I glance over at my hat and orange backpack sitting on the ground loaded with everything I’m gonna need for this upcoming sister hike. I’ve done everything I can to prep for my giant sister-bonding-trip-plan-that-I-will-turn-into-a-new-comedy-set pitch.

Zarar and I are perched next to each other on the slackline we’ve been playing around with in our free time. I didn’t know what slacklining was till this past week. It’s basically tightrope walking with much lower stakes—tie a three-inch-thick bungee-cord-like thing to two trees, three feet off the ground, and try to walk across it. Get fancy if you want to.

I’ve made an effort to keep things more surface level between us these past couple of days. It’s weird hanging around someone who knows all my shit. Unnerving. Who knows when something I’ve let slip is going to come back around and be used against me. It’ll be nice to be free of that. Zarar’s really grown on me in a lot of dangerous ways. It’s definitely time to pull the plug.

“Thanks for getting up super early for one last hang.” I lean into his shoulder. “It was grand.”

He shifts so he can really catch my eyes. “I wish we could spend more time together.”

I grin. “You’re so weirdly straightforward. I’ll treasure the mems, Z. Slacklining, sitting by the fire, drowning and being brought back from the brink of death. Thanks for those.”

He studies me quietly as we micro-bounce on this taut cord. “You’re welcome.”

“What’s next for you, Zarar? What’s the verdict on this job … park rangerdom? Is this for you or are you off to try a new profession?”

“It’s not quite my passion. I’m off to try something new.”

I brighten. “What’s up next?”

“I’m going to test out the entertainment industry. I’ve got two part-time jobs lined up. I’ll be dabbling in acting and producing.”

Producing?

“Wow, acting and … producing what?” Don’t say movies.

“Producing music. I’ve got an internship.”

I blow out a tiny breath of relief. “Damn, I love how wide of a net you’re casting with this passion quest.”

He gives me the smallest of sideways smiles. “Thank you. I’m enjoying it.”

I look over my shoulder in the direction of the cafeteria. “I have to head to the trails if I’m going to be on time for the top-secret sister mission I have to tackle before we all head off today.” I twist back toward Zarar. “I guess this is peace out.”

“Can you leave me your number?”

“Z, now I get to be the one that got away.” I rise off the slackline to stand in front of him. “We can’t ruin that, dude. I can’t be the one who got away if we exchange numbers.”

He shrugs. “Can’t we be friends?”