I keep thinking of home. So I tried distracting myself on the computer and got caught up with this thing called YouTube.

They say it like they’ve never heard of it before, which is absurd even if they’re from middle-of-nowhere farmsville Indiana. Everyone’s heard of YouTube.

LOL. I’ve got the Sneezing Panda video saved on my desktop whenever I need a pick-me-up.

Sneezing Panda?

Just YouTube it. I’ll wait.

It takes about three minutes before Ross finally texts back.

The way that parent panda jumped! I can’t stop laughing! And pandas are so adorable But not quite as cute as baby octopuses.

When have you seen a baby octopus?

I’ve never seen one in my entire life, and that includes all the time I’ve spent with Kavya and her marine biologist mom at the aquarium.

Those writing dots pop up and disappear once, twice, three times. This can’t be that difficult of a question. Finally, Ross just texts a picture of a baby in an octopus costume, and I lose my mind.

“Awwwww.” I actually coo out loud.

Okay, I have to admit that is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

Ross texts back with just .

Then:

What else should I watch?

Hog Calling Contest, slipping-on-ice videos, the AHHHHH clip of some old guy in a cowboy hat screaming his head off. Sure, they’re not award-winning web series or anything near what I’ve submitted for film class, but giving Ross hilarious things to watch completely made me forget about Dominic. The downside was not getting to sleep until four, but finally laughing really made it worth it.

I lurch my car into park and sprint in through the gate surrounding Shoreline High’s outdoor pool. If you’re even one second late, Coach makes everyone do ten extra laps, and I’m not looking for that kind of hate from the entire team to kick off my Monday.

The gate slams behind me right as the electronic clock over the bleachers ticks to 6:30. I move to raise a victory fist in the air, but end up wanting to punch something with it instead. Standing just six feet away is Dominic. Which is a complete surprise because he’s not on the swim team and he’s definitely not a morning person. And standing right in front of him is Miguel, smashing his face against D’s as they make out like it’s the epic kiss scene in a rom-com.