This version of myself doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, and likely never will, but maybe the old one did. I might never know. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter, because nothing will ever happen between us. The person I am now wouldn’t do that to her sister.

“Anyway, I want you to know that before everything, I was your friend. And I’m still your friend.”

When I look up, his face is kind.

“I’m here if you need me,” he finishes.

“Thank you,” I reply, my voice soft. His offer confirms the gut feeling I had about him the day I came home from the hospital—the belief that I had someone in my corner, someone I could trust. I haven’t had that feeling with a lot of people since my return, and I wonder if I’ve always felt that way. Even so, he can’t be that person anymore.

Before the awkwardness of the situation has a chance to fully sink in, he places his hands on his legs, preparing to stand. “Are you ready to keep going?”

I nod eagerly, wanting to put the conversation behind us, and he helps me back to my feet before we continue down the trail. The path begins to incline upward slightly, but I have no idea where it’s leading. I glance at him again, catching the troubled look on his face.

“What are my interests?” I ask with a sigh.

“What?”

“What do I like to do?”

Parker’s shoulders relax visibly and his face softens. “You’re a great actress,” he tells me.

“Really?”

“Oh yeah,” he continues. “I’ve been told the school’s theater program would be garbage without you. I think you’ve starred in nearly every production.”

“Huh,” I say.

When I think about it, it’s really not that surprising. I must’ve been quite the actress if I could kiss my sister’s boyfriend and get away with it. But I don’t think that’s something worth celebrating.

I stop short, noticing a faint rushing sound in the distance for the first time. “What is that?”

“We’re almost there, come on.”

The path narrows again as the sound grows louder, and I concentrate on my footsteps, ending up a few paces behind him. We walk this way for a while until he stops abruptly, and I nearly crash into his back.

The noise has reached its peak, and I look up slowly, locating the source. A waterfall stands proudly before us, and I feel foolish for not recognizing the sound earlier. The sight of the water descending is breathtaking, deep-green trees meshing with pale-blue water, and it’s almost like an optical illusion.