The Replay

My fiancé, Mandy, was a shrink, a real one, and she was head over heels for her patient, some dude named Hank.

I saw it with my own eyes – her and Hank going at it in her office. Disgusted and heartbroken, I snapped some photos and sent them straight to the hospital board. She got suspended, and Hank, the basket case, offed himself because of his depression.

Then Mandy came after me, stabbed me right in the heart. "How could you do this to him?" she yelled. "What did Hank ever do to you?"

This time, I'm back in my 18-year-old body, eavesdropping on Mandy in her room.

"Hank, c'mon, me and Jake are just classmates, you're the only one I care about."

I'm standing there, outside the door, holding her damn cancer diagnosis, crumpled in my fist.

1.

"Hank, c'mon, me and Jake are just classmates, you're the only one I care about."

Mandy's voice was all sweet and syrupy as she tried to placate someone.

My hand, poised to knock, froze mid-air. In my other hand, I was clutching her crumpled cancer diagnosis.

The Miller's and my family, the Coopers, had always been close, so we did our senior year check-ups together. But then Mandy got a call, said something came up, and rushed home.

That left me waiting for the results at the hospital. My own came back clean, but Mandy's showed early-stage leukemia. My heart dropped. I wanted to tell her parents first, help them break it to her gently.

But that's when my past life hit me – this is me at 18, in this same house. So, I ditched my original plan and came here instead. I had to know what her 'emergency' was.

And now I knew. The muffled sounds of kissing and moaning told me everything.

So, this is it. This is the exact day when she went from being my friend to obsessing over Hank.

2.

Mandy and I were neighbors, grew up together, practically soulmates, or so I thought. Back then, I was completely smitten. Would've done anything for her.

Everyone figured we were meant to be. Me too.

Then, out of nowhere, she fell for this poor kid, Hank.

She was stealing money to give him, ditching class to go to his place, playing nurse for his grandparents, cooking, cleaning - the whole deal.

Mandy was like she was under some kind of spell. She was trading the best part of her life for a life of domesticity.

And Hank didn't even appreciate it. The minute he found out she was sick, he dumped her for some rich girl.

Meanwhile, I was the one reaching out to her parents, pulling out all my savings to pay for her treatment.

I stayed by her side. Which meant my studies took a dive, I missed out on college.

It was then, finally, that she decided she wanted to be with me. Finally, she came back to her senses.

I thought all that was worth it.

Later, I retook my exams, but didn’t get into the college I wanted. Meanwhile, Mandy went to some fancy school, got a psych degree. She even became a big-shot therapist.

And then, we were supposed to get married, but Mandy ghosted me on the day we were to get our license. So I...