The group stood at the bottom of the mountain, ready to make the first step towards the top. Lizzie stared at the path. It didn't look too steep; she knew she could conquer this. She looked at the trail marker on the tree.
"3.4 miles!" She whined, "I've never even walked 3.4 miles on flat ground!"
"Come on, Lizzie, this is going to be fun," Rachel reassured her, "I wouldn't take you on this trail if I knew you all couldn't do it."
The group began walking up the trail. It was easy enough at first, just put on foot in front of the other. After a little while it was obvious that Ian was an experienced hiker, as he astutely lead the group up some of the tricky parts. Lizzie and Rachel hung in the back, making sure no one was left behind,
"So what do you think of your buddy, Ian?" Lizzie asked.
"Oh, he's a nice kid," Rachel responded, "sure knows his way around a mountain."
"I mean do you think he's cute?" Lizzie persisted.
"Lizzie! That's so..." Rachel started.
"Illegal?"
"I was going to say wrong, but yeah!" They started laughing.
"I was just joking, Rach," Lizzie said with a giggle.
"I think you're the one who likes him, McGuire," Rachel said with a wink in her eye.
"Me? Nuh-uh," Lizzie said, "come on, let's catch up to the rest of them." Lizzie bolted ahead. Lizzie did not like Ian. At least she didn't think she did. Hell, she barely knew the kid. She hadn't spoke one word to him since she met him.
"Hey Gordo," Lizzie said, coming up from behind him, "Where's...your...buddy?" Lizzie was completely out of breath from trying to catch up.
"Charlotte? I think she's up with Miranda. So, ya having fun?"
"Sure, a blast," Lizzie said, relieved that Charlotte wasn't with Gordo. She couldn't figure out why, but she really resented Charlotte. She wanted to keep her away from Gordo for as long as possible. Just then, Lizzie stepped on a loose rock, and she fell to the ground. "Crap!" Lizzie shouted.
Gordo reached down and pulled her up, making sure she was okay. Lizzie was okay, but her bag was not; it had slid down a steep hill to the right of the trail. Lizzie wished she could turn back time for 5 seconds and hold on to her bag. It's like when you knock over something really valuable, and just watch it shatter. 5 seconds ago it was whole, and if only you could turn back, you could make it stay whole forever. But the bag was down the steep embankment and it was slowly sliding and there was nothing Lizzie could do. All the other kids and Rachel were no where to be seen. Gordo and Lizzie began shouting their names.
"Where are they?" Gordo asked. "Are we that far behind, or are we really ahead?"
"I don't know! Gordo, what am I going to do? I need that bag! My camera is in it, and that cost my mom lots of money!" Lizzie said, panicking.
"I could give you my camera," Gordo offered.
"Thanks Gordo, but I need that camera. My camera. Where is Miranda? She's supposed to be my buddy!" Lizzie said frantically.
"Don't worry about that, Lizzie. She's not here, I am. And I'm going to help you." Gordo reassured her. They crouched down and began inching down the edge sideways. Slowly they made their way down, careful not to fall, going towards their goal. If they didn't make it, what would they do? Ever inching toward a goal, and never reaching it. What do you do then? Lizzie braced herself on a tree, and Gordo took a stick and tried to grab it. The leaves beneath his feet began slipping, but he held on to Lizzie. Gordo reached farther for it, and with the tip of the twig, he slipped it through the strap, and began pulling it back.
"Thank you so much Gordo!" Lizzie shouted grabbing the bag. "Now how are we going to get back up?"
"We could crawl," Gordo suggested.
"We could, I guess." Lizzie said hesitantly. They tried taking small steps up the hill, grabbing onto whatever they could-trees, weeds, seedings, and old logs. "Gordo, this isn't working!" Lizzie told him as she starting sliding farther down.
