Chapter 56: Foundations of a Future

Monday, September 19th, 2005

Katie woke up feeling uncharacteristically lighthearted for a Monday morning. As she stretched beneath the blankets, her eyes drifted to the engagement ring glinting softly in the early morning light. A warm, secretive smile curled her lips as the thought settled in—less than a year from now, she would wake up beside Josh every morning. The idea filled her with anticipation, a quiet thrill at the life they were building together.

She absently toyed with the ring, considering whether to wear it to school. A part of her wanted to—wanted to keep a piece of him with her all day, to let the world see that she had already found her person. But logic won out. High school wasn’t the place for explanations she wasn’t ready to give. With a soft sigh, she slipped the ring off, carefully placing it back into its box in her nightstand. There would be a time when she could wear it openly. Just not yet.

Shaking off the momentary wistfulness, she grabbed a towel and headed for the shower. The hot water was a welcome comfort, helping her fully wake up. By the time she was dressed and made her way into the kitchen, the comforting aroma of pancakes and maple syrup filled the air. Her mother stood at the stove, flipping another golden-brown pancake onto a plate, while Hannah sat at the table, enthusiastically slicing into her stack.

“Morning, sweetheart,” her mother greeted her without turning from the stove.

“Morning, Mom,” Katie replied, making a beeline for the fridge to pour herself a glass of orange juice.

Hannah smirked over her fork. “Took you long enough to wake up. You must’ve had some really good dreams.”

Katie rolled her eyes, but a hint of color crept up her cheeks. “Something like that.”

Her mother set another plate on the table and took her seat. “So, how was your weekend? You didn’t get a chance to tell me much last night.”

Katie smiled as she took a bite of her pancake. “It was great. You already know most of it, but spending time with Josh was ... really nice.”

Hannah waggled her eyebrows. “And getting spoiled rotten, no doubt.”

Katie shook her head with a small laugh. “It’s not like that. He just ... takes care of things. He’s got this way of making sure everything is handled before it even becomes a problem. It’s kind of amazing.”

Her mother chuckled. “Sounds like him. I will say, I’m impressed with how quickly he’s getting everything in order. He doesn’t waste time.”

Katie nodded, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. “That’s what’s so different this time. Before, he was always putting things off, saying there was plenty of time. But now ... he’s decisive. He takes charge. I didn’t even realize how much I wanted that until I saw the change in him.”

Hannah smirked. “Just don’t expect me to wear some frilly, awful bridesmaid dress.”

Katie snorted. “No promises.”

With breakfast finished, her mother and Hannah headed off to work and school, leaving Katie to clean up before grabbing her book bag and heading for the bus stop.

As she approached the bus stop, she spotted Noel standing there, shifting impatiently. The moment she saw Katie, she groaned dramatically.

“Ugh, I barely got any gaming in this weekend! School is killing me.”

Katie smirked, leaning against the stop sign. “That bad, huh?”

“Worse,” Noel deadpanned. Then her expression shifted, suddenly alert. “But enough about my tragic existence—how was your weekend?”

Katie hesitated for a split second before deciding how much to reveal. Noel had been her best friend in both lives, but there were things she simply couldn’t explain. Still, she wanted to tell her something.

“Well ... I met someone,” Katie admitted, unable to keep the small smile from creeping onto her lips.

Noel gasped, eyes widening in exaggerated shock. “Shut up. No way. Who? Do I know him? Is he cute? Does he go to our school? Are we talking geeky-cute or bad-boy mysterious?”

Katie laughed as Noel rapid-fired questions, barely giving her a chance to respond. “Whoa, slow down! One question at a time!”

Noel waved a hand. “Fine, fine. Name?”

“Josh,” Katie said simply.

Noel mulled it over. “Okay, solid name. Where’d you meet him?”

“Through Mom and Hannah,” Katie replied vaguely, sipping her juice.

Noel narrowed her eyes. “Uh-huh. And?”

“And we hit it off. We’ve been talking a lot, and ... I really like him.”

Noel squealed, grabbing Katie’s hands and shaking them. “Oh my God, my bestie has a boyfriend! You’re officially the first one in our geek squad to get a man!”

Katie rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s really not that big of a deal.”

“Not that big of a deal?” Noel gasped, scandalized. “Katie, we have spent the last three years crying over fictional men in anime and video games, and now you have an actual, living, breathing boyfriend? This is huge!”

Before Katie could respond, the bus pulled up, and they climbed aboard, still deep in conversation. The ride to school was filled with even more questions, but Katie carefully avoided the details she couldn’t share—Josh’s age, their engagement, their time-traveling past. Some things, even with Noel, had to stay secret.

Lunch with Noel and Kyle was more of the same, except now Kyle was in on the interrogation. The moment they sat down, he leaned forward dramatically, resting his chin on his hands like he was awaiting the hottest gossip.

