Page 13 of The Do-Over

Study for Lit test

Remind Mom to email copy of insurance card to office

Remind Dad of parent-teacher conferences and make sure he puts it on his calendar

Send email to internship adviser

Exchange gifts with Josh

Say “I love you” to Josh!!!!!!!!!!!

I blinked fast as everything from Valentine’s Day rushed back. Josh and Macy, the summer program, my dad—every single part of my life was demolished in just one day.

I quickly flipped the page and jotted a new—and suckier—to-do list. The items that hadn’t been decimated the day before actually hadn’t been completed, which never happened. I was usually a stickler about checking those boxes, but the Valentine’s Day shit show had made me forget my planner entirely.

To-Do List—February 15

Talk to Josh about the kiss

Make decision on Texas move

Reorganize scholarship planning binder

Study for Lit test

Remind Mom to email copy of insurance card to office

Remind Dad of parent-teacher conferences and make sure he puts it on his calendar

I grabbed my robe and went into the bathroom to shower. I started the water and stepped in, letting it pour over my head, scalding and sliding down my neck as tears involuntarily started up again.

“Em, are you almost done in there?”

Seriously?“I just got in here.”

“Joel needs to go potty.” Lisa sounded like her mouth was once again planted on the door. “Bad.”

“There is a bathroom upstairs.” I forcefully squirted shampoo into my hand. I wasn’t in the mood for a battle. Not after yesterday.

“Your dad’s in there.”

I was going to strangle someone with my bath sponge. “Just this once, can you maybe ask my dad to get out? I didn’t get much sleep last night and I really need this shower.”

“You know how your dad is in the morning.”

Holy. Balls. “Give me two minutes!” I rushed through the rest of the shower, muttering through gritted teeth like a grumpy old man while slamming bottles down as hard as I possibly could.

Back in my room, I blow-dried my hair before sliding into comfy pants and my favorite Northwestern hoodie, a wardrobe selection made wholly out of poutiness. I wanted absolutely zero human interaction, so I put on headphones as I entered the kitchen. No way was I going to discuss the whole Texas thing without a little more sleep.

Luckily no one was in the kitchen, so I wolfed down a bar as fast as I could while reading the next chapter of the Christina Lauren book that I’d promised to return to Rox when I got to school. Maybe if I finished quickly, I wouldn’t have to see another per—

“Good Lord, slow down.” My dad walked in with the newspaper in his hand. “No one here knows the Heimlich.”

I pulled the headphones down to my neck. “Ha, ha.”Yesterday was hilarious. Funny, funny stuff, Dad.

“So.” He grabbed a mug from the cupboard and put it under the Keurig. “Did you wrap up the way-too-expensive present you bought for ol’ Josh? Lots of cheesy red hearts and ‘I love you’s?”

“What?” I swallowed and the bar felt stuck in my throat. “You want to know if I wrapped his present? Yesterday?”

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