I couldn’t keep the grin off my face as I walked through my front door, tossing my backpack down by the staircase and releasing my body of its heavy contents. I rolled my shoulders, a small giggle slipping from my lips.

I’d done it.

The audition panel that I’d danced for yesterday had called me not twenty minutes ago and given me the good news. I would be staring in the summer spectacular. The biggest show of the year, where all the performing arts students came together to make one huge show. It played for three days and nights, like a real piece of work you would go out to see at the theater.

I’d been in it the past two years, but this time, I’d pulled on my big girl panties and auditioned for the lead dance role. It was a lot of pressure to put on myself considering I’d also be taking final exams over the coming months, but I knew I could do it. And I knew it would be worth it.

There would be representatives attending from all the important performing arts schools around the country. Just thinking about getting the offer to attend one of them sent a shiver of excitement and pride through my body. Even though I knew I could never accept, given I’d be heading to Yale to begin law school. But a part of me felt like if I could just get confirmation that I was good enough, then I would be satisfied, and could possibly move on with my life without wanting more or wondering what if.

“I’m guessing that smile means you got the part.” My body froze, and I looked up.

“Sophie,” I cried, running toward her, and throwing myself into my sister’s arms. We both laughed as we swayed back and forth. “What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice breaking as I was unable to talk through my excitement.

She pulled back, her beautiful smile filling me with joy. “You told me last month that you were auditioning. And I just knew you’d get it.”

I warmed inside.

Sophie had always been my biggest supporter.

Our parents knew I danced, but I never informed them regarding any news this big out of fear that my father would protest and demand it was taking too much time away, time I should be focusing on studying. But Sophie knew me best. She knew I could do both, and believed in me with every beat of her heart.

“So, we’re celebrating… right?” She grinned.

I nodded. “Just a few drinks with the girls, tomorrow night. You’re going to stick around, aren’t you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Duh. You have me for the whole weekend.” She stepped to the side to reveal three large, bright pink suitcases behind her.

I snorted. “Traveling light this time?”

“There’s a small catch, though,” she threw out quickly with an innocent smile.

I frowned and folded my arms across my chest. “Why do I feel like I’m not going to like this catch?”

She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before letting out a long breath. “When Mom and Dad heard I was coming, they decided to come along for the ride.” I opened my mouth to let out a slew of unladylike words before she cut me off. “They’re only around for tonight then they’re heading to some business thing in Miami. They thought it might be a good idea for us to all have dinner together since you’re never home anymore.”

I screwed up my nose.

It was true, I never made the trip home to California. I found keeping in contact with my parents over the phone every few weeks was enough for me. It allowed me to keep them at a distance, which I felt comfortable with.

The pressure my father put on me to do well in school and stay focused, often became too much for me to bear. His words always had a way of making me feel guilty because even though my grades were excellent and I was doing well in all my classes, I still spent more time than he considered appropriate on dance. Over the phone I was able to keep the focus on my schooling, but in person, it was a lot harder to avoid the hard questions and strict lectures that he liked to deliver.

I let out a heavy sigh and shook my head. “I guess I had it coming.”

Sophie wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulder and pulled me against her side. “I’ll be there with you, don’t worry about it. I got into a fight with Lucy Lacrosse at a nightclub in LA last night, and I’m expecting the pictures to make the news any minute. Mom and Dad are going to be all over that like white on rice. You’re safe.”

I had to laugh at the way Sophie made it sound like she’d picked a fight with another stuck up socialite on purpose, just to keep the heat off me. I knew it wasn’t like that, but to be completely honest, I wouldn’t doubt that if she felt like it would benefit me, that she would absolutely do it.

We had each other’s backs through thick and thin, and I would do anything—anything—to protect her. Just like she would for me.

Hooking her arm through mine, she led me out the large patio doors and onto the wooden deck. The sun hammered down on us from above. The weather was always warm in Florida, but with summer on its way, I reveled in the slight burn against my skin.

Sophie breathed deeply, the sun sparkling across her flawless skin. “It’s so nice to get away from the lights and cameras and people watching your every move.” I heard the sadness in her words and pulled on her arm, turning her to face me.

“Don’t tell me you’re sick of being famous,” I said sarcastically, but from the distant look on her face, I wondered if I wasn’t far from the truth.

She shook her head, it was quickly followed by a forced giggle. “I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it, I was born to be dramatic. But it is nice to have my own space once in a while, you know?”

I did know. With my family living in California and my father shuffling between there and New York City, I’d decided to escape to Florida. I could have gone to almost any college I wanted, my grades were high, and my reputation was perfect. But I’d chosen somewhere more off the grid, away from the pressure of my parents, and away from the people who felt the need to continuously dissect my mother and sister and their lives in the light.

