As he walked out the door, Tree’s mom grabbed the remote and hit the mute button. “Okay. Just tell me one thing,” she said. “Are you pregnant?”
Tree laughed out loud. “What? No. Mom, it’s not like that.”
“Sorry.” Her mother breathed a deep sigh. “I had to ask.”
Tree wished she could explain. She’d thought about it a lot on the drive, approached it from every angle she could imagine. How could she tell them about any of this? How would she ever convince them?
“It’s about a boy, isn’t it?” her mom asked.
“No. Yes. I don’t know,” Tree stammered. “It’s complicated.”
Her mom smiled. “Trust me, I can do complicated.”
Tree studied her face, trying to summon the right way to explain the inexplicable.
“Have you ever wondered what your life would have been like if you couldn’t be with Dad?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“What if you had to choose? What if being with him meant you’d lose someone really close to you? That you’d never be able to see that person again?” Tree paused. It was hard to talk around the lump forming in her throat. “What would you do?”
Her mom thought for a moment, then she took a deep breath. “We all have to make hard choices, Tree. That’s life. Sometimes the past is pulling us in one direction while the future is calling us somewhere new. But if I had to choose, I’d pick your dad. Every time.” Her mom reached over and squeezed her knee. “Without him, I wouldn’t have you, right?”
“But how did you know he was the one?” Tree asked.
“I didn’t.” Her mom smiled and shrugged. “I took a chance and followed my heart. That’s how love works, you know? It’s a leap of faith.”
For one perfect moment, Tree existed with her mother. Her heart was full, and her eyes were glowing with the image of the woman she would one day be. For just a little while, the whole multiverse—with all its endless dimensions—fell away, and it was just the two of them, side by side, lit only by the glow of the television.
And then Tree realized what was on the screen, and she leaped for the remote. The news report that was news to everyone but her was playing out on the local broadcast. She turned up the volume just as the in-studio team went live to the reporter Tree had seen so many times before.
This time, though, her story was different.
I’m standing outside Bayfield University Hospital where a terrible tragedy continues to unfold. Details are still coming in, but so far we can confirm two victims: a nurse and a police officer. Another man is in critical condition and fighting for his life after attempting to subdue the attacker.
A photo of Carter flashed onto the screen, and Tree’s eyes filled with tears.
“No.” It was the only word she could muster.
“Tree?” Her mom sensed the panic coursing through her. “Tree? What’s going on?”
Tree grabbed her phone off the nightstand and called Ryan’s number. Every ring felt like an eternity, and the icy fear in her stomach reached her limbs as she quietly prayed for Ryan to pick up.
For the first time, Tree knew with certainty that Carter was worth everything. He’d put it all on the line for her before, and tonight, he’d run directly into harm’s way for people he hardly knew—to do exactly what she’d refused to do. If anything happened to him, it would all be her fault.
Her mother was right. Moving forward meant following her heart. It meant going back to her dimension, where she and Carter could take a leap together, even if her mom would only live in her memories.
As the phone rang endlessly in her ear, Tree Gelbman was finally ready to leave the past behind.
Her future was calling.
19
Back in the lab, no one could hear Ryan’s phone buzz as it clattered across the table. The screen flashed Tree’s number beneath Crazy White Girl, but the hum of the machine had turned to a dull roar and filled the lab, drowning out the vibrating phone.
Ryan stood nearby, holding his laptop as he helped monitor Sissy. Samar and Dre darted around the lab, checking various monitors and devices. As the ignored phone logged “1 missed call,” the monitor at the computer began to flash:
COUNTDOWN SEQUENCE INITIALIZED
* * *
—
Tree yelled into the phone as soon as the beep sent her to voice mail.
“Ryan! Don’t close the loop! You can’t—”
She was interrupted by a robot’s voice:
I’m sorry. The mailbox is full and cannot accept…
Tree was paralyzed, her mind frozen on the image of Carter’s face on the news. She felt like her head might just crack trying to figure out the impossible: how to keep Sissy from working one last time.
“I can’t let him close it,” she said.
“Tree! What is going on?”
Her mother was alarmed, and Tree couldn’t blame her. Without context, her mother probably thought she was having a nervous breakdown. But there was no time to explain. Tree had to do something, and do it right now, or she would be faced with being stuck in this dimension. It was a future where she would lose Carter—either forever, or to someone else—and carry always the unbearable regret that if only she had gone back to the hospital one last time, everything would’ve been different.
How could she keep Ryan from closing the loop? If only she could get back to campus in time to pull the plug on Sissy and—
Pull the plug.
In a flash, she remembered the electrical station they’d driven past on the way here.
Tree spotted her dad’s car keys lying on the table. She raced over and grabbed them. Her mother called her name, but if Tree paused, it would be too late; she would either lose her resolve or run out of time. She threw open the door to the room and barreled into her father, who nearly lost his grip on the bucket of ice.
“Tree?”
