Chapter 21

The last time I was even this far out of town had been the night Alyssa and I decided we wanted to skinny dip in Lover's Lake, a sad excuse of a puddle about a mile from Lover's Land. It had reminded me of a horror film or maybe even Jaws, which we both joked about while wading in the gross, dark pond water. It hid our rebelling bodies well and it had freaked me out because I couldn't see what was under me.

It had been a pretty exhilarating night until Danny and Ryan had figured out where we were and stole our clothing. That had been an interesting night home. And they knew I was afraid of the dark.

But glancing over at the person beside me made all my worries fade away.

Most of his injuries have faded from a pungent purple to a tauny yellow. He no longers grimaces when he moves. It only took a few weeks.

"If I remember right there's a sign that says Private Property right before the road ends. You can pull onto that road and then park in one of the fields," Nate instructs. "Don't