I spend the whole night tossing and turning, trying to think of how I'm going to tell my family my news. But then I remember that Ava's wedding is in a few days, and I really don't want to steal her thunder. She gave me the time I needed with our mom in the hospital, so it's the least I can do to hold off on sharing my news until after her wedding. She deserves to have the wedding of her dreams, and with all the snags she's had to deal with along the way, I don't want to risk messing anything else up for her.

The next day, as I'm sitting in the kitchen drinking a hot coffee and trying to relax for the first time in months, Ava comes in and sits across from me. Our mom is at a therapy session with Viv, and our dad hasn't come home yet. He tried to come back after the attack, but he just couldn't get the time off work. I told him not to worry. That I was fine, and I'd see him soon anyway for Ava's wedding. He was very hesitant, but in the end he agreed. So Ava and I are totally alone in the house. Which, I'm not going to lie, is a bit awkward, especially since the last time we were alone together, I was blowing my top about being the invisible sister.

She clears her throat, and I look up at her. "Hey," she says, and she seems nervous. Well, I would be too, if I was getting married in a few days. "We haven't talked much since you got out of the hospital. How's your head?"

I set my coffee on the table. "It's good. The stitches are a little itchy, but aside from that, I feel fine. Guess I got lucky." Lucky in ways she doesn't even know yet, but she'll find out soon. I just hope she'll be happy for me when she finds out. That's been weighing heavily on me since last night. How will my family react? Will they be surprised? Excited? Angry? I'm a little scared to tell them, because I don't know what to expect from them.

Ava gives me an anxious grin. "That's good. You really scared us, you know. Mom was beside herself when Vale told her. I... I hope you know that."

I nod my head. "Yeah, I could tell. And she's been paying more attention to me too. Which... is kind of nice." This is true. Our mom has been trying really hard to show me she cares about me too. I think my words really struck chord with her, and while I feel bad about it, I'm also not sorry. She needed to know how she was making me feel. Honestly, I should've told her a long time ago.

"I'm really happy to hear that," Ava replies. We fall into another uncomfortable silence. Then she takes in a breath of air and says, "Hey, do you have any plans today?"

I set my coffee cup down on the table and look at her. "Why? Do you need me to do some more maid of honor stuff for you?"

She shakes her head. "No. I'm pretty sure we have mostly everything covered. I actually just wanted to hang out with you. Thought maybe we could get lunch? Or you know... go shopping for non-wedding stuff? Just hang out."

This is really surprising to me. Ava and I... we don't hang out. Like, ever. Or at least, we don't do anything together outside of planning her wedding. I'm about to tell her no thanks, but then I remember how she gave me what I needed in the hospital. And I'm not really doing anything today, anyway. My friends are all busy getting ready for college, and Vale... well, that's a whole separate issue that I haven't quite figured out how to handle yet. So I am actually free for the day.

"Yeah," I reply after thinking about it for a few moments. "Sure. Actually, that sounds fun. It's been ages since we've done anything together outside of the wedding." So long that I can't even remember the last time, but I don't tell her this. She's trying to be nice, and I don't want to ruin it.

A smile forms on Ava's pink lips. "Great! You ready to go?"

"What, now?" I ask as I take another sip of my coffee. She nods her head. "Ava, it's like... nine in the morning. I thought you wanted to do lunch?"

"We can hang out before lunch," she says, and I sigh. "Come on, baby sister. The day is young, and you and I both know winter is coming. Let's go out and soak in some sun while we can."

Hm. She's not wrong. North Idaho has long, dark winters, so I do like to enjoy my summers while I can. But she doesn't know that I won't be here for winter this year. And I have no idea what the winters are like in Boston. Maybe I should do some research. And honestly, buying a few new outfits for school probably wouldn't be such a bad idea. "Okay, give me an hour," I say as I finish my cup of coffee. She makes a face, and I roll my eyes. "I'm still in my PJs, Ava. Let me shower, for crying out loud."

"Ugh, fine," she whines as she throws her head back melodramatically. I laugh as I run up the stairs two at a time. Why I'm feeling excited, I don't know. But it's like something has shifted between Ava and I this summer. I can't really explain it, but she's starting to feel less like my annoying older sister who I'm stuck with, and more like... well... an actual friend. Someone I can see myself hanging out with. Which is why I'm willing to give today a shot.

I shower, blow dry my hair, do my makeup, and get dressed, and an hour later I'm coming down the stairs all ready to go. Ava is scrolling through her phone, and I see she has a nervous grin on her face as her fingers send off what looks like a text message. But then she sees me, and she says, "Hey, you ready?" I nod my head, and the two of get into her car and make our way into downtown Coeur d'Alene.