Tree blew past him without a word, running to the car. She slammed the door and roared out of the parking space, accelerating past her stunned parents and out of the parking lot.
Pedal to the metal, Tree pushed the car as fast as it would go. She put her phone on speaker, but she got Ryan’s voice mail again. She yelled a curse to no one and stomped on the gas.
* * *
—
The whole lab trembled as the proton lasers reached maximum intensity.
Dre and Samar backed away from Sissy, keeping their distance. Ryan wondered what was keeping Carter. He said he’d be back because he wanted to see this, but they couldn’t wait any longer. Dean Bronson could come back at any moment, shut down the machine, and screw up the universe forever. The excitement Ryan felt as he watched this amazing machine reach its full potential surged through him like the energy popping through the cables at his feet. He glanced at the countdown clock on his computer screen: 7…6…5…
“Here we go!” he shouted.
* * *
—
Tears ran down Tree’s cheeks as she pounded on the steering wheel, willing the rental car to go faster.
“Come on!” she yelled.
Up ahead, the sign for Bayfield Utility Power Grid flashed into view. Tree stomped on the gas and yanked the wheel. The tires skidded onto the drive leading to the entrance. Ahead, the access gate was chained and padlocked. Tree white-knuckled the steering wheel and closed her eyes, urging the car to go even faster, and blasted through the gates of the perimeter fence. She kept going and aimed the hood for what looked like the base of a tower. The rental car was a full-throttle missile that slammed at top speed into the structure with a deafening boom! Tree’s world became blue flame and white-hot sparks as the car collapsed around her like an accordion and her tortured body once again was crushed into oblivion.
20
Tree sat up in Carter’s be
d as the tower bell tolled 9:00 a.m., relieved like never before to see him digging around under the desk for his bite guard.
“Oh, hey. You’re up!”
“That’s the last time I’m dying for you.”
“What?”
Tree just smiled at him. Happy he’s alive.
* * *
—
A few hours later, Dre and Samar were checking all the connections to Sissy as Tree watched the screen over Ryan’s shoulder. He’d been working at the terminal for quite a while.
“How long will this take?” asked Tree.
Ryan smiled at her. “Thanks to your crazy memory, shouldn’t take long at all. I can have Sissy ready to go in just a few minutes.”
“I need a little more time,” she said. “There’s something I need to do.” She nimbly skirted the pile of cables and headed for the door.
“Tree?” Ryan called out.
She stopped for a second and looked back.
“Are you sure you want to go back?”
Tree paused and gave him a sad smile. “I can’t spend my life living in the past,” she said. “I have to take a leap of faith.”
* * *
—
Tree got to the Kappa house just as Lori was leaving with her bag slung over one shoulder.
“She finally rolls in.”
Tree smiled. “Lori…hi.”
“Big night?” Lori asked.
“You could say that.” Tree changed gears. “Listen, Lori, I just wanted to tell you that it’s good to see you.”
“Okay?”
Tree followed Lori’s gaze and noticed Gregory’s car idling curbside. Gregory stepped out of the driver’s side and tried to look casual.
“He’s not worth it,” Tree whispered.
Lori looked stunned. How does she know?
“Trust me,” Tree said. “I know what it’s like to get involved with a married guy. Living a double life. Feeling like crap every time they leave. But it’s never too late to change.”
Lori just stared at the ground. Tree waited until her roommate looked up, then reached out and took her hand.
“Somebody once told me that every day is a chance to be someone better. This is your day.”
“Okay…” Lori waited for Tree’s usual sarcasm to drop but heard something different and real. Tree meant it. “Thanks.”
Tree reached out and wrapped both arms around Lori. “Take care of yourself,” she whispered.
Tree slipped inside and made her way to Danielle’s bedroom—prominently marked with a Bedazzled sign that read DANIELLE. She knocked twice, but no one answered, so she opened the door and poked her head inside. At that exact moment, Danielle walked out of the bathroom wearing a silky robe, surprised to see her.
“Tree!”
“Look, Danielle,” Tree began. “I feel bad. I’ve misjudged you, and—”
She stopped short as Nick, the frat guy with the Pleasure Dome, followed Danielle out of the bathroom. He was shirtless and wet, wearing only a towel. When he saw Tree, a sly smile crossed his face.
“Nice! Three-way!”
Danielle looked like she was frantically searching the room for someplace to hide.
“He’s kidding,” she told Tree.
“No, I’m not—”
Danielle cut him off. “Nick’s shower was broken, so I said he could use mine.” Tree saw her staring daggers in his direction. “Right, Nick?”
He frowned at her. “My shower’s fine,” he said.
“Right,” Tree said. “Never mind. Sorry for interrupting.”
Tree hurried out of the room before Danielle could stop her. She could hear them arguing all the way down the stairs. She smiled to herself and shook her head.
Some things never change.
Tree rounded the corner at the restaurant and spotted her parents sitting at the far end of the patio. This is how she wanted to remember them, laughing and talking, ready to celebrate together. She took a deep breath and started making her way toward them between the crowded tables.