“Alright, I heard through the ever-reliable, totally subtle Noel that you have a mystery boyfriend. Spill the tea.”

Katie sighed but smiled, peeling the wrapper off her sandwich. “You guys are ridiculous.”

“No, we’re invested,” Noel corrected. “Big difference.”

Kyle waved a hand. “Please, I need details. Is he dreamy? Does he have style? More importantly, does he know how to dress himself, or does he own cargo shorts?”

Katie smirked, watching him. With clearer hindsight, she saw it—the way he steered clear of talking about girls, the way he carried himself with effortless confidence, how his fashion standards were much higher than most guys at school. How had she not realized before? Maybe she had been too blinded by her crush on him in her first life, but now, it was obvious. Kyle was gay, and she had been completely oblivious.

“I appreciate the concern, but I think he can handle himself,” Katie said, amused.

Kyle sat back, squinting playfully. “Hmm. I don’t know. You do have a history of questionable taste in men—remember that guy from freshman year? The one who thought wearing sunglasses indoors made him look cool?”

Noel burst out laughing. “Oh my God, yes! What was his name?”

Katie groaned. “We are not talking about that. Ever.”

Kyle grinned. “Fine, fine. But I’m still keeping an eye on this Josh guy. If he shows up in a flame-patterned button-up, I’m staging an intervention.”

Noel grinned. “Same. Katie’s got a fan club now.”

Katie shook her head, laughing. This life really was different—but she liked it.

The rest of the school day felt like it dragged on. None of her classes posed much of a challenge, and she found herself breezing through assignments without much thought. It wasn’t that she didn’t care—she just knew all of this already. The monotony of lectures and worksheets made the day stretch endlessly. The only highlight came when she finally made it to band practice. The moment she picked up her instrument and lost herself in the music, the sluggishness of the school day melted away. Playing had always been one of the few things that still felt fresh and engaging, something that didn’t feel like a repetition of her first life.

When practice wrapped up, she packed up her things and made her way to the bus, feeling lighter now that the day was over. The ride home was quiet, giving her time to let her thoughts drift to Josh, their plans, and the life they were building together. As the bus rumbled down the road, she couldn’t help but smile, anticipation warming her chest.

Katie arrived home to the familiar aroma of simmering tomato sauce and garlic, signaling that her mother was making spaghetti for dinner. As she stepped inside, she saw Judith stirring a pot on the stove while Hannah lounged on the couch, absorbed in whatever show she was watching. The comforting hum of the television mixed with the bubbling of the sauce on the stovetop made the house feel warm and lived-in, a sharp contrast to the determination that had been building inside Katie all afternoon.

Remembering her conversation with Josh about getting into shape, she decided there was no time like the present to start. Dropping her bag by the door, she went straight to her room and got to work.

The first few push-ups weren’t so bad. But by the time she reached fifteen, her arms trembled, and she collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily. “Okay ... that was harder than I thought,” she muttered to herself. She pushed on, managing twenty sit-ups before her core burned, and by the time she hit ten squats, her legs felt like jelly.

Lying flat on her back, she stared at the ceiling, catching her breath. “How the hell does Josh do this every morning?” she groaned.

She could almost hear his voice in her head telling her to push through, to keep going. It wasn’t just about exercise—Josh had always been her rock, the one who encouraged her when she doubted herself. In their past life, he had been more hesitant, often needing her to push him forward. But now, in this life, he was the one leading by example, and she didn’t want to fall behind. Even as her body screamed at her to stop, the thought of being by his side, stronger and more capable, kept her going. She knew she had to be patient. Josh had years of discipline behind him—she was just getting started.

Determined, she rolled onto her side and reached for her alarm clock, adjusting it to wake her thirty minutes earlier the next day. She would try again tomorrow, even if every muscle in her body protested.

Pushing herself up, she dusted off her hands and headed for the kitchen. Judith was just finishing up the spaghetti, the scent of garlic bread filling the air. Katie hesitated before speaking. “Hey, Mom? Can we eat at the table tonight instead of in the living room?”

Judith turned to her with mild surprise. “Uh, sure. Any reason why?”

Katie shrugged, grabbing plates and silverware. “In my first life. Josh got me into the habit of eating at the table instead of in front of the TV. It was nice. Gave us time to actually talk instead of staring at a screen.”

Judith seemed thoughtful as she nodded. “Alright then, set the table.” As she turned back to the stove, she found herself momentarily lost in thought. There was a time when meals at the table had been routine, back when Katie was younger and things felt simpler. Somewhere along the way, that had changed, and she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was just the convenience of eating in front of the television after long days at work, or maybe it was the unspoken acceptance of a household that had been through its fair share of struggles. Seeing Katie make this effort now—bringing back something she hadn’t even realized she missed—filled Judith with a quiet sense of appreciation.