The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon

Author:Kekla Magoon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2009-11-18T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

WHEN I WALKED OUT OF SCHOOL the next day, Maxie was waiting for me. The schoolyard noise and chatter around us seemed louder than ever. The world suddenly felt so much bigger than the two of us.

“I missed you at breakfast,” Maxie said. “The meeting was incredible last night, wasn’t it?” Her eyes shone as she gazed up at me. She grabbed my hand.

“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. “Pretty amazing.” I’d barely slept all night, for thinking about everything that was happening. I was more confused than I’d ever been.

“Ready to go?” Maxie tugged my hand.

I pulled my fingers free. I hated to do it, but I had no choice. About anything, it seemed. “I can’t walk with you today.”

“Why not?” Her eyebrows dropped into a V when she frowned.

“I’m in trouble. I have to go straight home.”

Maxie moved closer to me. “What happened?”

I stepped back. “My dad found out.”

“What did he say?” She tipped her head back, gazing at me so openly that I longed to pour the truth right into her. I wanted to hug her close and tell her everything. She could take it. Looking at her, I knew she could carry the weight of the world and still walk tall. It was me who was weak.

“I can’t really go into it right now. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Tomorrow, then.” Maxie smiled, but the light didn’t reach her eyes as they searched my face.

“Sure,” I said, moving away.

“Sam?” Maxie called. She motioned me back. “Is everything okay?”

“Fine.” I kissed her cheek. My lips held on as long as I could let them. Maxie fixed her deep gaze on me. She didn’t believe me. I walked away quickly, before I had to lie to her again.

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