“Have him take off his shoes?” she suggests. “Nothing interesting,” the large officer says to his female partner. My keys jingle as he fishes them out of my pocket. “You have anything on you? Weapon, drugs, or the like?” the large officer asks. I nod, the aluminum trunk cool and sticky against my cheek. you understand your rights,” they say more than ask. I don’t bother trying to explain, because how do you explain you’re from the future? They rattle off my crimes, and after breaking and entering, I stop listening. Part of me thinks, wonders, hopes: maybe this is it. But in the end my legs are spread apart, my hands cuffed behind my back. I think about pushing past the officer and bolting for the stairs or slipping inside the elevator before it closes. Let’s go.” All sorts of things run through my mind-acts of valor, courage. “Back outside,” he orders me, pushing open the door, his other hand hugging his gun grip. “I got him,” he mumbles into the walkie holstered on his shoulder. I nearly crumple onto the wet floor, except the officer snares me by my T-shirt. Also known as colliding into three hundred pounds of beef and nightstick. I push open the door, thinking, Get to the elevator, make it to the fourth floor, and then I run face-first into a concrete wall. Should’ve done a hundred things differently this time around. I rip open the box, jam its contents into my sneaker. I grab the small package sitting on the passenger seat and hop out of my car. There’s a chance they’re here for me, but there’s no turning back.

And I can’t waste any.īecause big lesson number one is this: all the time travel in the world can’t save the people you love.Ī marked car, idling beside the emergency room entrance. Socks, and weather-appropriate attire, are a luxury. The insides are damp, and there’s a clump of grass in my right shoe scratching my toes, but there wasn’t time for socks. I’m in short sleeves, plaid pajama shorts, and a pair of beat-up Chucks I wear to mow the lawn.

I’ve learned a few lessons along the way.įor instance: don’t waste time on clothes. The box meant to save her life is smushed near my feet.

My face is mashed sideways against the trunk of a police cruiser when Kate dies for the third time. Scroll on down and read the first few chapters for yourself, right now! But don’t just take our word for it! Authors like Angie Thomas and Becky Albertalli are also crushing on this epic story about love, loss, and how far you’ll go to save the people you care about most. To say we fell in love immediately with this hilarious and heart-racing tale is an understatement.

The opposite of always is