the stop sign at the end of Owen’s street, the Beach Boys song comes to an end and “Do You Believe in Magic” begins. Baffled, I look down at my phone. The shuffle feature is definitely buggy. I knew I shouldn’t have installed that new update the other day. Everyone knows you’re supposed to wait at least three days for them to fix all the bugs.
I swipe down to access the notifications window, checking to see if they released another update to fix the last one, and that’s when I notice that my phone is still displaying yesterday’s date.
Monday, September 26.
What the…?
Jeez, that update really screwed everything up. My whole calendar is wonky!
“You know you only have to legally pause for like a second at a stop sign.”
I glance up at the empty street in front of us and toss my phone into the compartment under the radio, easing on the accelerator and pulling onto Providence Boulevard.
Owen turns up the volume and starts singing along.
“Owen,” I say carefully, turning my windshield wipers up a notch. “Have you ever had déjà vu?”
“Only all the time,” he says, reaching down into his bag. “Oh, I almost forgot.” When he sits back up, I let out a stifled gasp when I see the two plastic-wrapped fortune cookies in his hand.
“W-w-what are you doing?” I stammer.
“Choose your tasty fortune!” he says, like it’s nothing. Like we didn’t just do this whole thing twenty-four hours ago.
“Wait,” I protest. “I thought you only worked at the Tasty House on Sundays.”
“I do.”
This is going to be a strange day, I can tell.
I reach for the cookie on the left, but then remember that’s the one I picked yesterday, so I grab the one on the right and drop it in my lap.
As I drive, Owen nosily unwraps his cookie and snaps open the shell.
“If your desires are not extravagant,” he reads aloud, “they will be granted.”
I swerve the car to the side of the road and slam on the brakes.
“Whoa. Drive much?” Owen complains.
“Let me see that!” I swipe the piece of paper from his hand and read it.
If your desires are not extravagant, they will be granted.
No. It’s not possible.
I toss his fortune back and hastily unwrap mine. My hands are trembling as I break open the cookie and pull out the message.
My lips feel heavy and numb as I read.
Today you will get everything your true heart desires.
But … it can’t. It’s … what are the odds of this happening? A gazillion to one? I don’t know, I’ve never actually studied fortune cookie statistics. Is that even a thing? Is this fortune cookie factory simply printing the same two fortunes over and over again? But Owen and I have never gotten these fortunes before.
“Did the Tasty House change fortune cookie distributors?”
Now Owen is looking at me like I need to be locked up. “Noooo,” he says slowly.
Maybe their printer malfunctioned and printed a billion duplicate cookies.
“Is this a joke?” I ask, waving the fortune at him. “Did you do this?”
“Do what? What are you talking about?”
“This fortune. I already got it. I…” My voice trails off and I dive my hand into the pocket of the door. I grapple around, feeling for the tiny piece of paper I crumpled up and stuck in there yesterday. The one with the same exact message on it. It has to be in here.
But all I feel is the smooth, clean interior of the compartment. As if it disappeared into thin air. As if yesterday morning never even happened.
Suspicious Minds
8:11 a.m.
“Did you ever get around to watching the season premiere of Assumed Guilty?” Owen asks.
I cringe. With the horrific day I had yesterday, it totally slipped my mind. “Not yet. I will soon, though. I promise!”
After Tristan and I have reunited and I’m back in a state of gorgeous boyfriend bliss.
Owen bangs his fist on the dashboard. “Bollocks! You need to get on that.”
I scowl at his reaction. “I know, I know. And please stop saying ‘bollocks.’”
“You missed the best episode.”
“I know,” I repeat, growing annoyed. He doesn’t have to keep telling me it’s the best episode. I already feel bad enough.
Owen points to the intersection ahead. “Yellow light.”
What?
I glance at the street sign. Avenue de Liberation. It’s the same dang intersection.
This time I know I can beat that stupid light. I have to beat it. I have to prove that I’m not going crazy. That the world is not stuck on some weird Repeat button. That today is