“That does sound bad.” From the way her voice cracked I could tell that she was crying now too. “I just don’t get it because I would have never done anything like that to you.” She sniffled a few times before continuing. “You were my best friend. This summer without you has been horrible, but I have more respect for myself than to allow you to treat me like you did.”
I nodded, but then remembered she couldn’t see me. “I know. I’m just so sorry for how I hurt you. If there was one thing I could change, it would be that. I never meant to hurt you, I just wasn’t thinking about the consequences of my actions. I wasn’t thinking at all. I was selfish.” I could practically picture her on the other line, clutching the phone to her ear, her brown eyes glistening and her face scrunched up. For someone so pretty, she had the worst crying face ever. One time in third grade she had started crying at recess and everyone made fun of her for weeks afterwards, calling her “E.T.” because of the way her face wrinkled and scrunched up when she cried.
“You were. All summer I’ve been wondering how you could’ve done something like that to me.”
“I’ve been wondering the same thing.” I wanted to tell her everything. Tell her about my eating disorder and the wellness camp and Dr. Gower, but I didn’t want it to seem like I wanted her pity or that I was making an excuse for what I did. So instead, I just didn’t say anything.
A long silence passed between us before I spoke again. “I’m sorry, India. I ruined our friendship and I understand if you can’t ever forgive me, but I needed you to know how sorry I am. I regret what I did more than anything and I can’t go a day without thinking about it or about you. You were the best friend anyone could ever hope for, and I hope someone else gets a chance to see that as well.” Tears still stained my face and dripped from my chin, but I was done crying now.
India blew out a slow breath of air. “I accept your apology, and I appreciate you calling to say sorry, but I’m not ready to forgive you yet. I need more time. Maybe one day, but not now. I’m sorry,” she murmured, just before the call disconnected.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and just stared at it for a moment. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I had actually called and apologized. Yes, she hadn’t forgiven me, but at least she knew I was sorry. There was even hope of her forgiving me in the future, and no matter how tiny that sliver of hope was it was enough for me. I hung up the phone and turned around. Standing near one of the cabins was Becca and Jess. They were talking animatedly for a moment until Jess noticed me and pointed me out to Becca.
Becca looked over at me and, noticing that I had been crying, instantly came to see what was wrong. Using my shirt, I dabbed at my wet eyes and wiped my face in hopes that it would make me look a little more presentable.
“Hey, Abs. You all right?” She asked as she approached. I could see Jess still standing by the cabin, watching us in curiosity.
I had been fine, at least I was until Becca asked if I was all right. At her words, I dissolved into a puddle of tears almost instantly.
“Hey, hey. Whatever it is, it’s going to be okay.” Becca stepped forward and pulled me into her arms, letting me rest my head on her shoulder as I cried. I don’t know how long we stood like that, but when Becca finally pulled away, Jess was gone and my tears had dried up again.
“Well, now that I know better than to ask if you’re okay, I’ll just assume that you are.” She flashed me a little smile, trying to make me laugh, but I wasn’t in the mood. I just was glad that I had someone I could call a friend who didn’t hate me or think I was a horrible person. Although, that might change if she knew what I’d done.
“Come on. I just thought of something fun we can do that’ll take your mind off of whatever you’re thinking about right now. Hopefully doing something exciting will cheer you up.” She stepped away from me and gestured for me to follow. We were heading in the direction of Faith Bridge.
“Where are we going?” I asked, sniffling. I dried my face again, making a little pact with myself that that would be the last time I cried—at least for today.
Becca glanced at me, her eyes twinkling in excitement as she said, “To the caves! I’m sure we can convince Emmy and Mia to take us free of charge. Won’t that be fun? Then afterwards we can go back to the waterfall and relax. Sound good?”
I nodded. It did sound like fun, and I hadn’t been to the caves yet.
“Great.” Becca looped her arm through mine. She was so excited she was practically bouncing on her toes as we walked to the research center. “Hopefully Mia brought her dog to the center today. He’s a rescue Gage found. I want to take him and keep him in my cabin with me, he’s so cute.”