My shoulders tense up as we drive through town, and I think it's because last time I was here, I was getting mugged. I haven't told anyone yet, but I keep having nightmares about that day. The police haven't been able to locate J, and honestly, I doubt they ever will. So I'm just going to have to learn to get it go and move on, although I have to say, it's a lot easier said than done. Especially when the back of my head is still itchy from the stitches.

Ava and I spend the whole day together. We walk around downtown for a while, and then we stop into Hudson's Hamburgers for a couple burgers before we do some shopping. I pick up a couple cute fall dresses to wear to school, and Ava buys Owen a few nice shirts. And I can't help but think of how different my sister is from the person I always believed her to be. When we were growing up, I used to think she was so selfish for stealing all the leftover attention. But now, I see her for who she really is. Just a girl who was struggling as much as I was with the lack of affection from our mother, who was doing her best to take what she could get. I feel kind of bad for Ava, as I think about all the trouble she got into when she was younger. All the nights our parents had to bail her out of tough situations. And it was all probably because... well, she had no other way of getting their attention. It wasn't until she met Owen that she started to calm down.

Owen and I haven't spent too much time together, but I feel like he's been good for Ava. He's a bit of a nerdy guy, and I don't think he's had too much experience in the dating department. But he worships the ground Ava walks on, and I think she needs that. In a way, my sister has been just as invisible as I've been. And I'm glad she found someone to see her for who she really is. I'm happy for her. Really, genuinely happy for her.

The sun is just started to go down when we pull into the driveway at our house. It's been such a fun day with her that I'm not sure I want it to end. Seems like she doesn't either, because she turns the music down on the radio, looks at me, and says, "You know what we haven't done in a while?"

"What?" I ask as I reach over and take a sip of my soda from earlier today.

She grins. "We haven't gone into the treehouse in ages. You know, the one dad built for us when we were kids?"

I nod my head. "I know about the treehouse, Ava. I was there, remember?" She giggles, and I hear a little bit of the nervousness from this morning in her voice.

"Think it can hold our weight?" she asks as she furrows her eyebrows.

"Probably," I reply. "It can hold mine and Vale's weight."

She nods her head, and I see the beginning of a smirk spread across her lips. "Hm. Speaking of Vale... when did that start?" she asks, and my eyes widen. She rolls hers. "Oh, come on, Gen. I know you think you're invisible, but I see a lot more than you think I do. Are you two together now? Because it's about freakin' time, let me tell you."

I heave a sigh as I rest my head against the passenger seat. "God, I don't know, Ava. I mean, I want to be with him. But I'm pretty sure I screwed it all up."

She shakes her head. "Naw, I don't think so. I could tell at the dance lesson the other day that he's in love with you. If you want the truth, Gen, I'm pretty sure he's always been in love with you. And I'm like... 99 percent sure you've felt the same way. I've been hoping for years that you guys would get together."

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "You have?"

"Of course!" she says, laughing. "I love Vale! He's like a little brother to me. I haven't forgotten all those years when it was the three of us together playing in the yard, jumping through the sprinklers. He's a great guy, and I've always thought you two would be perfect together."

"Well why didn't you ever say anything?" I ask, feeling slightly frustrated. No one ever told me they thought Vale had feelings for me. If I'd known, maybe things would be different. We could've even had more time together before I had to leave. Had a chance to actually establish something strong before I left the state for four years.

Ava sighs. "Because I had my own shit I was dealing with." I wait, expecting her to say more. But she just shakes her head and says, "Okay, come on. Treehouse. Let's go."

I'm amazed at how little I know about my own sister, but instead of asking, I decide to follow her out of the car and to our backyard, where the treehouse still sits. It's definitely starting to look its age, but I know it's sturdy enough for the both of us. Ava climbs up first, and I follow right behind her. When we get to the top, we sit beside each other against the wall, holding our legs up to our knees because there's not enough room to spread out. And we sit in silence for several minutes as we each take in the small house that holds so many memories from our childhoods.

"This really brings me back, you know?" Ava says, a wistful smile on her face. "When I was a teenager, I would come up here to sober up. Or keep drinking, if I was sad and lonely and didn't want to go back into the house. I'm pretty sure I still have a bottle of vodka up here somewhere."

I smile and shake my head. "Not anymore. I drank it earlier this summer." She chuckles, and then she rests her head against my shoulder. I rest mine against her head, and for the first time in God knows how long, I feel like I have my older sister again. "I'm sorry about what I said to you before," I say finally, and she lifts her head up to look at me. "About being invisible, and blaming you for it. It wasn't right. I didn't see it then, but I think I do now. You had your own set of problems with mom and dad, and you were just dealing with it in your own way. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

Ava's lips pull up into a tiny smile. "It's okay, Gen. I think we both need to do better at being there for each other. And I promise, I'm going to try harder. Which... actually, is the reason I wanted to hang out today. I... um... I have something. For you."