"Yeah, I know," Gordo said reluctantly, "I guess we should walk that way a little and then see if this edge gets less steep." They began walking in that direction, careful not to fall down the hill. Lizzie suddenly realized how brave Gordo had become. She even felt a little inadequate compared to him. He was so much stronger than she was emotionally. She realized how much Gordo was growing on this trip, and how she was still the same Lizzie. She wanted to figure out who she was before this trip was over. After a few minutes, the hill became less steep so they walked back up.
"Um Gordo?" Lizzie started. "Where's the trail?"
"I...don't know." Gordo said nervously.
"Oh my god! Where are we? Rachel! Miranda!" She shouted. "Gordo, have you ever been lost in the woods before? What are we going to do?"
"Lizzie, calm down. Just stay calm. Here, have a cookie," he said.
"Gordo! This is no time for cookies!"
"Come on, McGuire, take it!"
"Okay. Thanks. Well, I don't see any trail markers at all. We could go back the way we came, and see where the path went," Lizzie said calmy.
"No, look, the hill's to steep, we wouldn't be able to see up to the trail," Gordo said.
"Yeah, you're right. Let's just stay here until someone finds us," Lizzie said, sitting down next to Gordo. Lizzie looked through her bag- a camera, lip gloss, and a visor.
"That's all you brought?" Gordo said, as he emptied the contents of his bag- 2 water bottles, cookies, trail mix, a whistle, a poncho, sunscreen, matches, a throw blanket, a sweater, a change of socks, a knife, rope, and some odds and ends. "Always be prepared," Gordo said smiling.
"I guess so!" Lizzie agreed.
"It's not so bad being lost with you Lizzie," Gordo said laughing.
"Aww, Gordo, being lost with you isn't so bad either. Now why don't you give that whistle a try." Lizzie told him. He blew the whistle three times, and they waited. Within 10 minutes Lizzie started shivering.
"Cold? Here," Gordo said wrapping his blanket around the two of them. Want me to build you a fire?" Gordo joked.
"No, thanks, Gordo," Lizzie laughed. Lizzie was trying to act calm, but deep down she was incredibly scared. The only thought that was keeping her calm was the fact that Gordo was with her, and he knew what he was doing. If only Lizzie knew what she was doing.
"3.4 miles!" She whined, "I've never even walked 3.4 miles on flat ground!"
"Come on, Lizzie, this is going to be fun," Rachel reassured her, "I wouldn't take you on this trail if I knew you all couldn't do it."
The group began walking up the trail. It was easy enough at first, just put on foot in front of the other. After a little while it was obvious that Ian was an experienced hiker, as he astutely lead the group up some of the tricky parts. Lizzie and Rachel hung in the back, making sure no one was left behind,
"So what do you think of your buddy, Ian?" Lizzie asked.
"Oh, he's a nice kid," Rachel responded, "sure knows his way around a mountain."
"I mean do you think he's cute?" Lizzie persisted.
"Lizzie! That's so..." Rachel started.
"Illegal?"
"I was going to say wrong, but yeah!" They started laughing.
"I was just joking, Rach," Lizzie said with a giggle.
"I think you're the one who likes him, McGuire," Rachel said with a wink in her eye.
"Me? Nuh-uh," Lizzie said, "come on, let's catch up to the rest of them." Lizzie bolted ahead. Lizzie did not like Ian. At least she didn't think she did. Hell, she barely knew the kid. She hadn't spoke one word to him since she met him.
"Hey Gordo," Lizzie said, coming up from behind him, "Where's...your...buddy?" Lizzie was completely out of breath from trying to catch up.
"Charlotte? I think she's up with Miranda. So, ya having fun?"
"Sure, a blast," Lizzie said, relieved that Charlotte wasn't with Gordo. She couldn't figure out why, but she really resented Charlotte. She wanted to keep her away from Gordo for as long as possible. Just then, Lizzie stepped on a loose rock, and she fell to the ground. "Crap!" Lizzie shouted.