“There’s the other birthday girl!”
Her dad jumped up and gave her a hug and a kiss. “Hey, Dad. Do you mind if I talk to Mom alone for a minute?” Tree smiled up at her father. “Just some girl talk.”
“Sure,” he said. “I can make a couple of work calls.”
“Thanks.”
He grabbed his phone and headed off with a smile. Tree sat down across from her mom.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Fine,” Tree said. “Everything’s fine.”
She sat there digging deep for the courage she needed to get through this. She didn’t know what to say or how to say it.
“Mom.” Tree’s eyes welled up just saying the word. “I really want you to know how much I love you.”
“Aw. I love you, too, sweetie.”
“No. I’m serious,” Tree said. “People say ‘I love you’ all the time, but you never really know how much it means until you can’t say it to their face anymore. You’re so beautiful and amazing, and I just hope I become half the woman you are one day.”
Tree could see her mom was touched. She smiled that beautiful, infectious smile, and Tree felt warm all over.
“Are you kidding?” her mom said. “I’m the woman I am because I had you. I mean, I’ve never really told anyone this, but when I was pregnant with you, I was scared shitless.”
Tree laughed. “Why?”
“I was afraid I was going to suck at being a mom. But then I held you for the first time, and something inside me changed instantly. You unlocked parts of me I never knew I had. The best kind of love does that. It changes you. Makes you a better person. Someday, when you hold your baby, you’ll know what I mean.”
Tree’s eyes welled up with tears. “I’m so stupid. I really thought I could have it all. But I can’t.”
“Nobody can,” her mom said with a smile. “But guess what? That’s okay. You’ll get what you need.”
Tree dabbed at the tears on her cheeks with a napkin. “I hope so.”
Her mom opened her arms. “Come here.”
Tree got up and sat gently on her mom’s lap. Her mom brushed a tear from Tree’s cheek.
“Am I crushing you?” Tree asked with a smile.
“Nope. You’re my little girl.”
They held one another’s gaze for what seemed like a long time, but in her heart, Tree knew it could never be long enough.
From here on, Tree would carry this moment forward into her future, so she took it all in—the way the sun filtered through the leaves over the patio, the aroma of the restaurant’s grill, the endless blue of her mother’s eyes, and the soft kindness of her smile.
Tree’s mother had taught her so much over the years: how to tie her shoe, ride a bike, and make a budget. Her mother’s love had made her a better person; it was the kind of unconditional love that made you feel worthy. It left no room for you to see yourself otherwise.
You taught me how to love myself.
It was the truest gift anyone could ever give her. Now, she’d given Tree one final gift.
You taught me how to say good-bye.
Tree heard singing and turned as her dad approached the table with a birthday cake. There was just one candle on it, and Tree and her mom finished the song together.
Her mother smiled at her. “Make a wish.”
Then they closed their eyes and blew the candle out together.
21
This was the moment of truth.
Dre, Samar, Carter, and Ryan were circling Sissy like sentinels when Tree arrived at the lab.
“You ready?” Ryan asked.
Tree nodded, and Ryan reached for the master switch.
“Wait!” she said.
Ryan
paused. Tree looked around at each one of them.
“I know how confusing this must be. I mean, you’ve only known me for a couple of hours, but I’ve known you guys for weeks. You all worked really hard to try to send me back home, so thank you.”
“Well,” Samar said, “the jury’s still out on whether you’re totally nuts, but happy we could help.”
Everybody laughed, and then Tree said, “Ryan, light her up.”
Ryan hit the master switch, and Sissy started purring. Lasers started firing. The room began to vibrate. Ryan darted back to his computer, and Tree saw the countdown clock at fifteen seconds again.
Dre and Samar made themselves busy running diagnostics and checking the equipment for safety.
In the middle of it all, Tree found herself alone with Carter for a moment.
He looked over and smiled at her, then stared back at the sphere full of lasers. “In this other dimension, do we know each other?” he asked.
Tree smiled. “Yeah. You can say that.” He was so cute when he blushed just a little bit.
The lights overhead began to flicker, and Ryan yelled, “Seven seconds!” from the console. “Six!…Five!…”
Bang!
Dean Bronson stormed into the room flanked by the same pair of burly campus rent-a-cops.
“What did I tell you about turning that thing on!” he shouted over the roar.
Tree’s stomach dropped.
“Wait! This isn’t supposed to happen now. You’re not supposed to come until tomorrow!”
“Turn that thing off! Now!” the dean thundered at Ryan.
“No! Please!” Tree begged him.
The countdown clock ticked to 1. An enraged Dean Bronson managed to find the master power cable and ripped it out of the wall socket. Once again, the lasers powered down. The dean triumphantly dropped the cord to the floor.
Tree was pissed. “You can’t do this!” she yelled.
The dean looked at her with a sneer. “And who are you?”
“I’m a student here.”
Happy Death Day & Happy Death Day 2U Page 20