“What are you doing here?” he asks, slipping his arms into a T-shirt.
“I need you to come over so we can go on Facebook,” I say. “I can’t stop thinking about Kevin Storm. And I saw a baby picture of myself last night that looks so much like—”
“Sure,” Josh says. “Go ahead.”
“Without you? You’re not worried I’ll ruin your future?”
“Just don’t call Jordan Jones again, and don’t try to find Kevin Storm’s number. I’ll come over when I finish up here.”
I notice the phone on his floor, surrounded by the only patch of carpet without clothes or magazines. I wonder if Sydney’s called him yet.
Married to Kevin Storm
When I click on his name, nothing happens. I try again. Nothing! Kevin’s name isn’t highlighted blue, so I’m guessing he doesn’t have a Facebook page of his own.
I look down on the screen to see what I’ve written in this future.
Emma Nelson Storm
I can’t get enough of Glee.
9 hours ago · Like · Comment
Kathleen Podell Netflix all the way, babe.
9 hours ago · Like
Emma Nelson Storm Netflix+Glee = my life
8 hours ago · Like
I have no idea what I’m talking about, but if Netflix plus Glee equals my life, I’m hoping those are good things. I keep scrolling down.
Emma Nelson Storm
Packing the boys’ lunches. They’re slowly settling into
the new school, but I still feel guilty about moving
them in the middle of the year.
Yesterday at 7:01am · Like · Comment
Boys? I told Josh we shouldn’t get too attached to our future children, but it’s hard to believe I’ll never see Olivia’s plump cheeks again.
Emma Nelson Storm
Luke just lost his first tooth! How much does the
Tooth Fairy leave these days?
May 20 at 4:25pm · Like · Comment
Six people have commented, everything from “Congrats, Luke!” to “I dunno… maybe a dollar?” But it’s the last comment that stands out.
Kellan Steiner Lindsay is fourteen now, so I’m
out-of-date on the Tooth Fairy. Sorry!
May 20 at 7:12pm · Like
I’m tempted to click on Kellan’s name, but I promised Josh I would only look up Kevin Storm, so I force myself to stay on my own page. Mostly, I talk about my boys and Netflix, which seems to be a new way to watch movies.
Emma Nelson Storm
Kevin saved a life today. I will never browse online
while driving again. Don’t worry… I’m writing this
at a stoplight.
May 17 at 7:18pm · Like · Comment
I have a computer in my car? Josh is going to freak out when he hears this. And if Kevin saved a life, maybe he’s a doctor. Or a paramedic. Or a fireman! That’d be cool because firemen have great bodies.
I read through the comments of various people congratulating Kevin. The man in the eighth photo has graying hair and… it’s my dad!
Dale Nelson Put your phone in your purse,
honey! All my love to the family.
May 17 at 8:03pm · Like
My eyes sting with tears. Seeing my dad’s name makes me miss him so much more right now.
Josh Templeton Thanks for the text yesterday,
Em. You BETTER not have written it while
driving. Hey there, Mr. Nelson!
May 17 at 8:18pm · Like
Dale Nelson Nice to see you, Mr. Templeton!
Emma tells me that you and the family are doing
well.
May 17 at 8:31pm · Like
Emma Nelson Storm What is this, a reunion?
Josh, say hi to Sydney and the twins for me.
May 17 at 8:52pm · Like
I have no idea what a text is, but I can’t help smiling. The other times we looked at Facebook, Josh’s name was always in my Friends category, but we weren’t talking back and forth like this.
Then my mind catches something I missed earlier. I scroll up to the comment Kellan left about the Tooth Fairy, and lean in to get a closer look at her picture. She has the same long black hair and the same devilish smile. She’s wearing a black shirt and dangly silver earrings. Josh isn’t here, but this is too big to ignore. I need to look at Kellan’s webpage.
I click on her photo.
The most recent thing she wrote was back in February.
Kellan Steiner
Lindsay’s flying to her dad’s this weekend. Her first
solo plane trip!
February 23 at 2:09pm · Like · Comment
Catrina McBride I know you’ll miss her, but
enjoy your time off. Single mamas need that!
February 27 at 6:53pm · Like
Fifteen years from now, Kellan is a single mother with a fourteen-year-old daughter. That means—
There’s a loud knock at my door. I back-click until I return to my page.
Josh grins as he strolls in. “That was called knocking. And not that it’s any of your business, but you’ll be happy to know I’m wearing boxers now.”
I smile weakly. All I can think about is whether to tell Josh about Kellan. I should, but I don’t want to create any more ripples that could ruin either one of our futures.
Josh leans over my shoulder and looks at the screen. “How are things this morning?”
“Now, or in fifteen years?”
“Fifteen years,” he says. “How are the Storms?”
“We’re fine,” I say.
Josh points to the screen. “Look! I’m talking to your dad! And now I have twins again?”
I get out of my chair. “You can click over to your page if you want. I have to finish getting ready for school.”
Josh sits at my computer, and I walk into my mom’s room. I close the door and sink onto the foot of her bed. If Lindsay is fourteen, and Facebook is fifteen years from now, then Kellan must become pregnant in the next few months.
Unless she already is.
31://Josh
I JUMP OUT OF EMMA’S CHAIR and slide open her window. A van drives up the street, the high-pitched drone of its engine growing louder until it eventually shifts gears. At Wagner Park, someone tosses a glass bottle into a garbage bin. It clanks, but doesn’t shatter.
Perfect! If my home phone rings, I shouldn’t have trouble hearing it.
I return to Emma’s computer and look again at the most important bit of information.
Married to Sydney Templeton
I click where it says Photos. Emma and I need to leave for school soon, so rather than reading through dozens of short statements that hardly make sense, I want to see what my future looks like.
The first square is labeled:
Our New Casa
12 photos
When I open the album, twelve new squares slowly load. The first one is only half filled-in, but I already love what it shows. The house is literally on the shore of Crown Lake. According to Mom and Dad, that’s the most expensive location in town. The rest of the photo appears, revealing a wraparound porch leading to a long wooden dock. Either Sydney inherited a fortune, or my graphic design business is booming!
In the second picture, I’m laying on a hammock with identical red-headed boys. I don’t think we have twins anywhere in my family, but for Sydney and me to have twins in two of my futures is a bizarre coincidence.
In the next picture I’m standing in front of the house waving at the camera. My other arm is around… is that David? I click to enlarge the photo.
David is standing with one arm around me and his other arm around a guy with short brown hair and sunglasses. We’re all smiling. Beneath the picture, it says:
In this photo: Josh Templeton, Dave Templeton,
Phillip Connor
So he goes by Dave in the future. Sorry, bro, but I’m still calling you David. When I scroll the arrow over his name, it turns into a hand. I glance at the door. Emma’s still not back. Anyway, she wouldn’t care if I checked on David. He’s family.
David’s page says he now lives in Bellingham, Washington, and works as a computer engineer.
Then I notice something else.
In a relationship with Phillip Connor
Okay, that’s… um… I don’t…
Emma walks in and plops on her bed. “Anything interesting?”
“Nope!”
I click the red X in the corner. Facebook disappears, and AOL says, “Goodbye!”
“Sorry,” I say quickly. I’m a little shaken by what I just saw. “Do you want me to sign back on?”
Emma tilts her head and smirks at me. “Tell me truthfully, did you change your underwear because I made fun of you?”
“No,” I say. But the answer is yes. Emma walking in on me was embarrassing enough. But there’s no telling when a girl I actually have a chance with might get a glimpse of my underwear. I don’t want her first thought to be Haven’t you heard of boxers?
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