Delia’s foot found that rock, and she pressed until she could feel the edge through the bottom of her shoe. She wanted to say she wasn’t sure if they’d be breaking any ValleyStart rules and that she couldn’t be tossed out of the program because her whole plan of helping her parents save their theater relied on her not just being in the program but excelling in the program. She wanted to say she’d never walked in a city without an adult’s supervision and even if Eric was technically an adult because he was eighteen that wasn’t the same thing and what if they got lost or missed the bus back or—

And then he took her hand.

And all she said was, “Okay.”

*   *   *

Which she came to regret with . . . each . . . huff . . . and . . . puff  . . . up . . . this . . . godforsaken . . . “hill.”

This city needed a pulley system. With each street they climbed, Delia lost more and more feeling in her toes. Which maybe she could tolerate if Eric’s long, soft fingers were still entwined with hers, but he’d only held on long enough to encourage her to start this trek up Mount Everest.

The sightseeing so far had mostly been of cement as Delia carefully watched her every step. Her occasional upward glances caught boarded storefronts that transitioned into empty storefronts and finally some actual storefronts. Though now closed, the shops sold things like fair-trade clothing and gourmet coffee and organic dog food—sometimes all in the same place. Scattered in between were a few restaurants with stark white tables, light fixtures that looked like artichokes, and plants cascading down from living walls. Most of it cool, all of it requiring more funds than she had to enjoy.

They approached the corner just as the traffic light turned red and Delia gave a silent thanks. “Maybe we should turn back?”

“Just a little farther.” Eric’s breaths were also labored, which made Delia feel better. “I promise it’ll be worth it.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

The light changed and the hand signal beckoned them forward. Though Eric had slowed his pace, Delia’s thighs still screamed.

“You never said how your app’s going,” Delia said. “Did you settle on a name yet?”

“EatSafe,” he said.

Eric’s team was developing an app that tracked and rated restaurants on their ability to handle food allergies. They were hoping to incorporate a feature that facilitated easy communication between restaurants and patrons, since those cooking at home adapted recipes and used workarounds every day.

“EatSafe,” Delia said. “That’s good.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded.