Time And Again

Chapter 11

"Good morning Los Angeles! This is your wake-up call with the Wizard of the 8-track, the mad genius of pop, your main man MegaWatt wishing all of you listeners out there a happy Wednesday. I love Wednesday because it's the middle of the week, and that means two more days to the weekend! And for all of you crazy kids waking up to go to school, I know you wish you could turn back time to summer. So this one's for you, Back In Time with Huey Lewis & The News."

Tell me, doctor, where are we going this time? Is this the fifties? Or nineteen ninety-nine? All I wanted to do was play my guitar and sing. Take me away. I don't mind. You better promise me I'll be back in time. Gotta get back in time... 

Wait a minute! Did he freaking hear that, right? Did that idiot say Wednesday? Oh crap! It's been too good to be true. He had a feeling he'd have to live a day over again. He just didn't know when. Damn!

As he lay in bed thinking about this turn of events, he decided this is a good thing. His tardiness hurt Nicole, and that sucked. That is the first and last time he wants to cause her intentional hurt. So he can fix it. But he also needs to figure out what caused the day to repeat since he doesn't want to be stuck as long as the other one lasted. Five stinking days is too much.

Getting up, he dressed in the same outfit and wandered downstairs. He greeted DeeDee and asked his mom for advice since she helped him figure out things the first time. He kissed her on the cheek and sat down at the table with the muffins. "Mom, I made a mistake. I can't figure out what I did wrong, though." He took a bite out of the chocolate chip one.

Laura asked, putting her mug down, "Did you do something to upset Nicole? I want to meet her, by the way. Have her come over for dinner one night, or bring her by on the weekend for lunch. It really doesn't matter. Just tell me in advance so I can cook something."

This made Johnny smile. He'd love for both of the leading women in his life to meet. He believes they'll get along well. His mom and Ali got along alright, but then Ali didn't really care for Laura as much as he knew Nicole would. She always told him, "I don't need another mother. I already have one, and sometimes she's too much." 

Something inside tells him Nikki and Laura would hit it off great. He went on to tell his mother about the date last night, to which she said, "Yeah. You kind of messed there, kiddo. It won't say it's OK because it's not. You made her wait at the restaurant by herself and think you weren't showing up. That's no way to treat a lady you like. You did it to Ali, don't do this to Nicole too. From all I know of her, Nicole could be it for you. So, don't make bad habits."

Nicole could be it for him? He can't think about that right now. Plus, they need to kiss. He'll think about it after the kiss, even though his hands started to get clammy and his heart sped up. But again, it's too early to think about. Instead, he promised, "I know, Mom. That's why I'm talking to you. I don't want to mess this up."

She patted his hand. "Well, Kid, keep this in mind. Life saves its most significant lessons for the worst of times and mistakes. Learn from it. We all make mistakes. Just don't repeat them." Picking up the mug, she sipped her coffee.

There's that word repeat. How can he make a different choice if he isn't sure what caused him to repeat this day in the first place? He's pretty sure Ali is what made him repeat the first day. So he can't blame this on her. No. This is all his and his alone. With that, he got up, crammed the last bite of muffin in his mouth, threw his trash away, and left out the side door. In the garage, he took off on his bike.

At school, he parked beside the guys at the front. Of course, they're all wearing blue, the same as him. Once he hopped down, the guys motioned with their hands. He knew what was coming having lived through it the day before. "The new girls are over there talking to a group of guys. They've been talking to them for a while now," Jimmy announced to him.