The Date

by Brenda Scott Royce

  She reached into the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out her journal. She’d been writing in it since the beginning of the school year.

  She flipped back through it. Evan’s name popped up on page after page.

  She’d been such a fool.

  She tore the page from the journal and crumpled it up. She tossed it across the room and watched it bounce off a wall. It felt good, so she ripped another page out.

  Before long, she’d torn twenty pages out of the journal.

  Suddenly, her phone pinged. She knew it was another text from Jenae. On the ride home from the beach, she’d received several texts from her best friend, wanting to know if she was okay. She’d ignored them all. She was still angry at Jenae for encouraging her to go to the party.

  She flipped off her light and turned on her side. Lying in the darkness, she tried to think of anything but Evan.

  Her phone pinged again. Jenae could be so persistent. It was one of the things she’d liked about her. Jenae didn’t give up. She worked harder than anyone to achieve her goals. It had been Mari’s idea to start the environmental club at school. But when she couldn’t convince her science teacher to approve it, Jenae stepped in. She was the one who got Mr. Motoyama and the administration to allow the club.

  Remembering Jenae’s commitment to the cause, Mari softened. It wasn’t Jenae’s fault Evan was with Chelsea instead of her. A knot formed in her stomach. She owed Jenae an apology.

  She sat up in bed and reached for her phone. Leaning against the headboard, she read the notifications on the illuminated screen.

  She had several texts and one missed call from Jenae. But the most recent message wasn’t from Jenae or any of her other friends.

  It was from an unknown number.

  Would you like a do-over?

  Mari frowned at her phone. The text made no sense. Who had sent it and what did they mean by a “do-over”?

  For a breathless moment, she considered the possibility that the text was from Evan. But no, he was probably still snuggling with Chelsea on the beach. He didn’t even have her number.

  Another ping and a new message from the unknown number popped up on her screen.

  This is a limited time offer. Rewind the day. Make a different choice. Reply YES or NO.

  She remembered her wish to go back in time to before this day even started. If only such a thing was possible.

  Rewind the day? She thought about what would have happened if she’d made a different choice that morning. If she’d asked Evan to the bonfire and gone to the party as his date. They would have listened to music together and laughed with their friends. They would have strolled hand in hand down the shore and skipped stones on the lake. They would have held hands, maybe even kissed . . .

  The texts had to be a joke, but she couldn’t figure out who’d sent them. And the same instinct that had her wishing on stars made her feel a twinge of excitement as she reread the messages.

  Rewind the day. Make a different choice.

  Could it be true?

  No, of course not.

  Yet . . . fingers trembling slightly, she typed YES and hit SEND.

  9

  Mari didn’t know how long she slept. It seemed like only minutes could have passed since she drifted off before a knock on her door roused her. She turned onto her stomach and tried to fall back asleep. She was exhausted. Dark thoughts and weird dreams had kept her tossing and turning through the night.

  Her mother knocked again, calling through the closed door. “Maribel, are you up? You need to dress for school. Hurry!”

  Mari groaned. Dress for school? Has Mom gone crazy? It was Saturday, and school was out for summer. And what time is it, anyway?

  She reached for her phone on the nightstand. Her fingers instead found her journal. She flinched, remembering how she’d torn the pages out in misery.

  She pulled the book closer to her and blinked. Its pages were intact. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, she sat up straighter and looked again. She flipped through the journal. Her eyes landed on the pages mentioning Evan.

  How can this be? She clearly recalled ripping them to smithereens. Had it been a dream?

  Her mind flashed to the last thing she remembered. The weird texts she received the night before. She reached for her phone.

  The mysterious texts from the unknown number were gone. Other messages were missing too. The ones from Jenae checking to see if she was okay. And the one Jenae sent earlier, telling her to hurry to the bonfire because Evan was alone. In fact, the last text in her in-box was from Thursday night.

