Page 121 of Inception

“Nice to meet you,” jumped in Trace, extending his hand to my father. The sight of them shaking hands made my heart swell.

“Likewise,” said my father. His dark eyes bounced between the two of us before settling back on me. “Are you okay, Jems? You’re looking a little—”

“Yeah, I’m totally fine.” I stood there looking anything but. I needed to get a major grip.

“Alright.” He nodded in a circular motion, not quite believing it but unwilling to press the issue. “Let me grab my keys. I’ll give you two a ride to school.”

“It’s okay, Dad. You don’t need to do that. We’re catching the next bus,” I lied, easy as breathing.

He looked rather confused by my decline. I guess that made sense considering I wasn’t exactly one to turn down rides at that particular point in my life. You might have even said I was allergic to public transportation.

“Trace is new, remember? He needs to learn the route,” I added, hoping it sounded plausible enough. I felt bad lying to him like this but I guess it was for his own good.

“Alright, fair enough. You might as well sit down then,” he said, motioning to the table, grinning copiously. “Looks like you have time for that breakfast after all.” He winked at me before bending down to pillage the fridge, and I nearly broke down in complete hysterics. I never in a million dreams thought I’d get another chance to have breakfast with my dad.

I remembered asking him for a rain check this very morning all those months ago, assuming there would be a lifetime oftomorrowsto have breakfast with him. The youngerJemmahad far more important things to do—like meeting Jake Miller at the bleachers before class. Everyone said he was going to ask me to the dance and I couldn’t think of a single more important place to be at the time. How utterly stupid I was.

If only I knew. I’d take itallback, trade a hundred dances and first kisses for this one breakfast with my dad.

And now, thanks to Trace, I wouldn’t have to do any of that. He made the impossible possible by giving me a chance to right my wrong and rewrite the past.

I sat down at the table and watched as Trace interacted with my father while he whipped up a batch of his famous pesto scrambled eggs and bacon. I’d never seen Trace so loquacious before. It was kind of endearing to see, and the fact that it was with my dad made it that much more special.

As they carried on about junior hockey and classic cars, I found myself studying my dad; his voice, his mannerisms, the lines in his face. I needed to remember it, all of it, and brand those memories into the forevermore of my mind.

“Jemma here is on the varsity cheer squad,” said my dad as he set down a plate in front of me. “She’s the only sophomore on the team.” He sounded so proud of me when he spoke. I never noticed that about him before.

“Is that right?” Trace’s eyebrows shot up with interest. He was eating up every word of it. Probably picturing me in my cheer uniform this very second.

I rolled my eyes at him.

“I got lucky with this one,” continued my dad. “Never gave me any problems. She’s a good kid. A little high in the maintenance department, but a good one just the same.”

Was he trying to make me sob? I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep it together. Sucking in a lungful of air, I bore down into my scrambled eggs and blinked back the budding tears as Trace and my father went on with their near perfect, off-the-cuff conversation. It was far too easy to fall in line with the normalcy of it all. I would feel the loss later, of this I was sure, but for now, all was right in the world.

The morning passed like falling water, evading me with every drop. It didn’t matter how bad I wanted to reach out and trap it—freeze it—keep the water at a standstill. It was impermanent, another fleeting moment that would soon be over. I ate my breakfast in a daze, hardly saying a word all morning which was very unlike me, especially back then. But I couldn’t help it. I just wanted to hear my dad speak. I wanted to hear him complain about the stifling humidity and rave about his super bowl predictions. Every word he uttered seemed so important, so utterly crucial to my survival. I only wished I could stay here and listen to him speak forever.

Once everyone had finished their breakfast, I cleared the dishes from the table and loaded the dishwasher for what felt like the last time. The sun was shining through the window, though it didn’t feel right on my skin anymore. Inside I felt as gray and unsettled as the Hollow Hills firmament. The storm clouds had already gathered in my heart, knowing I was going to have to say goodbye to everything all over again.

I looked back at my dad and straightened my shoulders as I prepared myself to leave him.This would not be goodbye, I decided. I refused to say those words to him. I refused to let him go. I would find a way back to him, and maybe, just maybe, I’d even find a way to save him.

“I’ll see you later, Daddy.” I nestled into his arms and breathed in his familiar scent, hoping I could take it back with me as a keepsake. “I love you to the moon and back.”

He squeezed me tight as he dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “And I love you more than all the stars in the sky.”

I quickly detached from him and bounced out the door, hurrying off so he wouldn’t see my face soaked with the tears I could no longer contain. Trace said his goodbyes on his own and then jogged to catch up with me as I made my way down the street, back to the bus stop from which we had sprung.

“Are you okay?” he asked upon reaching me. His deep voice was rich with concern.

I wiped under my eyes and pulled in a deep breath. “No, but I will be,” I nodded, doing my best to put on a brave face. “That was a lot harder than I thought it would be.”

His face looked pained. “I’m sorry, I should have known—”

“Don’t apologize,” I interrupted, stopping abruptly to face him. “What you did for me today...” I shook my head. Words couldn’t express what those moments meant to me. What they did for my shattered heart. “I’ll nevereverforget it.”

A humble smile graced his face and I could see he was pleased. He was happy thatIwas happy, and it melted my heart. Overcome with emotion, I pushed up on my toes and leaned into him, bouncing a kiss off his cheek. He didn’t move an inch—not forward nor backward—not even after I pulled away.

“What was that for?” he asked, his jaw muscle ticking.

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