I knew Becca was trying to take my mind off of things, but as we walked and she talked about Mia’s new German Shepherd, all I could think about was India and how I was ready to move on with my life and forgive myself even if she wasn’t yet.
Chapter 10
Trail Views
As soon as the sunlight filtered in through the window above my bed, I was up. All night I had been tossing and turning, and when daylight finally came and the sun peaked over the mountains, I couldn’t be happier. Peyton was still asleep in her bed, snoring softly. When we first got to camp she was the early riser, and now I was waking up even earlier than she was. I contemplated waking her up and dragging her to Faith Bridge with me, but then I had a change of heart. There was something else I wanted to do that I hadn’t done in so long. I hadn’t even realized I missed it until now.
Smiling to myself, I hurried to my little dresser and pulled out a pair of running shorts and a t-shirt. Once I had brushed my teeth, slipped on my shoes, and filled my water bottle up in the sink, I was ready to go. Stepping out into the peaceful mountain air sent a jolt of energy through me. The birds were alive in the trees, squawking and chattering about the new day. I listened to the sounds of nature around me as I walked through the center of camp, heading toward the Morning Glory hiking trail. Once I reached the start of the trail, I started running.
With my legs stretched out before me and my arms pumping at my sides, I quickly fell into a rhythm. The wind whistled past as I followed the worn down trail. Running was the perfect way to quiet my thoughts, something I had needed direly. Making my way through the woods on such a beautiful day, I wanted nothing more than to have my dad running alongside me. He was the one who I had gotten my natural running ability from and he was always pushing me to go faster, tempting me by the idea that one day I would actually beat him. That day never came. As I got older I no longer was interested in getting up early or hanging out with my old man, and now I regretted it. I made a pact with myself that the morning after I got home I would wake up and run with him. And maybe I’d finally beat him too.
The thought made me push myself harder. My out of shape legs cried out as I ran harder and faster than I had in far too long. Sweat dripped from my forehead and coated my body in a fine sheen. My stomach jiggled under my shirt and my arms that were pumping alongside my body wobbled too and fro, but surprisingly I didn’t care. I was just glad to be doing something that made me so happy.
I pushed myself to keep running, despite the way my lungs were constricting and my legs were burning, until I got to an area labeled, “Mountainside Overview”. Interest piqued, I walked toward the overlook and what I saw took my breath away. Just like the name had stated, the overview looked out over the mountains and gave a perfect view of the little town below it, Peak View.
From my bird’s eye view, the town looked like something out of a storybook. The buildings were pristine and immaculate, and the grass was a vibrant green. Everything was so picturesque and perfect that I didn’t feel the need to be in a hurry to leave. Finding a good place to sit where I could still see the overview, I sat down and took a long swig from my water bottle. I had debated on bringing it at first since I didn’t want to bring a bag or have to carry it while I ran, but I was glad I had it now. As I gulped down mouthfuls of water, I wat
ched over everything.
It really put things into perspective seeing how small everything was. The cars looked like toys as they scooted along the thin roads that weaved through and around the town. Everything seems so big and important when you’re down there, but from up here it wasn’t. It’s like problems. When you’re faced with one, it seems huge and unmanageable, but when you’re not related to the situation it can seem small and frivolous. What happened between me and Matty was horrible and ruined my friendship, but it wasn’t the end of the world. Life goes on.
I took one last swig from my water bottle before I stood up and headed back to the path. This time I ran slower, taking in my surroundings. I had already made plans with myself to get up tomorrow and go on another run. I wanted to go on every trail in Escape before I had to go back home. Going home seemed so far off on the first day at camp, but now it seemed like it was coming too soon; like a tidal wave crashing over me before I had a chance to get back to shore. Yeah, I missed my parents and I wanted to see them, but there were so many things I wanted to do before I left. I wasn’t willing to wait until next year to do them, even though I had already decided that I wanted to return to camp next year. My parents were going to be shocked to hear that after the fight I put up when I had to leave to come here.
