“I’ll take the rear,” I said, not wanting Stephanie to lag behind, a tendency of hers while on hikes. It often put a considerable distance between her and the rest of the group, and in kayaks going downstream on a river, it wouldn’t be easy for me to backtrack to check on her. Sure enough, she was lingering on the bank, her purple sleeping bedroll clutched in her arms, her brows pulled tight together as she stared at the rushing water. I gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You alright?” I asked her, brows raised. She’d been apprehensive about kayaking, but I was proud of her for pushing
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