  Her sundress was hanging on the back of her bedroom door. It showed no signs of being worn the night before. It was possible her mother had come into her room and hung it up during the night. But what about the sandals she’d lost on the beach? She threw her bedcovers aside and rushed to the closet. She flung the door open and gasped. There sat her favorite sandals.

  “Maribel!” Her mother’s tone was growing harsher. “Breakfast. Now!”

  * * *

  In the dining room, Mari’s mother was pouring coffee into two mugs. She slid one across the table to Mari’s father, who was watching the morning news channel on the TV. Mari sank into the chair across from him and stared at the TV. Her eyes lasered in on the date running across the bottom of the screen. Yesterday’s date.

  It couldn’t be.

  “Is this today’s news?” she asked her father as she reached for a box of cereal.

  Still staring at the TV, he said, “Yup.”

  Mari’s mother poured milk into her own bowl and then passed the carton to Mari. “That’s a funny question.”

  “I feel funny,” Mari said. “Like I’m somehow on the wrong timeline.”

  Her father turned to her and laughed. “You’ve been watching too much sci-fi.”

  “I didn’t even watch the alien movie last night,” Mari said. “That was you two.”

  Her mother tilted her head, eyeing Mari curiously. “What alien movie? We were salsa dancing last night.”

  Her parents had enrolled in a Thursday night salsa class a few weeks ago.

  Her father took a sip from his coffee mug and then said, “I wouldn’t mind watching an alien flick tonight, though. What do you ladies say?”

  Mari’s eyes flicked from one parent to the other. She scanned their faces for signs they were messing with her. Her dad enjoyed a good prank and could often coax her mom into participating.

  But she saw no hint of the devilish twinkle he usually got in his eyes when he was fooling around. Her skin prickled. She felt light-headed. Like the world was somehow off-kilter. Nothing made sense.

  Her mother took a sip of her coffee, then gave a small nod. “Sounds good to me. But Mari’s going to the beach tonight.”

  “The beach?” her father asked. “Why?”

  “The bonfire,” her mother replied. “She’s been planning it for weeks!”

  He nodded. “Right, right. Last day of school.”

  In that moment, confusion gave way to certainty. Mari knew it must be true. Weird as it was, the text had been for real. She’d been granted a do-over. She gulped a few spoonfuls of cereal and shot up from her chair. As she dashed up the stairs, she called over her shoulder, “I have to hurry, or I’ll be late for school.”

  Her mother shouted after her, “That’s what I’ve been telling you!”

  10

  It was a major case of déjà vu. The morning was exactly the way she remembered it. Kids were dressed the same as they’d been the day before. They said all the same things.

  When Jenae scrunched her nose and read the menu board at lunch, Mari knew she was going to say, “Marvelous meat loaf? It’s the last day of school. They could at least serve pizza!”

  As usual, they sat with Nic, Aaron, and Annalise. As they discussed the bonfire, Mari predicted every word uttered by her friends. When Nic teased her for wanting the world to hug trees and kiss fishes, Mari knew that was her cue. She turned and looked at t
he precise spot she knew Evan would be sitting. The sight of him made her palms instantly sweat.

  “You have to go to the bonfire,” Nic was saying for the second time. “Everyone’s going to be there.”

  “Yeah. And everyone’s going to have a date. Except me.”

  Once again, her friends encouraged her to ask Evan out, and once again, Mari agreed to do it.

  But this time was different.

  This time she really would.

  She’d been given a second chance—and she wasn’t going to let it slip through her fingers.

  * * *

  After lunch, Mari headed to Evan’s locker. It didn’t surprise her one bit that he wasn’t there. She found herself glancing up at Aaron’s locker, number 721. She bit her lip and looked around. She was the only person in these halls who knew what was inside that locker. No, she silently corrected herself, someone else knew. The person responsible for the dangerous prank.

  Remembering her fall, she reached up to rub her left shoulder. She almost laughed as she realized it didn’t hurt. Of course it didn’t—she hadn’t injured it yet! She lifted the shoulder up and down, telling herself to enjoy the pain-free range of motion while it lasted.

