I realize that I had just swatted at him. I cannot believe I just did that. I hope he doesn't think that it was rude or weird. I feel the wheels pop down off the curb and the smooth road below the tires. "Don't tell anyone about the overlook." He softly demands.

"It's our little secret."

He looks over at me and smiles. "Good. Let's keep it that way." He places his eyes back onto the road in front of us.