Page 103 of A Thousand Second Chances

Pride swells my chest at the obvious gratitude in his voice. “Of course. What are friends for?”

That earns me another grin. “Does that mean you plan to return to our fair island? Despite my less than warm welcome.”

“Maybe someday. Though you could always come visit Percy and me at school. We can show you around the city. Assuming your mom approves, of course. Nothing against Mackinac Island, but I think I could use a break…and I have a feeling maybe you could, too.”

His face lights up. “That’d be awesome!”

“Great. See you later, Owen.” I start to turn away, then pause and glance back at him, trying to act casual. “Oh, one last thing. Can you tell me what day it is?”

His brow furrows, and I get the impression he’s searching for some hidden meaning in my question. “It’s Sunday,” he says at last. “Sunday, October fifteenth.”

Sunday.Holy shit!I nod calmly, resisting the urge to scream and cheer and dance across the tables. “Right. Of course. Thanks.”

The fucking time loop must’ve fried my phone. Or maybe the incorrect date is the universe’s final joke at my expense. Either way, I practically bolt out of the cafe, eager to find Percy and share the good news. I’m in such a rush I almost collide with Quinn in the entryway.

“Well, looks like someone’s feeling better,” she says, cocking an eyebrow and grinning at me. I surprise us both by wrapping her in a tight hug. “Who the hell are you, and what have you done with Chris?” she demands as I spin her around.

“Sorry.” I set her down. “I guess I’m in a celebrating mood.”

“I can tell. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you so happy.” Her smile softens. “You should try it more often. Joy looks good on you.”

A sudden flood of emotion has me close to tears. God, I’m a wreck this morning. But I suppose that’s what happens when you save someone’s life and break free of a time loop you’ve been trapped in for literal months.

“Thanks,” I say hoarsely.

She tilts her head. “For what?”

“For always being such a good friend. I love you. You know that, right?”

Now it’s Quinn who looks one second away from bawling. “I know.” She wipes discreetly at her eyes, and I pretend not to notice. “Is this about that time loop you mentioned yesterday?”

“Yep.”

“It’s Sunday now.”

“Yep.”

“Well, then…good. See? I told you everything would work itself out. You’ve just gotta trust in the universe.”

I snort. “Oh, the universe didn’t do jack shit. This was all me and Percy. Speaking of…”

She waves her hand. “Yeah, yeah. Go celebrate with your new boyfriend.”

Some of my excitement dims.If only. But I don’t want to get into all that heartbreak with her right now. There’ll be time enough to dissectthatcan of worms in the days to come. Because finally,finally, I can count on those days actually arriving!

Leaving Quinn with a shouted goodbye, I race up the stairs to Percy’s room and pound on his door until he answers, looking sleep-rumpled and entirely too cute in a pair ofBeast Warspajama pants and a RuneWorld Online T-shirt.

He rubs his eyes and squints at me. “What’s going on?”

“I got tired of waiting for you.”

“Yeah, well, I figured I deserved to sleep in after last night.” His shoulders slump. “It didn’t work, Chris. I mean, I’m glad we saved Owen, but I checked my phone, and—”

“Come on.” I grab his arm and try to yank him into the hall, but he resists, looking at me like I’m insane.

“What are you doing? I’m not even dressed yet.”

“I need to show you something.”