Page 64 of More To Us

"So where are we going?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"Well, what should I wear? Something casual or should I dress up?"

He thinks for a moment. "Casual. It's really nice out so I'm thinking we should do something outside. You up for that?"

"Yeah, that sounds great."

"Then I'll see you soon."

I go inside to get ready. I love doing outdoor stuff so I'm glad he suggested that. Movies or dinner are okay dates, but they can get old after a while. And when the weather's nice, I like being outside. My parents are outdoor people too, and they like being active, so my brothers and I grew up hiking, canoeing, kayaking, rock-climbing, biking. We did all that stuff, until I hurt my leg. Then I couldn't do those things so my family didn't either. They didn't want me feeling left out.

At least now, they're doing that stuff again but they went almost a whole year before they would. And then they did modified versions so that I could participate. My parents were just trying to be nice, but making the whole family accommodate me like that made me feel guilty.

At three-thirty Austin calls me again. "You know how to rollerblade?"

"Yeah, but I don't have my rollerblades here."

"What size do you wear?"

"Seven or seven and a half."

"Awesome. Same as Ivy. She has a pair you could borrow. I'll stop by and get them on my way over."

"Are you sure? I don't even know this girl. Maybe she doesn't want me using her rollerblades."

"She won't care. She never uses them. But if you don't want to do this, we'll do something else."

I want to do it but I hesitate because of my leg. But I think it'll be fine. It hasn't bothered me all day, despite my workout this morning. And my physical therapist used to always tell me that staying active will continue to strengthen my leg, so this will actually be good for me.

"I'm up for rollerblading," I tell him. "It sounds fun."

"Then I'll get the skates and be over there soon."

He shows up just after four and takes me to a park that has a paved trail that goes on for miles. It winds through the trees and comes out by a lake, then circles back to the parking lot.

"You sure you want to go the whole way?" he asks.

We've only gone a couple miles and have a lot more to go, but I feel great. It's warm and sunny and being active like this makes me feel like my old self again. Before the accident, if I wasn't doing gymnastics, I'd be out biking or running or rollerblading. Even in winter, I spent a lot of time outdoors.

"Why wouldn't I want to keep going?" I ask, racing past him.

He catches up to me. "It's a long ways. I just wanted to make sure you weren't getting bored."

"Bored? I love it. It's more fun than going to the movies. Not that I don't like movies. I'm just someone who has trouble sitting still for too long. I like to be active."

"I'm the same way. So you want to do the whole loop? It'll probably take an hour to finish."

"Not if I race you." I take off, the breeze whooshing past me. The trail is mostly empty except for a few runners and bikers here and there.

"Kira, wait up," Austin yells from behind me.

But I keep going, even faster than before. We're in an area surrounded by trees, and as we round a curve I see a squirrel run out on the trail. I swerve to avoid him, which makes me lose my balance and I stumble forward and almost fall.

"I got ya," Austin says, grabbing me from behind.

We're both stopped now and I turn around in his arms. "Thanks."

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