“Definitely.”
We lapsed into pensive silence. It didn’t feel uncomfortable, but after everything that had been said between us, we both needed amoment to let the debris of our conversation settle.
“Our tree house is gone,” I said after a minute.
“Huh?”
“The tree house in San Bernardino?” I clarified. “After our fight at New Edge, I drove back to see our old house because…well, to be honest, I don’t even know why I did, but it’s gone. Whoever moved in cut the tree down.”
“Oh no! That’s so sad,” Violet exclaimed. “We had so many good memories up there. Remember when I decorated it like an Italian restaurant and pretended to be a waiter?”
I laughed. “Yeah, you made me be the customer, but the only thing I was allowed to order was spaghetti because that was all you could cook.”
“Or what about the time we convinced Mom and Dad to let us have a sleepover out there, but in the middle of the night—”
“—that raccoon scared us half to death?”
“I think we woke up half the neighborhood with our screaming.”
“We? Pretty sure it wasyourscreaming that woke everyone,” I corrected. “Not mine.”
“Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes, but it was obvious from the twitch of her lips that she was biting back a grin. “You still take the cake for the most dramatic tree house memory.”
“Do I now?”
“Remember what you did the day we moved from San Bernardino to Newport?”
A bark of laughter escaped me. “Yeah, I chained myself to the trunk in protest.”
“And then Dad had to call a locksmith because you chucked the key into the woods and none of us could find it,” she added, shaking her head in amusement.
God, when was the last time a conversation had flowed so easily between us? I couldn’t remember, but sitting here and trading memories was the most like family we’d felt in a long time.
“Well, the tree might be gone, but we still have each other, right?” I peeked over at Violet, afraid of her answer.
“Always,” she answered. “You’re my sister, Indie.”
It was only a few simple words, but suddenly a golf ball–size lump took up residence in the back of my throat. Turning away, I swallowed a couple of times in an attempt to clear it. Until she said it, I didn’t realize how badly I needed to hear Violet call me that—hersister. Because before her career took off, being Violet’s sister meant so much more to me than someone I shared parents with. It meant I always had a best friend. Someone whose shoulder I could cry on when I had a bad day. Someone who was in my corner no matter what. Someone who always knew how to make me laugh.
And I missed all of that so, so much.
“Indie, are you okay?”
I nodded even as a tear trickled down my cheek.
It was time to tell her about Juilliard. I’d bottled up my grief for the past three days, and I needed to get this off my chest. Now that things finally felt okay between us, I knew she’d help me through this grief. After her earlier confession, she’d probably be crushed by my news, but at least we could be heartbroken together.
“Hey, Vi?” I said quietly.
There must have been something off about my voice, because hesitation flickered through her eyes. “Yeah?”
“Please don’t freak out, but…I missed the deadline for Juilliard.”
“What?” she gasped.
“It was due the day we fought,” I explained in a rush. “I know that’s not an excuse, and I shouldn’t have waited until the last minute, but after everything went down, I just sort of lost it and didn’t realize what time it was until it was too late.”
“Oh my God, Indie,” Violet said, clutching the edge of the bench. “You should have told me straightaway.”
