Just Another Lie, Right? [Kleinsen]

iv

They're really doing it guys. They're really rebuilding an orchard in my name. The Connor Memorial Orchard.

Wow.

I've never really been into trees, but I guess I've never really thought about them either. I mean, they sprout up from the ground and provide us with living fuel, what else is there to say about them?

Apparently a lot, as Evan is going on about trees right this moment to Jared, Alana, and I.

Well, I guess technically not I. I'm not really here. But I couldn't miss out on an opportunity to see some random strangers planting trees because of me. It's weird, because it's not really my fault any of this is happening. But it's still happening.

I'm here right now because maybe, in some other world, the four of us could've been friends. Maybe.

Even if we were, though, this orchard wouldn't be happening. I think this is the only universe where this orchard would be happening.

Or maybe not. Maybe there's a universe where everyone got mad at Evan for lying. Maybe in that universe he never talked to Jared again except for once a year later when he decided to drive Evan to work. Maybe in that universe Alana set up the orchard all by herself, and tried to forget Evan was ever a part of it.

Maybe in a different universe, they were never friends.

"I never understood saplings," Jared said as he buried the roots of one under the ground. "Like why don't we just put the seeds in the ground?"

"B-because then the taller trees will t-take up the nutrients before the seed can." Evan responded. I'm not entirely sure what was happening, but it seemed kinda like a tree Q&A. Why Jared was taking interest in it, I have clue. Maybe it has to do with the fact that he felt like he screwed something up last night with Evan. Or maybe he just wanted Evan to feel heard.

Or maybe he liked trees, too.

Alana stood up and wiped her forehead, "Wow, guys," she said, "We're really making this happen."

Yes we are.

"I'm surprised you l-let us help." Evan admitted. Understandably, since he lied about basically everything and the orchard.

"I'm surprised we're still doing this at all." I added, "Since, yknow, Connor didn't actually like the orchard."

You don't know that.

"Well you don't know that." Alana replied, "He could've liked it in his own, Connor-like way."

I guess she wasn't necessarily wrong about that one. The orchard wasn't the absolute most terrible thing in my life. Actually, I found it quite freeing those few times we went to have picnics there. Zoe and I would play paper airplanes and sometimes pick apples. Though, as kids, we thought the yellow ones tasted the best, so we only picked those. We didn't know that the orchard was exclusively red delicious apples, and the yellow ones were just rotten.

Hey, I may be dead, and play 0 part in bringing this orchard back to life, but I'm glad it's happening. Maybe some kid will find their own enjoyment in the yellow apples. Annnnd not get a stomach virus because Alana decided to actually plant some real yellow apples this time.

Evan was staring at a little sapling he planted, and I had a sneaking suspension he was thinking something simular to what I was just thinking.

I walked over and kneeled down beside him, " Hey, I only puked like twice." Evan's face became a mixture of disgust, confusion, and 'why??'.