When Terry and Kel Coleman run from their abusive father, they end up in Denver. The day they arrive, they meet three street kids named Rudy, Snap, and Josie. The brothers move into the trio's squat where Rudy and the others teach Terry and Kel the ins-and-outs of survival on the streets. While that happens, Terry and Rudy are drawn to each other and begin a tentative relationship.<br><br>Then Kel is almost kidnapped by a man sent by his father to bring him home. Forced to leave their squat to keep Kel safe, they turn to a local pastor for help. Thanks to the pastor, the five young people may find hope for their future -- if they can survive the present. In the process, can the budding relationship between Terry and Rudy survive, or will it be torn apart by the life they're forced to live?

Surviving

When they got to Golden and asked the bus driver how to get to the start of Lariat Loop, he shook his head. “You planning on hiking up it?”


“Good luck to you.” The driver pointed up at the clear sky. “Hope you have plenty of sunscreen, and umbrellas. The forecast for this afternoon is heavy showers.”


“As long as there’s no lightening, we’re good.”


The driver chuckled. “Don’t count on that. This isColorado.” Then he told them how to get where they were going.


“This isn’t so bad,” Kel said as they started up the gentle incline at the beginning of the road. Twenty minutes late he was singing a different tune when he looked over the guard rail after the first set of switchbacks and saw Golden down below them, looking like something built for a model railroad. Half a mile later it vanished from sight, hidden behind the hills. Looking down again, he said, “We were just down there,” pointing to the road several hundred yards below them.


Chapter 20