BooksBarbecue
Back Counting Down with You
Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. Dedication
  6. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  7. Part 1
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. Part 2
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. 33
  42. Part 3
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. 47
  57. 48
  58. 49
  59. 50
  60. 51
  61. 52
  62. 53
  63. 54
  64. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I grimace. “I brought it up briefly, months ago. It didn’t go well.”

“Are you set on your decision?” Dadu pauses the movie to give me her full attention.

Set on my decision? I haven’t made a decision. “I don’t know,” I say, once again. I sound like an indecisive airhead, but thankfully Dadu is still looking at me seriously. “I...don’t want to be a doctor.”

Dadu looks at me for a long time before taking a deep breath, as if she’s bracing herself. “Okay. Do you want to tell your parents? We can figure it out together.”

The painful relief that hits me is the best punch to the stomach I’ve ever felt. I would happily let someone hit me over and over if it felt like this. “You’re not mad?”

“I could never be mad at you, Myra,” Dadu says, patting my cheek. “If you killed someone, I would help you bury the body. If this is what you want, then I’ll help you. Life is so short... You shouldn’t have to spend it being unhappy. None of us should.”

“I know but I thought—they... I don’t know,” I finish weakly.

“The older I am, the more I realize it’s not worth it to prioritize things that make you miserable,” Dadu says. “I don’t want that for you. We’re going to figure this out, okay? One day at a time.”

I turn my face into her hand, nodding. This is the most comforted I’ve felt about this subject in a long time. Maybe ever. I don’t know if I’m going to tell my parents, if I can ever be that selfish, but it’s good to know that if I do, Dadu will help me. “One day at a time.”

Part 3

PART 3

Inferno

34

T-MINUS 13 DAYS

“Wait, but do you really think it’d work?” Cora asks, her mouth stuffed with popcorn.

“You’re the one who came up with the idea,” Nandini says, raising a pointed eyebrow.

Cora shrugs. “Yeah, but I don’t even know my own name half the time.”

I laugh, nudging her foot with mine. It’s the first day of our break and we’re sitting together in my living room, Netflix on the television and snacks littered on the floor.

We had plans to see the new Marvel movie later in the evening, but we decided to forego the theater to stay in and spend time together. Mostly because Nandini’s manager has gotten worse, and she can barely stand being under the same roof as her.

Cora and I are nothing if not supportive.

“I just don’t know if the luggage approach is viable,” I say. “I feel like you’ll need something bigger if you’re going to illegally sneak me into junior prom.”