Boy from the Woods (9781311684776) Read Online Free PDF Page A

small rucksack. Some clean
clothes were sitting next to her water bottle, so she could freshen
up at her grandmother’s house after her run. And last but not
least, her final report card. Her gran hadn’t even seen her
graduation marks yet.
    All her grades were good, but Julia was most pleased
with her final results in Music Education. She scored the highest
mark of her year for that elective because of the song she
composed. If only Michael knew it was written for him … he’d
probably laugh his head off.
    Softly, she
hummed the tune to herself, feeling
incredibly lonely for a moment as she rested her head against the
cracked bark of the tree trunk. Above her head, the leaves rustled
in the wind that suddenly picked up, as if the forest was
responding to her by singing back. Somewhere in the distance, a
bird chirped.
    After a few
minutes of reminiscing, Julia decided her break was over. She jumped to her feet and stretched her legs,
putting the water bottle away. The muscles in her legs felt warm
and taut after stretching. Light-footed, she cut back through the
trees to continue along the dirt road running through the woods,
reaching the edge of the forest close to Eichet after fifteen
minutes. The main road leading to the village was deserted. Julia
stuck to the middle, her sneakers hitting the asphalt like a
peaceful mantra. In the heat of the late June morning, she could
feel the slick sweat on her skin, vigor coursing through her body.
This was just what she needed. Running always revitalized her after
she’d spent too much energy on everyday worries, and lately, people
had been sucking up her energy far too much.
    Michael telling her, I’ll see you soon. Her father’s voice mixing in with Michael’s
words: I’ll come and visit
you girls as often as I can . People
promising her things without meaning a single word.
    Her best
friend Gaby was a breath of fresh air in that respect. She was
always completely hones t, not bothering
to beat around the bush. When Julia and Gaby met in high school,
Gaby had already been in the habit of wearing strange outfits,
carrying around a black backpack decorated with Placebo and Nirvana
patches for a school bag, despite the teachers’ rebukes.
    “I don’t mind
sitting next to you,” Gaby had declared
to a bashful Julia on their first day of school. She’d plunked her
old, tattered backpack down on the seat next to Julia’s. “You’re
the only real person around here.”
    “How – how do you know?” Julia had asked, a bit taken
aback.
    “Your eyes
tell me you’re not that fond of people. So you don’t bother lying
to them either. You’re not a fake.”
    Julia had
immediately felt protected by Gaby’s extravagant and rebellious
behavior in class. Later, Gaby had told her that she felt safe
around Julia because she exuded such peace and tranquility. Gaby’s
parents were loud and extroverted people with a wide circle of
friends, who didn’t have a lot of time to spend with their two
daughters. Tamara had adapted, playing the good, oldest daughter
who was never a burden to her parents, and Gaby had dug her heels
in and decided to dress just like the rock stars she adored and her
parents abhorred. Despite that, Tamara and Gaby got along very
well.
    Julia
turned into her gran’s street and caught
sight of her grandmother waiting for her in the front
yard.
    “Faster, Julia,” she called out. “Tea’s
getting cold!”
    Her mom and sister had come by bike and were in the
living room with tea and slices of ginger cake. Julia kissed her
grandma on the cheek as she barreled inside, kicking off her
sneakers in the hallway.
    “Just gonna freshen up,” she panted, taking
the stairs two steps at a time. The water from the shower heated up
quickly, so it only took her ten minutes to wash up and get back
down for her own share of tea and cake.
    “Any plans
for the summer?” Gran inquired curiously.
“You have three months off, after all.”
    Julia shrugged.