  She walked over to the poster advertising the bonfire. As she stared up at it, she thought about second chances. Did her do-over just apply to asking Evan out? Could she change other parts of the day? Could she maybe not fall on her butt and make a huge fool of herself?

  Just then she saw Chelsea and her friend walking down the hallway. They approached the drinking fountain.

  Last time, Mari had stood in line behind them and eavesdropped on their conversation. Now she knew what they would say. And she wanted to experiment.

  She hurried toward the fountain, reaching it just before the two girls. She bent and took a long, slow drink. Behind her, Chelsea told her friend about the outfit she’d chosen for the party. This time, Mari had a picture-perfect image in her mind of the red blouse with the scoop neck and peekaboo sleeves.

  This time, when the shorter girl told Chelsea to “chill,” they were still waiting for their turn at the fountain. Mari delayed, taking as long as she could. Finally, she straightened. Instead of walking away, she turned to Chelsea and said, “Bless you.”

  One second later, Chelsea sneezed.

  As Mari continued down the hall, she heard Chelsea’s friend say, “That was weird.” She kept walking, wanting to be out of the danger zone when the balls tumbled out of Aaron’s locker. A short distance away, she leaned against a wall as though waiting for a friend. Her eyes scanned the crowd. She was looking for Evan, but if anyone asked she’d say she was meeting up with Jenae.

  Finally, she saw Evan approach.

  A thrill went through Mari. Like she was watching a movie, anticipating a jump scare. In her mind, the soundtrack was speeding up. This time, she was at a safe enough distance to enjoy the show.

  She watched Evan put in the combination on his lock and swing open the locker door. There was a slight hint of a smile on his lips.

  Mari’s insides quivered. She remembered poor Mr. Motoyama being tended to after his injury. Suddenly she wondered, Should I have tried to stop the prank? But there was no time. Aaron had nearly reached his locker. Mari couldn’t prevent it from happening, so she settled for trying to spot anyone looking guilty or suspicious in the crowd.

  Evan turned then, jolting Mari back to the present. He was looking at Aaron, who’d just reached up to his own locker. He’d probably said, “Hi, dude,” or another Aaron-like greeting.

  Then the avalanche of golf balls rushed from Aaron’s locker. They hit the floor and bounced in all directions. Mari watched Aaron closely this time. He really did look surprised. His mouth fell open and his eyes were wide.

  Someone yelled, “Pranked!” and Evan doubled over in laughter.

  Mari watched as Chelsea teetered and tried to right herself. Then she fell backward, landing on her butt in the middle of the hallway.

  Kids pointed and laughed. She couldn’t help but laugh too—and then instantly felt ashamed. She wasn’t behaving any better than Chelsea and her friend had when their roles were reversed.

  Chelsea’s face turned a bright red. Her friend reached down to help her up.

  The warning bell rang, and Mari started toward the gym.

  “Hurry up, Maribel,” a voice called as she rounded the corner. “Or you’ll be late for class.”

  “I will.” She cast a glance over her shoulder and saw Mr. Motoyama, the science teacher, emerging from a classroom.

  Mari’s stomach lurched at the memory of the teacher leaning against the wall with a bloody rag in his hand. He’d needed stitches for a deep gash on his forehead.

  If she didn’t act quickly, history would soon repeat itself.

  11

  Mari spun on one heel and hurried after the science teacher. “Mr. M, wait!”

  He slowed his pace but kept walking. “What is it?” he asked with a glance over one shoulder.

  “Look out!” She was nearly out of breath when she caught up to him. “Golf balls. Everywhere. Don’t trip!”

  They turned the corner, and the teacher looked around. “I see what you mean.”

  The final bell rang. She’d be late for P.E. again, but she didn’t mind. She’d saved Mr. Motoyama from a serious injury.

  “Thank you for the warning. If I had slipped on a golf ball, I would have been teed off.” The teacher chuckled at his own joke. “Get it? Ha!”

  Mari smiled at the corny joke. “I’ve got to run.”

