I couldn’t think of any, and we both sat there for a little while, silent. “Well maybe you will do it alone, and it will all work out. And someday, maybe this will be an amazing story to tell to your kids. Like the kind of story you read about in books or see in movies.”

“Yeah, maybe,” said Jasper, though she didn’t sound convinced.

“And if that’s true,” I said, “maybe this is actually all a weird kind of fate. You know? You struck out on your own and began an incredible journey.”

“What do you mean?” asked Jasper.

“I don’t know. Like, all that stuff happened to you, and it’s terrible for sure. But if it hadn’t happened, and you hadn’t left your sister’s house, then you wouldn’t have come here, and discovered the Vine Realm, and we wouldn’t have met. And who knows where this will all end? So in a way . . . it’s good that those things happened. You know what I mean?”

Jasper didn’t answer at first. She just stared at me.

“No, Leah,” Jasper finally said. “No, I don’t know what you mean, not even a little bit.” The look on her face was one I hadn’t seen before, and her voice was cold. “Are you serious? You think maybe it’s a good thing that my mom is a raging alcoholic and my sister will be smacked around for the rest of her life? Just so we can hang out in this old house and paint a wall?”

“No!” I said. “No, I just . . . I didn’t mean it like that. I wasn’t saying it’s a good thing exactly. I meant . . .” I didn’t know how to explain it. “I just meant I’m glad we’re friends. That’s all. I’m glad I met you.”

“Well, sure!” said Jasper. “But by your logic, it’s also a good thing that you ignored your brother when he needed you at the lake, so he could drown, and you’d be alone this summer, and we’d meet and eat pickles together. Is that what you meant?”

I felt myself go numb. My body shuddered. Briefly, I thought I might hit Jasper. Not on purpose. But it was as though my hands would suddenly just leap up on their own.

“I . . . I . . . I . . .” I couldn’t find the words.

Jasper sat back. “I shouldn’t have said that,” she said in a whisper. “It was too much. I’m sorry. I lost my temper. I shouldn’t have . . .”

I stood up from the mattress. “I think I need to go home now.”

“Leah, don’t—”

“No,” I said. “I see what you mean. You’re right. It’s not a good thing. It’s not a good thing at all.”

I slid my shoes on.

“Leah, wait,” said Jasper. “Please?”