I wasn’t made for that world.

Space and privacy were things I loved too much. I had a small group of close friends, who I felt as though I could be myself around. They pulled me out of my box when they thought I needed it, but otherwise, they supported me and let me be with my dance and my books.

“I get it.” I grinned, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close.

Sophie and I were very different, a mixture of our parents but in totally opposite ways.

I inherited my mom’s blonde hair and blue eyes, but in a stroke of luck, also snagged my dad’s tanned skin. While Sophie mostly took after my father with her long luscious dark hair and Mom’s slightly pale complexion. Apart from the fact that we shared a last name, no one would ever guess that we were sisters.

The Rossi name was well known, my father created his business from the ground up without any help from his family. I didn’t really know much about them, who they were, or why they felt the need to push my father away. Other than an uncle and a few cousins who we’d met a couple of times, all I knew about my dad’s family, was that his parents had come from Italy and that as kids he and his brothers had spent time there when they were younger with their grandparents. My father still had the slightest accent, it was more prominent when he got angry, but I also knew that even though he didn’t often speak it, he was completely fluent in Italian.

I’d never really been curious enough to learn more about them. Despite how my father annoyed me, he’d still raised me and struggled and fought to build a life for us so we could succeed. I had respect for that and respect for him. If his family couldn’t see that and chose to not have him in their lives, then I wouldn’t have them in mine. Sophie, on the other hand, loved to learn about our culture and who we were, she’d even started to learn Italian when we were in high school.

“Let’s go swimming,” she said suddenly, squeezing me tightly before stepping back with a playful glint in her eyes.

Sophie was infectious, her smile and her energy pulled you in like a death grip on your heart, and you couldn’t help but feel anything but joy when you were in her presence.

“I miss you,” I said honestly, unable to wipe the smile off my face.

She sighed and chuckled softly. “I miss you, too. I miss this…” she waved her hand between us, “… being able to breathe and laugh and be silly without people watching me, or some paparazzi asshole climbing over the back fence.” I didn’t miss the sad expression and the sparkle in her eyes, even as she smiled like it was all just a joke. Sophie may be a good actress, but she couldn’t hide from me.

I knew her, inside and out.

“Tell me,” I demanded softly. Her eyes flicked up to mine. “Sophie, what’s going on?”

We moved over to a couple of loungers and sat down. I couldn’t help but be concerned with her change in demeanor. She twisted her hands nervously in her lap, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as though she was trying to find some kind of strength, determined to not be sad. “It’s just boy stuff, you know how it goes,” she finally answered, waving her hand as if that would make it go away.

“You met someone?” I asked in confusion. “Was he an asshole?”

This time the smile was genuine as she looked up and found my eyes. It was a smile of pure happiness, a smile that could never be faked. “No, he was perfect actually. But it ended last week.”

I threw my hands in the air. “Um… why? If he was perfect, shouldn’t you be chasing him? Hunting him down. Marrying him. Getting pregnant accidentally so you can keep him?” I ranted, only half kidding on that last one.

She reached out and shoved my shoulder. “That’s not even funny, young lady.”

“It was, too,” I argued, rolling my eyes.

She held a straight face for at least ten seconds before caving and letting out a hushed giggle. “I’m not doing any of those things. There are just some people who aren’t meant to be together, Emmy.”

“How can you say that when you’re obviously so miserable?”

“I let him go, and now there’s no way to get him back.” Her smile slipped again, and it’s like a shadow had fallen over her, dragging her into a place she’d much rather forget. “It’s best for everyone this way. He knows it, and so do I.”

“Sophie…” I started, reaching out to grab her hand.

Her eyes seemed haunted, like this one decision had altered her entire life, like there was no escape from the pain she was feeling after losing him. The sounds of the trees swaying and the leaves brushing filled the silence between us as I stared at her in awe. My chest ached, seeing this woman who I idolized and looked up to, being in so much pain and feeling so much heartache. I could tell whoever this guy was, he was special, he meant more to her than any other relationship she’d had.

But she’d forced him away, and now, it was like there was no turning back.

She’d made her decision, and somehow she had to deal with it.

Possibly forever.

I allowed the gentle breeze to soothe us, the warm air floating around and whipping at our hair.

“Did you… love him?” I asked softly, drawing a genuine twitch of a smile.

“Yeah,” she answered simply, her eyes moving from mine to the pool where soft waves rolled across the pristine surface, sparkling in the sunlight.

“Then it’s not over,” I told her with complete confidence. “It’s love. Love is never really over.”