Page 61 of Losing the Rhythm

“What were you doing out here?” I asked.

“Driving. Paxon lets me borrow his car and I drive around. Don’t stop anywhere in particular, with no destination in mind. Helps me think.”

“I haven’t really given that a thought,” I admitted. “Usually, I just resort to picking at notes on my guitar or piano.”

“Well, I hope you enjoy this enough to give it a try. Seeing life all around, that things keep moving forward, people keep living, it helps put things in perspective for me.”

Justin would have needed a lot of perspective after his past. Due to his father’s negligence, he had lost his baby sister. Out of fury, his father blamed him, and began abusing him and his mother, until one day, his mother wasn’t able to get back up again. Justin went to the hospital while his dad went to prison. Another person just like me, all too familiar with violence and the darker side to the world.

“If you want, you can take a nap. We still have about an hour’s drive.”

“I can’t do that to you.”

“I don’t mind,” he said. “You look exhausted and this is supposed to be a friendate.”

I groaned. “You’re using that term too.”

“We all agreed that it’s the term we’ll use. And it explains this perfectly. We want you to have fun and be relaxed. You don’t look like you’re having too much fun. More like you’re going to pass out on me. So get some sleep.”

“I’d rather not,” I said, making sure he knew not to push this further. The last thing I wanted to do was wake up screaming while Justin was driving. I’d already been in enough car crashes after the Ryker gang ran Seth and me off the road a few weeks ago.

“Okay.” Justin was kind enough to leave it at that.

Eventually, Justin turned off the highway, and we began weaving through hilly roads.

“Almost there?” I asked.

“You’ll see the pond in a couple minutes. We have to drive part way around it.”

True to his word, the trees cleared up enough for me to see the pond. There were even parking lots filled with cars. And we drove past a welcome center.

“There are a bunch of hiking trails around here,” Seth explained. “But we won’t go to those. Not this time at least, but maybe in the future. There are some good sights in the mountains. There’s a huge picnic area too, and a large park. We’re going to the park.”

Justin pulled into a smaller parking lot than the ones that we passed and managed to squeeze himself between a van and a truck.

While he dug in the back, I got out, trying to see more of the area, but there was a thin line of trees between the parking lot and the field on the other side that seemed to be the spot. Laughter filled the air, but it didn’t feel overcrowded.

“Ready?” Justin asked. He held a bookbag that looked completely full.

“What’s in there?”

“Comfort and snacks. Let’s go claim our spot before all the good ones are gone. I think we’re here early enough for a Sunday. People are still tied up with church.”

“I’m assuming church isn’t your thing?”

“It’s a bit hard for me to believe in a religion,” he said softly. “I respect that Paxon and his family go, and sometimes Toby will go. But for me, it’s…” Justin didn’t seem to know what to say.

“Feels unbelievable to believe in some greater power when we’ve been dealt the hands we were given.”

Justin stared at me for a moment before nodding. “Exactly. Come on. Let’s enjoy this good weather before the cold rain comes.”

I groaned, thinking about the weather. October was always filled with cold rain, and once in a great while, even some snow could fall. We had gotten a little bit of snow last year toward the end of October, not that it stuck. It was gone just as quickly as it came.

“It’s a rare day to have so much sun,” I said. “Need me to carry anything?”

“Nope. I got it all.” He grabbed my hand and led the way. “Your only job today is just to relax, absorb all that vitamin D, and enjoy yourself.”

“Sounds easy to me,” I said with a smile, more than happy to do just that.

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