Gordo reached down and pulled her up, making sure she was okay. Lizzie was okay, but her bag was not; it had slid down a steep hill to the right of the trail. Lizzie wished she could turn back time for 5 seconds and hold on to her bag. It's like when you knock over something really valuable, and just watch it shatter. 5 seconds ago it was whole, and if only you could turn back, you could make it stay whole forever. But the bag was down the steep embankment and it was slowly sliding and there was nothing Lizzie could do. All the other kids and Rachel were no where to be seen. Gordo and Lizzie began shouting their names.
"Where are they?" Gordo asked. "Are we that far behind, or are we really ahead?"
"I don't know! Gordo, what am I going to do? I need that bag! My camera is in it, and that cost my mom lots of money!" Lizzie said, panicking.
"I could give you my camera," Gordo offered.
"Thanks Gordo, but I need that camera. My camera. Where is Miranda? She's supposed to be my buddy!" Lizzie said frantically.
"Don't worry about that, Lizzie. She's not here, I am. And I'm going to help you." Gordo reassured her. They crouched down and began inching down the edge sideways. Slowly they made their way down, careful not to fall, going towards their goal. If they didn't make it, what would they do? Ever inching toward a goal, and never reaching it. What do you do then? Lizzie braced herself on a tree, and Gordo took a stick and tried to grab it. The leaves beneath his feet began slipping, but he held on to Lizzie. Gordo reached farther for it, and with the tip of the twig, he slipped it through the strap, and began pulling it back.
"Thank you so much Gordo!" Lizzie shouted grabbing the bag. "Now how are we going to get back up?"
"We could crawl," Gordo suggested.
"We could, I guess." Lizzie said hesitantly. They tried taking small steps up the hill, grabbing onto whatever they could-trees, weeds, seedings, and old logs. "Gordo, this isn't working!" Lizzie told him as she starting sliding farther down.
"Yeah, I know," Gordo said reluctantly, "I guess we should walk that way a little and then see if this edge gets less steep." They began walking in that direction, careful not to fall down the hill. Lizzie suddenly realized how brave Gordo had become. She even felt a little inadequate compared to him. He was so much stronger than she was emotionally. She realized how much Gordo was growing on this trip, and how she was still the same Lizzie. She wanted to figure out who she was before this trip was over. After a few minutes, the hill became less steep so they walked back up.
"Um Gordo?" Lizzie started. "Where's the trail?"
"I...don't know." Gordo said nervously.
"Oh my god! Where are we? Rachel! Miranda!" She shouted. "Gordo, have you ever been lost in the woods before? What are we going to do?"
"Lizzie, calm down. Just stay calm. Here, have a cookie," he said.
"Gordo! This is no time for cookies!"
"Come on, McGuire, take it!"
"Okay. Thanks. Well, I don't see any trail markers at all. We could go back the way we came, and see where the path went," Lizzie said calmy.
"No, look, the hill's to steep, we wouldn't be able to see up to the trail," Gordo said.
"Yeah, you're right. Let's just stay here until someone finds us," Lizzie said, sitting down next to Gordo. Lizzie looked through her bag- a camera, lip gloss, and a visor.
"That's all you brought?" Gordo said, as he emptied the contents of his bag- 2 water bottles, cookies, trail mix, a whistle, a poncho, sunscreen, matches, a throw blanket, a sweater, a change of socks, a knife, rope, and some odds and ends. "Always be prepared," Gordo said smiling.
"I guess so!" Lizzie agreed.
"It's not so bad being lost with you Lizzie," Gordo said laughing.
"Aww, Gordo, being lost with you isn't so bad either. Now why don't you give that whistle a try." Lizzie told him. He blew the whistle three times, and they waited. Within 10 minutes Lizzie started shivering.
"Cold? Here," Gordo said wrapping his blanket around the two of them. Want me to build you a fire?" Gordo joked.
"No, thanks, Gordo," Lizzie laughed. Lizzie was trying to act calm, but deep down she was incredibly scared. The only thought that was keeping her calm was the fact that Gordo was with her, and he knew what he was doing. If only Lizzie knew what she was doing.