Page 15 of One of Them Girls

“Great. Now that we have that settled, how about telling me where we are going?”

“Nice try. It’s not a long drive. We will be there soon.”

“How’s rooming with Jack?” she asks.

“Good, I like him. He’s a good dude. Do you like your roommate?” I trail off.

“Rebecca.” She nods. “She’s one of my best friends. We grew up together. Like spending every weekend together at one of our houses. So it made sense when we came to the same college. We knew we could live together without jeopardizing our relationship.”

“What about Mara? She said she was your best friend, right?” I ask.

“Her mom and mine are best friends, so we grew up together. But I’m closer to Rebecca.”

“That’s cool. I moved so much that I never really got to build relationships like that.” I shift uncomfortably in my seat.

“Yeah, but I bet you’ve been to some pretty cool places.”

“I have,” I say thoughtfully.

“Well, don’t hold back now,” she teases, making me laugh.

I launch into telling her about Paris, England, Dubai, and more. One story after another. Describing each place. From the people, the food, and the culture.

I watch how the plains turn into valleys, then rock cliffs, and into desolate mountains.

Wouldn’t want to get lost out here.

“Here we are. Welcome to Guadalupe Mountains National Park.”

“I’ve never heard of this place,” I murmur to myself.

“I don’t think most people know about it unless they are from Texas.” She shrugs. “Come on, let’s grab our packs.” Cassi hops out of the car, popping the trunk. I follow, looking around.

“It’s so dry.”

“That’s why we have plenty of water, city boy.” Cassi smirks. “Here, try these on.” She points to a pair of boots in the trunk.

“Where are we hiking?” I ask, ignoring her jest. Grabbing the boots, I open the back door of her car and slip off my shoes, trading them for the boots.

“We are going up to Guadalupe Peak,” she says sliding her pack into place. “How do the boots feel?”

“I should be good,” I say, standing, testing the boots out. “How high?”

“It’s a little under nine thousand feet above sea level. We should be good.”

Shutting the door, I grab the second pack, tossing it onto my back. “Lead the way.” I wave, letting her walk in front of me.

* * *

Cassi

I don’t know what I was thinking when I invited Xavier to hike with me. I’m attracted to him, which should be my first red flag. I don’t need to be getting into any more complicated relationships.

My second red flag? He’s actually funny. He’s kind and considerate. He’s what I would normally look for in a man.

Maybe that’s why I’m gravitating toward him. He makes me feel things I haven’t felt in a while. He makes me feel more like the old me. He makes me feel like I’m more than this one event in my life.

A pang in my chest hits me as I watch him pull Ryan’s old hiking boots on. Ryan liked to hike with me. I haven’t had the urge to bring anyone else with me since he passed. Even though Jared hiked with us from time to time, I couldn’t bear going with him now.

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