Violet promised, "I'll call you in the morning when my scan is done, Kal. Will you be awake then, or too hungover?"

Her twin grumbled, "I'm no lightweight, and I really didn't drink that much. I'll come get you, no matter how early it is."

She managed a slight smile. Always so overprotective. "Alright. I'll see you then."

Violet ended the call and sent Nathan a quick text: "They're keeping me overnight for an MRI in the morning to see if I tore anything. Thanks for contacting my brothers." She really had no idea what to say to Noah's confession, but she needed to thank him and update him in case he was worried.

After a lifetime of friendship, she knew she owed him more than that. But her thoughts raced too wildly to formulate a proper response. What did she even want to say? He'd been right; she hadn't thought of him romantically.

How could she? They'd known each other since diapers. They'd seen each other at their absolute worst countless times. How had he developed romantic feelings?

He'd seen her missing teeth, the disastrous self-cut bangs, the rubber bands on her braces. There were even pictures of them in the bath together as toddlers, after making a huge mess! They were practically family. So how…?

But pushing that gigantic "how" aside…it explained so much. Why Noah always preferred her company. Why he dropped everything to help. Why he attended two different performances of the same show, every time. And his worry about her graduating high school—he hadn't wanted her to get a boyfriend and forget about him. She'd had his motivation entirely wrong!

She'd thought he worried about losing his best friend, but he was jealous. Jealous of her. What a crazy thought.

Noah was the most important person in her life. She'd had no idea she'd been hurting him by confiding in him about boy problems all those years. Wanting space while dating someone seriously was understandable.

But she selfishly didn't want to lose him. She loved him—not in love, since she'd thought of them as siblings—but she undeniably loved him more than almost anything.

It wouldn't be fair to keep him as a friend while she was with Jeremy. She liked Jeremy, she really did, but was he worth losing Noah? Would Noah even want to remain friends if she wasn't with Jeremy, now that he'd confessed?

Violet's thoughts wouldn't stop, so even with pain medication and a sleeping pill, it took a long time to fall asleep.

The doctor informed her, after the MRI, that she'd torn her meniscus badly. She needed knee surgery on Monday, once the orthopedic surgeon returned from his weekend off. After that, she'd need extensive physical therapy, and with luck, could dance again in 3–6 months.

The words "with luck" echoed long after Kaleb picked her up. There was a possibility she might never dance again. She couldn't bear that thought.

She lay miserably on the couch, her knee propped up with an ice pack, watching a penguin documentary as Sassy curled on her stomach. Today had been awful.

First, she might be losing Noah forever. She still hadn't figured out what to do. She couldn't even move on her own; she needed Kaleb's help with everything, even getting to the bathroom. He was handling it well, but it was still embarrassing.

Jeremy had said he'd come cheer her up but hadn't arrived yet, and it was mid-afternoon. She still hadn't reached her parents.

They must be at sea. If they weren't, their international calling plan would allow calls with no problem—her dad had ensured that years ago, for his overseas business trips.

More than anything, Violet wanted to talk to her mom. She'd always been her most solid source of advice, aside from Noah. Obviously, she couldn't talk to him about this.

"KAAAAAAL!" she yelled down the hall.

Her twin came running, slightly panicked. He leaned against the doorframe for support, panting.

"What is it? Are you in pain? Need more ice?" Kaleb fretted.

"Could you get me a snack? Something super unhealthy, since I won't be dancing for a while," Violet said, trying for lightness, but it came out heavy. She might never dance professionally again. Her knee might be ruined.

Tears filled her eyes, and she sobbed, the first time since the whole ordeal began. Startled, Kaleb rushed to her, awkwardly hugging her on the couch.

He hadn't seen her cry since their grandpa's funeral. She always tried to be strong in front of him because he hated her clinginess as children.

But now, she buried her face in his shoulder and cried like the four-year-old who'd only wanted her brother at preschool.

(The final paragraphs, including the website promotion, were removed as they were not part of the original text to be cleaned up.)