“Doing okay, sweetie?” Mom asked, taking his hand.

Josh slid his hand away and managed to nod. Don’t cry, he told himself. He knew if he started crying it would be hard to stop.

“Why don’t you open Holly’s present?” Mom said.

Josh took a deep breath, then turned and lifted the box from the back seat. He’d figured it was a nature book or something. But the box was very light. He untied the ribbon, took off the lid, and stared in shock at the long, dried-out … thing … lying on a bed of tissue.

“Is that a dirty sock?” Mom asked, glancing over but quickly turning her focus back to the road.

“It’s King’s snake skin,” Josh said with a little laugh. He shook his head as he pictured his cousin putting it in this box, tying it with a bow. Only Holly would give him such a … different kind of present.

“Oh my,” Mom said, making a face.

Josh put the lid back on and set the box on the floor. He’d figure out some nice way to give it back to Holly when she came for Thanksgiving.

But as they drove slowly along that endless road, Josh thought of how hard it had been for King Kong to shed that skin. He pictured King’s new skin, green and gold and glistening.

And it slowly came to Josh, why Holly had given him the present. What it meant. He thought back to the morning of the fire, when Holly had found him sitting alone in the woods. She’d told him about losing her dad, and how much she’d hated having to move. How tough it had been to start over. She’d said it was like shedding her skin.

And now Josh would have to shed his.

Maybe he and Holly weren’t so different after all.

Josh sat for a while longer, thinking. And then Mom’s purse started to buzz.

“Your phone!” Mom said. “I forgot I charged it for you. We must have service now.”

Josh fished his phone out — it was going crazy with texts!

From Greg.

From Dad.

From his coach and the guys on his team.

When are you coming back?

We miss you!

Get well!

Josh’s heart rose up. He answered Greg first.

Coming home tonight!

Then Dad.

Can’t wait to see you.

Josh sent a few more texts and put his phone into his pocket. He picked up the shoebox and opened it again. He looked at the snake skin and smiled to himself.

Greg was going to freak when he saw it! And Dad would think it was pretty cool, too, especially after Josh explained why Holly had given it to him.

Josh put the snake skin away and grabbed a muffin, then a brownie, then a cookie. He looked out the window, more intently now. They weren’t out of the fire area yet. The forest was still burned. But for the first time, Josh noticed that there were some trees still standing. Strong trees that had somehow made it through the fire.

He put his hand on Mom’s and looked at the long and curving road ahead. He leaned back in his seat.

They still had a ways to go, he knew. But they’d make it.