Chase looks at me weirdly. ‘OK,’ he says, putting one of his hands behind his back. ‘So how many fingers am I holding up?’
‘I don’t know,’ I say. ‘You didn’t do that last time.’
‘So everything’s not repeating then?’
‘Most things are.’
‘Convenient.’ Chase chuckles. ‘Zach, is this a joke or something? You’re secretly filming me for TikTok? Is it revenge for that prank I pulled back in the spring?’
‘I’m not filming anything. You know I hate TikTok!’
‘Mmm-hmm,’ he says. ‘Where’s the camera?’
‘There’s no camera! Chase, I’m telling you, something weird is happening.’
I look around the room helplessly, pinching the back of my hand, hoping that will wake me up. But nothing happens. I’m still here, in our dorm room, on the morning of prom. Harrington must have got to his car because the alarm stops.
‘You don’t believe me, do you?’
‘I don’t know what there is to believe, Zach.’
‘OK, but have I ever lied to you?’
‘Dozens of times.’
‘When?!’
‘That time last week I came in and heard you watching porn, and you said it was a workout video.’
He’d pretended to believe me at the time. I thought I’d got away with it. I should have known that would come back to haunt me.
‘OK, but –’
‘And when you repeatedly denied hooking up with Josh in the boathouse.’
‘That’s not the same!’ I protest. ‘Just listen, will you? I promise I’m not lying. Yesterday is repeating itself. I’m certain of it. I just need to find a way to prove it.’
‘This is a really weird prank, Zach.’
‘It’s not a prank!’ I say indignantly.
‘Well, whatever it is,’ he says, ‘you better get ready. Madzikanda will be calling for team captains soon. We need to be there. Bec’s gonna put herself forward …’
‘I know,’ I say. ‘I already know all of this …’
‘You OK, Bec?’
We find her in the hall, peering into the trophy cabinet exactly like she was yesterday. Same shorts. Same crop top. Same everything down to the last detail.
‘Sorry,’ she says. ‘I just can’t believe this was two years ago.’
‘I swear this literally happened yesterday,’ Chase replies as expected.
‘This did happen yesterday,’ I mutter. I’m already sick of hearing everything for the second time. It makes me realize how unoriginal our conversations are.
Chase sighs. ‘So Zach has decided to make this the day he loses his mind.’
‘What?’ Bec says, looking back and forth between us.
‘He says we’re stuck in a time machine.’
‘I never said we’re stuck in a time machine!’
As if I don’t sound crazy enough without him putting words in my mouth.
‘Clearly been watching too many episodes of Doctor Who.’
‘I’ve literally never watched an episode of Doctor Who in my life!’