Finally

11

I was lying on the couch, drinking a liter of Dr. Pepper and stuffing my face with Dominos pizza when there was a knock at the door. My parents were out on a date-I'd insisted they do something instead of sit at home with a mopey sixteen year old-so I was the only one home and it was kind of creepy.

But I got up and looked through the peephole and do you know who it was?

Cameron.

I screamed in panic and rushed to hide the pizza and Dr Pepper. I was in my pajamas with the rubber ducks on them, which was even more embarrassing than pigging out alone watching Mean Girls on your 16th birthday. I took my hair out of its messy bun and fluffed it with my hands. Then I opened the door.

"Oh! Uh, hi," said Cameron when he saw me with messy hair and pj's. I knew I should've changed.

"Cameron! Hi," I replied, trying not to blush with embarrassment. "Come on in. It's been awhile."

"Yeah, it has. I figured you'd be having the party of the century right about now. Was I wrong to think that?"

I chuckled. "Um...it's been a long day. Actually, you wouldn't believe me if I told you what's happened in the last three days."

"I've got time. My parents think I'm sleeping over at a friend's house."

"Okay." We sat down on the couch and I folded my legs criss-cross-applesauce. "This is gonna sound really crazy...but I've lived this day before. Three times, actually."

"What? That's impossible."

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true! I woke up two days ago and it was my birthday, and it turned out to be the worst day of my life. And when I woke up the next morning, it was like the day had started over. The same thing happened today."

"Wow...that's weird. Maybe it's just a weird case of de já vu?" he suggested.

"I wish. But this is different. Nothing ever changes. No one knows what's going on, except for me. Is it because it's my birthday? I don't know. All I know is that today should be Sunday and it's not."

"Hmm. Well as long as I'm here...we could at least catch up." Cameron glanced at the TV screen in front of us. "What is this, Mean Girls?"

"Yeah." So we watched the rest of the movie together and I ended up bringing out the box of pizza and the bottle of soda. At least now I didn't look like a lonesome fool.

When the movie was over, we talked about things that had happened in the past five years. Apparently he'd made a lot of new friends, gotten a membership at the Y, and went to a few summer camps.

At about 10:00, he decided it was time to leave. "Good luck with this whole birthday thing," he said as he stood on the doorstep.

"Thanks. I hope tomorrow is Saturday," I replied.

And then he was gone.