Page 10 of The Sandbar saga
"Look." He pointed. "Right in front of the log on the other side of the stream."
She searched the area, found where he pointed, and leaned forward. A white and gray rabbit sat eating grass. Squinting, she could see its nose twitching as if at any moment it would sneeze.
Wanting to get closer, she stood and tiptoed across the asphalted path. Thinking Dr. Conner would stop her, she went slowly in case he yelled at her to come back.
The rabbit lowered his head. She stepped off the path into the grass. The bunny stilled. She froze, holding her breath. The animal darted around the log and disappeared from sight.
Rejected, she returned to Dr. Conner and slumped on the bench. Nobody ever wanted to be around her. Not even a stupid rabbit.
She looked over at her new bike. Tomorrow, nobody would be around to ride with her or come and sit by the stream and wait for the deer to show up with her.
"Can we ride on the path next Tuesday?" she asked hopefully.
"Mm." He hooked his hands behind his head and looked out into the woods. "You do know your mother is paying me to talk with you at your house. We can't always play. Her hope is I can find out what holds you back from enjoying life to the fullest. Do you know what that means?"
She dragged the toe of her sneaker in the dirt underneath the bench. He was like everyone else, wanting her to act a certain way.
Tired of the adults in her life, she stood and walked away. Turning the bike around, she straddled the bar and pushed off, peddling in the direction of home.
The closer she got, the harder she worked to go faster. Her bicycle wobbled, and her handlebars almost came out of her hands. Spotting the woods at the back of the house, she braked too hard.
Her world tilted. Already ready to escape to the house, she kept her feet under her and ran. The tree branches slapped her arms. The vines across the ground snagged her shoelaces. Her chest squeezed the air out of her lungs, and she sobbed without missing a step.
He was just like everyone else. She wanted Dr. Conner to leave her alone. He could have the stupid bike back. She no longer wanted it.
Crashing into the back door leading into the kitchen, she banged on the wood with her fist. Panic filled her. She needed to get inside.
She never wanted to see Dr. Conner again.