Rapid Falls(34)

The future of Rapid Falls didn’t concern me much. I was ready to leave the town for good. My acceptance letter for the political science program at the biggest college in Fraser City had arrived the week before. I was waiting until Jesse got his letter before I told him. My grades were better than his, but he was a good student too, so I had no doubt that if I made it in, he would also. His plan was to become a physical therapist, and I knew the kinesiology program had lower grade requirements than the general arts.

When we arrived at the falls, Anna sprang out of the truck and we both followed. “What a day! I didn’t think I’d get light like this until June! Let’s get some B-roll.”

Jesse rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “You and your B-roll, Anna. Surely you have enough footage of me standing around looking off into the distance.”

“This time, I want you to look happy. It’s for the opening credits.”

Jesse laughed. “I think I can fake happy on a day like today,” he said.

She beamed, and I felt something odd shimmer in the air between them.

“Hey,” I said softly to him, trying to win back his attention with a sexy tone. Jesse never responded well to my anger, and I was tired of sulking. I would have Jesse all to myself soon. I walked toward him at the back of the truck and bumped him with my hip.

“Hey, yourself,” he said with a smile, stepping to the side to pull down the tailgate of the truck. Anna climbed into the back to grab her equipment.

“I had hoped for a little alone time,” I murmured. “I’ve always wondered what it’s like to . . . you know . . . by a waterfall.” I closed the distance between us and placed my hand high on his thigh. He had never said no to me before. He seemed distracted, but I moved my hand higher up his leg, close to the familiar swelling between his legs. I was surprised to feel softness under my hand, and I pulled away quickly.

He gave me an embarrassed smile and spoke quietly. “Your sister is right there.”

I tried not to let my hurt show as I leaned my head toward his, needing his mouth to reassure me. He had never failed to respond to my touch before. A loud bang from the truck bed forced us to break apart.

“Need help?” Jesse asked, turning back toward the truck.

“She’s a big girl,” I said, my voice tight as I reached for his hand, but he pulled away and hoisted himself over the tailgate. I swallowed my fury. It had been days since Jesse and I had been alone together. This day was supposed to be perfect. I even had a condom in my pocket in case Jesse didn’t have one. Anna was ruining everything.

“Okay, fine. If you guys are going to play around, I’m walking to the falls by myself,” I said, letting anger bleed into my words.

“Okay,” he called over his shoulder, handing Anna a large camera bag.

“We won’t be long, Cara!” I could hear the note of victory in Anna’s voice. I didn’t bother to respond as I stomped down the path. The falls were huge that day—swollen with winter runoff and trees knocked free by the snowmelt. I made it to the viewing platform, then kept walking. Only locals knew about a little path through the trees on the far edge of the platform. There’s no guardrail on that side, but the view of the falls and the river below are way better. On a clear day, you can see the water wind almost all the way to town.

Once I pushed through the small pines to the little clearing, I turned my full gaze to the monstrous beauty of the waterfall. The roar quieted my anger. I sat and stared, calming down. It didn’t matter that Jesse was paying attention to Anna, I told myself. Anna had always tried to take everything that belonged to me: my dolls, my clothes, my makeup. Every time my dad paid any attention to me, she burst in with a story. When my mom put her book down long enough to listen to how my day went, Anna had to one-up me with something. I was tired of fighting with her about everything. She was trying the same thing with Jesse. But soon he’d be all mine.

After a few minutes, I made my way back down to the parking lot. Anna and Jesse were sitting down together. The camera was about ten feet away from them, mounted on a tripod. They were talking, but I couldn’t make out the words, just the lift and fall of their voices. It sounded like a song. Then Jesse leaned toward Anna.

“Anna!” I said, furious. The calmness I’d felt near the water disappeared. Jesse and Anna jerked away from each other. Neither spoke. Anna got up suddenly, brushing off her jeans.

“It’s for a scene, Cara. God, you are so ridiculous. Like Jesse and I would kiss for real.” She huffed over to the camera to stop recording.

Jesse stood up too and walked toward me, but I couldn’t stop looking at Anna. Her eyes glittered, as if she had won a game I didn’t even realize we were playing. Rage twisted my stomach.

“What happened to the stupid B-roll? Is this a porn movie?” I spat, this time in Jesse’s direction.

Jesse looked at me contritely. “The two main characters are falling in love, Cara.” He paused. “We should have told you about this scene. It must have looked so weird . . .” He trailed off with a forced chuckle.

“It’s just a movie,” Anna said as she shoved the camera back into the bag. I looked at her, forcing myself to swallow the horrible things I wanted to say. I didn’t want to show Jesse that I was jealous of my little sister.

“Yeah. Whatever.” My eyes were knives I was throwing into Anna. I wanted to kill her.