Chapter 36I followed my best friend through dense woods to a clearing where I found the fuzzy outline of Rocco’s silhouette sitting on the roof an abandoned building at the edge of a pinecone strewn path.
Keeping my distance, I watched Rocco from behind a tree, my nerves vibrating from the heated exchange at the footbridge and the steep hike through the woods. A branch snapped beneath my foot, and I stepped out from behind a row of towering pine trees.
Rocco turned and noticed me. He didn’t respond.
I continued toward him, twenty feet ahead, pine needles crunching underfoot.
At the edge of the derelict, moss-covered building, I stared up at him, speechless. I waited until he spoke, but he never did.
“Roc, I’m sorry for what I said back there. I only want what’s best for you.”
“How do
