Page 31 of The Do-Over

“Now, see?” He hit the turn signal and slowed for the corner. “I did you a favor.”

I rolled my eyes. “She actually walked into the ocean? Wow, that sounds stolen from—”

“The Awakening?” He glanced over at me as the truck came to a complete stop.

“Yes! I mean, that seems like a once-in-a-lifetime book ending, doesn’t it?”

“Exactly.” Nick gave me something close to a smile with his eyes before turning back to the road and accelerating as the light turned green. “Like we wouldn’t notice that she stole Edna Pontellier’s big finish.”

We talked about books for the rest of the drive to school, and it occurred to me as we walked into the building that we’d actually gotten along on Valentine’s Day. For the first time. It felt like the start of a brand-new day until he said, “Why are you smiling like that?”

I glanced over at him, his nose wrinkled up and his eyebrows low over squinted eyes. I said, “What?”

“I don’t know. We were walking like normal humans, and then you just started scary-grinning.”

“I wasn’t scary-grinning.”

“You seriously were.” He shook his head. “Like some creeper who enjoys televised parades and dressing cats in sweaters.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Everybody likes cats in sweaters.”

“Whatever you say. I gotta go.” He said it like I wanted him to stay or something. And I didn’t. So I said, “Ihave to go, actually.”

“That’s what I said,” he said.

“No, you saidyouhave to go, like I wanted you to walk with me when in all actualityIhave to go.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Are you okay here?”

I just shook my head and muttered, “Wonderful.”

After that, I tried changing things with the counselor by showing up when they sent a pass and maturely making my case. I explained all the reasons why they should make a spot for me in their summer program, and they smiled and politely told me that it wasn’t possible to add more space.

Then I tried waiting for Josh at his car with his present. A big part of me wondered why I was even trying at this point. If he and Macy had feelings for each other, did I evenwantto salvage our relationship? But another part of me knew I was right about everything and this was my chance to jump into the gears of time and ensure Macy couldn’t ruin us.

I perched myself on his car’s teensy hood, gift in hand, and waited. Froze to death and waited. When the two of them finally walked out the side door, Macy must’ve seen me because she stopped and said something to Josh. Before he could spot me, she grabbed his sleeve and steered him back inside.

Excuse me?

When I got up to follow them, my tights got stuck on the corner of his hood and got a huge hole, so I kind of wanted to shank Macy by the time I got back inside. I was still freezing as I walked down the hallway, overcome with a frustrated sadness as I realized that things might never be normal again.

What if I stayed stuck in this day forever?

Meanwhile, in Chemistry, Nick decided it was a good time to discuss the fact that I’d worn a red sweater on Valentine’s Day.

“Aren’t you just adorable.”

“What?”

He gestured to my shirt with his pencil. “Your whole matchy-matchy, Hallmark-holiday outfit—super cute.”

“That’s not what this is.” I looked down at my shirt and said, “It’s just a red sweater.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

He gave me a knowing look and said, “How do you explain the heart bracelet and matching earrings, then?”

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