My eyes widen. "You do?" I ask, surprised as she pulls a folded up envelope out of her pocket and hands it to me. I take it from her carefully, like it's a bomb that's going to explode at any second. And when I unfold it and open it up, I find a check for $10,000 inside. My heart picks up it's pace as I stare at it, and for several moments I'm at a loss for words. But then I look up at her, and I see she's staring at me with nervous eyes filled with what looks like tears. "Ava... what... what is this?"

She takes a shaky breath. "It's a check. For school." My jaw drops, and she lets out a nervous giggle. "Earlier in the summer, I found a packet about the Boston School of Pastry Arts. And I saw that you got in. I know mom and dad didn't have the money to send you there, so... I guess I've been saving up for you. I know it's not the full amount. I tried as hard as I could, but Owen's parents were starting to get a little miffed at the cuts I was making to—"

"Cuts?" I ask, confused. "What cuts? What are you talking about?"

She swallows hard and looks away from me. "I've... well, that wedding dress really was too expensive. And why did I need to spend thousands of dollars on catering when Victor Morgan owns his own restaurant? And also, I really never wanted that big of a wedding. There were too many people, and it was stressing me out. So I was totally okay with downsizing to a smaller venue."

I'm stunned by what she's telling me, and it takes me several moments to recover. "Ava," I finally say as I stare down at the check in my hands. "You... you didn't have to do that. You didn't have to cut back on your own wedding for me."

She places both of her hands on my shoulders and looks directly into my eyes. "Yes, I did, Gen. And I'd do it again. I'd do it a thousand times over. You're my sister, and I love you more than anything in the world. I know I've done a really shitty job of showing it, but it's true. And you have no idea how much I want to see you succeed. To make all your dreams come true. So take that money, pay for school, move into a nice apartment with Vale, and just... live happily ever after, okay? Just please, please don't ever think I don't care about you. I care about more than you'll ever understand."

Tears well up in my eyes as she pulls me close and hugs me. Like, really hugs me. I'm at such a loss for words, and this huge wave of love for my sister overwhelms me as I return the embrace. Before I know it, we're both bawling our eyes out. Me, because I'm so moved by this gesture. And her? I think because she knows it's going to be okay. That we're going to be okay. And maybe that was all she really needed.

When I finally pull away, I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand and shake my head. "Ava, I really appreciate this. But... I can't take it."

"You can, and you will," she replies.

But I shake my head again. "No. I can't." Before she can say another word, I grab her hand and put the check in it. "I was waiting to tell everyone until after the wedding, because I didn't want to steal your thunder. But my education is being fully funded. It's a long story, but everything is being paid for. So you don't have to worry about it. As much as I appreciate it, and believe me, I do, I really don't need it. So please, take it back and go on a really nice honeymoon with Owen. You deserve it."

Ava stares at the check that's now in her hands, and I see the beginning of true smile begin to form on her face. "You're not lying to me, right?" she asks when she looks back up at me. "Like, you really don't need it?"

I smile and nod my head. "I swear. Take it, Ava. Take it and go have your happily ever after. You deserve it. Just know that I love you too. And I'm so, so happy I ended up with you as a sister."

Ava laughs, and it's mixed with tears as she wraps her arms around me again. "Ditto, baby sister," she replies, and then she rests her head on my shoulder again. We stay out in the treehouse until the sun goes down, talking about everything we've missed out on over the last several years. I tell her all about my secret relationship with Vale, and how it all fell apart. She insists that he still loves me, but ever since he left the restaurant the other night, I'm not so sure. I want to talk to him, but I'm scared of what he'll say. Scared of getting my heart broken, which is so unfair, considering what I did to his this summer.

"Vale loves you, Gen," Ava says as the sky turns dark and the streetlights turn on around us. "It'll work out. Besides, I've been shipping it forever, so it better work out."

I laugh and roll my eyes. "You are such a dork!"

She giggles and nudges my shoulder. "Takes one to know one."

A sigh escapes my lips as I look out over the neighborhood, taking in everythign about the small street where I've grown up. And for the first time since Julie and Jeremy Graham left the restaurant, I feel sad about leaving. I'm going to miss it here. I'm going to miss my sisters and my parents. I'm going to miss my friends. And good lord, I am going to miss Vale. That's going to hurt so much that I can't stand to think about it right now. I just hope he'll take me back in time. And that he'll wait for me if he does.

Author's Note:
This chapter ended up being so much longer than I intended, and I'll probably end up eventually splitting it into two. But I really love this moment between these two sisters. What do you all think of Ava's sacrifice? Let me know in the comments!

Only two chapters and the epilogue remain, and I imagine you'll probably get them in the next week or two. And then I'll be announcing my next project, which I am super excited about! Can't wait to share with all of you!

Okay, I'll be back very soon with the next chapter! Until next time, my dears!

XOXO,
~Aly