I was nearing the end of the trail when I heard a car engine revving. Panting, I slowed my run to a walk and exited the woods in front of a small wooden building, that wasn’t much larger than the cabins back at camp. There was a sign out front that stated that it was the area’s ranger station. Just like I thought, there was a car pulling out of the parking lot. This was my first time on this side of town and I didn’t quite know where I was, but that didn’t stop me from walking further. I passed the ranger station and walked along side the road that the car had disappeared down until I was brought out in the center of town.
It was pretty dead this early in the morning. Unlike the first time I’d been to the town park, there were no kids playing on the playground and no parents chatting and laughing with one another on the benches. I was pretty sure it was a Saturday, which explained why there were no kids being dropped off at the daycare before their parents had to head off to work. I had been out of school for so long that the days had begun to blur into one another. I didn’t know whether it was a Monday or a Saturday unless someone told me. The only day I ever kept track of was Tuesdays, which was the day the big yellow school bus would be parked near camp, ready to take all of the screwed up campers to the hospital for therapy. And when I say, “screwed up”, I’m saying it in the nicest way possible. After all, I’m one of them.
I walked through the park, enjoying the feeling of being alone. It was nice being awake before everyone else. It was like the little town of Escape belonged solely to me. I had a long walk back to camp if I kept going in this direction, but I didn’t mind. All that mattered was that I made it back to camp in time for breakfast, and I was pretty sure I would—especially if I started running again. The idea of running would have been more appealing if I had more water left, but I was running low and the cool breeze blowing through Escape was starting to disappear.
The sun now shone high in the sky and I could feel the heat radiating down on me. As I neared the edge of the park, I finally saw the first sign of life. Entering the main square was a guy I didn’t recognize in a Jeep. He had all of his windows rolled down as he drove towards a little shop with a sign in the front labeled, “Jacob’s Collision”. When he parked and climbed out, I was surprised to see that he had a passenger in the car too. I hadn’t even noticed her at first, but now I found myself walking toward them. Mia noticed me instantly and waved as she pulled the back door of the Jeep open to let out her huge German Shepard who was barking in the back seat. Seeing the dog made me miss my Golden Retriever, Sammy. I had never been away from him for this long and I would often feel a twinge of sadness at missing him.
“Quiet, Jethro,” Mia scolded as he hopped down from the car. It was as if he had understood her, because he stopped barking right away and leaned against her leg.
“Hey,” I said awkwardly as I approached. I had hung out at the research center on multiple occasions now and had been on hikes and to the caves with her, but I had never been alone with her. Mia was really nice, but I was a little awkward the first time I was alone with someone because the conversation then relied heavily on me.
“Hey Abby! What are you doing out here so early?” Mia’s hair hung around her face as she leaned over, holding onto Jethro’s collar. The guy who had gotten out of the truck before her had headed into the shop and was now nowhere in sight.
I held up my water bottle, as if it was the explanation for why I was standing in the middle of town so early in the morning. “I went on a run. I followed the Morning Glory path and it led me here.”
Mia sat up a little straighter, still holding onto Jethro as she spoke. “Seriously? Did you get a chance to stop at the overview?”
I nodded, smiling at the thought. “Yeah. It was my first time seeing it. It was really beautiful.”
Her head bobbed up and down in agreement. “It’s one of my favorite places in Escape. It was the first hiking trail I went on when I got here actually. Part of the reason I loved it here so quickly. It just felt like home, you know?”
“I can see why. I’m annoyed that I just now saw it. I didn’t even know it existed until today. I was missing out.”
“Well, there’s still plenty of time to see everything. If you haven’t noticed, it’s a pretty small town.” She winked, making me laugh lightly. “It’s hard to believe it’s only been a little over a year since I first got here. Feels like I’ve been here my whole life.”
I lowered my eyes to Jethro who was trying to pull Mia forward so he could come to me. From the way she was wobbling and trying to pull him back, it looked like he was winning. “It’s okay if you let him go. I love dogs.”
“Are you sure? He can be a handful.”