  She wasn’t surprised when the girls’ P.E. coach sent her and two other students to round up golf balls in the science wing. Backpack still slung over one shoulder, she walked back to the science wing with Diana and Anjelia.

  Once again, a security officer stood in front of a line of orange cones.

  Once they’d gotten past the guard, Mari noticed the school nurse and the vice principal crouched over a third person. Who? She’d saved Mr. Motoyama.

  As she neared, she got a better view of the injured person. Her heart lurched. It was Jenae! She sat with her back against the wall, an ice pack pressed to her forehead. The sickening sight was made even worse because Mari felt responsible.

  “What happened?” she asked as they cautiously approached.

  The vice principal said that Jenae had slipped on a golf ball and hit her forehead against a locker door. She would probably need stitches.

  Mari covered her mouth with one hand. She felt as though she was going to be ill.

  “Whoever did this is going to be in serious trouble,” the vice principal added. “Did any of you see anything?”

  Mari admitted that she’d witnessed the prank but insisted that Aaron couldn’t have been the one who planned it. Mari handed the mesh bags to Diana and Anjelia to started collecting golf balls, figuring she would use her backpack again. She knelt next to Jenae. The nurse was applying a bandage to her forehead.

  “Is she going to be okay?” Mari asked.

  The nurse nodded, then told Jenae, “An ambulance is on the way. You’re going to be checked out at the hospital.”

  When the nurse left them to go speak to the vice principal, Jenae looked up at Mari. Her eyes were red from crying. “Do you think I’ll have a scar?”

  Mari didn’t know, but she said, “No. Probably not.” She patted her friend’s leg reassuringly. “I’m so, so sorry.”

  “Why are you sorry? You didn’t do it.”

  Mari hesitated. “I just feel like . . . maybe I could have done something differently. I could have stopped you from getting hurt.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Jenae grabbed Mari by the hand. “You really don’t think Aaron did it? If he did, I . . . I don’t know what I’d do.”

  Mari felt even worse. Not only had Jenae been injured, but she feared her own boyfriend might be to blame.

  “It wasn’t him,” Mari insisted. “I’m sure.”

  “But who else would have been
able to get the golf balls into his locker? They’d have to know his combination.”

  Mari shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said truthfully.

  * * *

  By the time the three girls had retrieved all the wayward golf balls, paramedics had arrived for Jenae. The vice principal was watching the janitor clean the area. Mari averted her eyes, not wanting to see her friend’s blood.

  “We must have more than a hundred golf balls here,” Anjelia said, holding up her mesh bag. “I found thirty-seven. I wonder how Aaron got them all into his locker. Or, you know, whoever did it.”

  “It wasn’t him,” Mari insisted again. “We should get back to P.E.”

  The vice principal strode toward the girls. “Come with me,” he told Mari. “We’re taking statements from anyone who witnessed the prank.” Turning to Diana and Anjelia, he added, “You two get back to class.”

  The vice principal’s cell phone buzzed. Mari knew the message alerted him that the police had arrived on campus. “Stop by Admin to give your statement. I have to go talk to the cops.”

  Mari nodded. She wondered what the police would do about the prank. And if Aaron wasn’t responsible, who was?

  * * *

  The rest of the afternoon was like a sitcom rerun. Things happened just like the first time. Kids signed each other’s yearbooks and chatted about their summer plans.

  But in math class, Jenae was missing. By now everyone had heard that she’d been taken to the hospital. Their teacher reported that Jenae was getting stitches but would be fine.

  Mari kept her eye on the clock. The minutes were ticking down on the last day of school.

  Finally, the bell rang. Jenae wasn’t there to tell her to “go for it,” but that was all right. Mari had spent the entire day preparing for this moment.

  As students sprang to their feet and raced toward the door, she hung back. She waited for Evan’s keychain to fall to the floor, then she moved closer. She bent to retrieve the harmonica-shaped keychain. As she examined the colorful pegs that poked through each side, she thought of Mr. Motoyama’s joke. If I’d slipped on a golf ball, I’d have been teed off. Get it?