Chapter 60: A New Chapter on the Map

As the truck accelerated smoothly down the open highway toward the sparkling skyline of Austin gleaming in the distance, James reached down and affectionately tapped the corner of the dashboard where their old childhood map rested securely beneath the clear plastic folder. Lily smiled brightly, pulling a fresh, blank notebook from her canvas satchel to write the very first sentence of an entirely new chapter- not just as best friends playing by the creek, but as partners ready to map out the rest of the world together.