“I’m sure,” I responded. Mia gave me a look that seemed to say, “I warned you,” before she let go. As soon as he was free, Jethro bounded toward me, practically knocking me down from the force as he leaned all of his weight against my legs and looked up, wanting to be pet. I laughed as I obliged and scratched between his ears.
“He likes you,” Mia stated. Arms crossed over her chest, she smiled as she watched me stoop down to Jethro’s level.
“I like him too.”
“He has that effect on people.” Her blue eyes widened and her tone grew serious for a moment. “Except for the mailman. He hates the mailman. I’m lucky to get my packages delivered to my door at this point.”
The idea of such a friendly dog hating anyone was laughable, but I took her word for it. I petted Jethro for another moment before I stood up again. “I should get going. If I don’t leave now I’ll never make it back to camp in time for breakfast.”
“Well, if you don’t mind waiting another moment I’m sure Gage won’t care if we give you a ride back to the camp. It’s a pretty long walk. He shouldn’t be long, he just had to drop something off for Deacon.”
I didn’t know who Deacon was, but I didn’t care. I was just happy to be getting a ride back to camp. “That would be so great.” I shook my water bottle so she could hear the little bit of liquid that was left inside. “Normally I wouldn’t mind, but I’m running low and it’s getting hot. I didn’t really come up with a plan, I just wanted to go on a run and then I ended up here.”
Mia laughed. “I get that. Trust me, I know a lot about running. Sometimes there isn’t time for proper planning.”
“You run?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. I don’t know why I was so surprised. She had a runner’s body; slim with lean muscle.
She scoffed loudly in response to my question. “Heck no. Just the idea of running makes me feel out of breath.”
“Oh.” Now I was confused. I was going to ask how she knew a lot about running if she didn’t even like running, but then Gage came
out of the shop.
Mia turned her attention to him and beckoned him over with a wave of her hand. “Hey, come meet my friend Abby.” When Gage joined us he instinctively placed a hand on Mia’s lower back. It was so natural and protective I almost swooned. “Gage, this is Abby. Abby, this is my fiancé Gage.”
I tried to control my facial expression, but I couldn’t. My eyes widened, my jaw dropped, and my eyebrows shot up at the word “fiancé”. “Fiancé? Seriously? Oh my God, congratulations. I had no idea.”
Gage laughed at my reaction, looking between Mia and me. When she didn’t explain, he did. “We were keeping it a secret until after we told our parents.”
“When did it happen?” I realized then that I sounded like a little kid, so I added, “Sorry, this is just so exciting. I’ve heard a lot about you two from the returning campers from last year. Not to sound stalker-ish or anything, but you guys are like a freaking romance novel to them.”
They laughed and Mia shook her head. “No, it’s totally okay.” She looked up at Gage longingly as she said, “He proposed under the fireworks on the Fourth of July. Right where we had our first date.”
“Wow. Jealous.” At least someone had a good Fourth of July.
Finally they were able to look away from each other. Mia nodded and smirked. “I got lucky, huh?”
I nodded, stepping forward to catch a glimpse of the ring. “Can I see it?”
“Sure.” Mia held out her delicate hand, showing off the huge rock on her ring finger. There were little diamonds embedded in the band that sparkled when they caught the light.
“It’s so pretty.”
“Thanks, my sister helped me pick it out,” Gage answered, looking smug.
Mia’s cheeks had reddened noticeably. “Well, enough about us, let’s get you to camp in time for breakfast, okay?”
I nodded as Mia turned toward Gage and told him that they were driving me back to camp before he dropped her of at work. I giggled to myself at how she told him rather than asked, and then climbed into the back seat with Jethro, who settled down and laid his head on my lap. As we headed back to camp, we talked about how I was settling into Escape and if I was coming back next summer. Sitting in the car with such sweet people, petting an adorable dog, it was strange how I’d gotten there. I couldn’t believe that I had hated it so much at first. Now I knew that coming here wasn’t a punishment. This little town nestled in the mountains with its beautiful scenery and kind townsfolk wasn’t a prison. In fact, it was quickly becoming a second home, and the thought of having to leave it soon was depressing.
Phat (Escape From Reality #2) Page 7