if this magic cell phone thing works both ways, but it just goes straight to my voice mail. My freshman voice mail.
Guess not.
I leave my cell on my desk and head downstairs to get a glass of juice. Maybe the vitamin C will improve my spirits in addition to my fake cold. I don’t know why I feel sad. Bryan hasn’t cheated on me yet. I barely even know him.
But now I never will.
chapter nine
Saturday, May 24 Senior Year
“So what’s going to happen with prom?” Mom asks me from her seat on the couch.
My back tenses as I open the cupboard. “I’m not going.”
She pauses Best Chef and turns to look at me. “At all?”
“At all,” I say. Instead of looking at her, I take down a glass.
“But what about your dress?” she asks.
A short red prom dress is hanging in my closet. Bryan loved me in red. He thought it made me look sexy. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll return it.”
“You can’t return special-occasion dresses,” she says. “Is Bryan still going?”
“He better not be. He wanted us to go as friends but he can forget it. He doesn’t get to rip my heart into a trillion pieces and then pop the champagne with me. Let him sit home and be miserable. Like me.”
She makes a sad face and then lifts her arms in the air, wanting to give me a hug. “Oh, honey.”
“I’ll be fine, Mom.” Or I would be if Freshman Me would just do what she’s supposed to.
“It’s still two weeks away. Can you go with someone else? Or maybe with some girlfriends?”
If only I had someone else to go with. If only I had other friends. Although, if I did have other friends, then I’d be with them right now instead of hanging with my mom. “Not a big deal.” I turn on the faucet.
And that’s when it happens.
The heart bracelet on my arm disappears. One second it’s resting comfortably on my wrist, and the next second it’s … gone.
“My bracelet!” I shriek.
“What bracelet?” my mom asks.
“The one that Bryan got me!” Did it just fall down the drain? I turn the water off and try to spot it.
“Bryan who?” she asks.
“Bryan-Bryan,” I say, sticking my fingers inside.
Mom comes over to me. “Who’s Bryan? Have I met him?”
My fingers freeze. Huh? My mom doesn’t know who Bryan is?
Wait. The bracelet he got me is gone. My mom seems to have forgotten he exists. Does this mean what I think it means? I look up at my mom. “You really don’t know who Bryan is?”
She scrunches her forehead. “Not that I can remember. Is he a friend of yours?”
Oh. My. God. Freshman Me did it. She canceled her plans with Bryan. They’re not going out tonight. They never go out. We never go out. There is no bracelet. My mom doesn’t know who Bryan is. “You’ve really never met him?”
“Doesn’t ring a bell,” she says, frowning.
Holy time warp. “I need to make a call.” I hurry up to my room to call Freshman Me. “You did it!” I tell her as soon as she answers. “You rock! My bracelet is gone! And Mom has no memory of Bryan. None. Isn’t that crazy? I still remember him, but she has no idea!” I twirl in place, around and around and around. I stop only when I spot the photo. The Halloween picture. Or what was previously the Halloween picture and is now a close-up of Karin, Tash, Joelle, and me—with braces—laughing. We’re standing in a driveway. Joelle’s arms are outstretched, like she took the shot herself. “The last picture of Bryan is gone too! I think the one here now is of you guys last night at Celia’s! It worked. You got rid of him!”
“So that’s it?” she asks softly.
I examine the picture to make sure. “Yes. Well done. I’m so proud of you. Of us. We did it! We got rid of Bryan forever!”
“That sounds kind of long.”
No Bryan. No Bryan . I shiver. Who am I without Bryan? “Oh, no,” I say, seeing the wall in front of my bed. My bare wall. Bare arm and bare wall.
“What?” she asks with a twinge of hope in her voice. “He’s still
Guess not.
I leave my cell on my desk and head downstairs to get a glass of juice. Maybe the vitamin C will improve my spirits in addition to my fake cold. I don’t know why I feel sad. Bryan hasn’t cheated on me yet. I barely even know him.
But now I never will.
chapter nine
Saturday, May 24 Senior Year
“So what’s going to happen with prom?” Mom asks me from her seat on the couch.
My back tenses as I open the cupboard. “I’m not going.”
She pauses Best Chef and turns to look at me. “At all?”
“At all,” I say. Instead of looking at her, I take down a glass.
“But what about your dress?” she asks.
A short red prom dress is hanging in my closet. Bryan loved me in red. He thought it made me look sexy. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll return it.”
“You can’t return special-occasion dresses,” she says. “Is Bryan still going?”
“He better not be. He wanted us to go as friends but he can forget it. He doesn’t get to rip my heart into a trillion pieces and then pop the champagne with me. Let him sit home and be miserable. Like me.”
She makes a sad face and then lifts her arms in the air, wanting to give me a hug. “Oh, honey.”
“I’ll be fine, Mom.” Or I would be if Freshman Me would just do what she’s supposed to.
“It’s still two weeks away. Can you go with someone else? Or maybe with some girlfriends?”
If only I had someone else to go with. If only I had other friends. Although, if I did have other friends, then I’d be with them right now instead of hanging with my mom. “Not a big deal.” I turn on the faucet.
And that’s when it happens.
The heart bracelet on my arm disappears. One second it’s resting comfortably on my wrist, and the next second it’s … gone.
“My bracelet!” I shriek.
“What bracelet?” my mom asks.
“The one that Bryan got me!” Did it just fall down the drain? I turn the water off and try to spot it.
“Bryan who?” she asks.
“Bryan-Bryan,” I say, sticking my fingers inside.
Mom comes over to me. “Who’s Bryan? Have I met him?”
My fingers freeze. Huh? My mom doesn’t know who Bryan is?
Wait. The bracelet he got me is gone. My mom seems to have forgotten he exists. Does this mean what I think it means? I look up at my mom. “You really don’t know who Bryan is?”
She scrunches her forehead. “Not that I can remember. Is he a friend of yours?”
Oh. My. God. Freshman Me did it. She canceled her plans with Bryan. They’re not going out tonight. They never go out. We never go out. There is no bracelet. My mom doesn’t know who Bryan is. “You’ve really never met him?”
“Doesn’t ring a bell,” she says, frowning.
Holy time warp. “I need to make a call.” I hurry up to my room to call Freshman Me. “You did it!” I tell her as soon as she answers. “You rock! My bracelet is gone! And Mom has no memory of Bryan. None. Isn’t that crazy? I still remember him, but she has no idea!” I twirl in place, around and around and around. I stop only when I spot the photo. The Halloween picture. Or what was previously the Halloween picture and is now a close-up of Karin, Tash, Joelle, and me—with braces—laughing. We’re standing in a driveway. Joelle’s arms are outstretched, like she took the shot herself. “The last picture of Bryan is gone too! I think the one here now is of you guys last night at Celia’s! It worked. You got rid of him!”
“So that’s it?” she asks softly.
I examine the picture to make sure. “Yes. Well done. I’m so proud of you. Of us. We did it! We got rid of Bryan forever!”
“That sounds kind of long.”
No Bryan. No Bryan . I shiver. Who am I without Bryan? “Oh, no,” I say, seeing the wall in front of my bed. My bare wall. Bare arm and bare wall.
“What?” she asks with a twinge of hope in her voice. “He’s still
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