Woke Up Like This

This is the week for senior pranks, and the pair consider the idea that this is an elaborate prank. Char dons a Maplewood hoodie while J. T. checks himself out in the mirror. In the hall, Char sees more photos of her and J. T., and she realizes that this house is definitely her style. She also realizes that her feet no longer ache from the ill-fitting heels that she was breaking in the day before. Char goes outside and recognizes Kassie’s neighborhood, and she takes off, barefoot, toward her childhood home. She sees familiar landmarks looking somewhat changed, and she notes the sleek appearance of every car. Her mom isn’t home, so she grabs her mom’s bike and rides to the pharmacy. However, her mom’s coworker, Stacey, reports that her mom hasn’t worked there in five years. Char asks Stacey what day it is, and Stacey tells her that it’s June 12, 2037. She asks Stacey how old she is, and Stacey tells Char that she’s around 30. Stacey rambles on about how sweet it is that Char and J. T. are getting married next week, and Char sees the giant diamond ring on her finger for the first time. Just then, a woman approaches her and introduces herself as the mother of one of the students whom Char counsels at school, thanking her for all her help. Though Char is pleased to be a school counselor—evidently a good one— she feels she’s in the “pits of hell” because she is apparently marrying J. T. Renner (81).

Char rides her bike into a bush, hoping that it will knock her back to 2024. It doesn’t. She returns to the house she woke up in to find J. T. on the front porch. He went home while she was at the pharmacy, and he knows that it’s 2037. He saw his mom, and he learned that his parents are now divorced. J. T. shows her the thousands of photos of him and Char on his phone, with the earliest one dated 2029. J. T. and Char decide to call Nori for help, as she’s the only person who will believe them if they tell her that they don’t remember the last 13 years.

First, Nori mentions the massive party they went to last night, shocked that they aren’t hungover. They tell her about the accident in the gym in 2024 and how, to them, it feels like that just happened. When she doesn’t quite believe them, Char reports that the last thing she can remember is being mad about the prom’s theme, and Nori remembers prom as the first night that Char and J. T. first hooked up. She says that they dated for a year and then broke up. After college, they both moved back to town to teach at Maplewood, and they reunited. Char and J. T. begin bickering, like they did in high school, and they are shocked to learn that Kassie and Ollie broke up after graduation and that Ollie is engaged to someone else. Nori mentions that their joint bachelor and bachelorette party is tonight, at Ollie’s house, though both Char and J. T. maintain that they are not getting married.

Nori comes up with a plan for Char and J. T. to try to recreate the fall in the gym that preceded their 13-year time jump. Char and J. T. bicker about who is going to drive their car, which looks like a spaceship and features software that offers to drive for them. Char would rather drive herself, but when she nearly hits another car while backing out, J. T. takes over.

Maplewood looks and smells the same, but J. T. is flustered because he doesn’t want to mess anything up where they work. Inside, they find their pictures on the wall and locate the bricks they painted after prom. Both feature the other’s initials next to a red heart. A coworker they do not recognize stops Char to ask about changing her chaperone shift for prom. They hustle to the gym, where a perky girl is spearheading the decorating for the 2037 “Mardi Gras” prom. She greets J. T. warmly before acknowledging Char with less enthusiasm, prompting J. T. to taunt Char about being less popular than him. The presence of students means that they must leave and come back later. J. T. gets a text from Ollie, asking when they’ll arrive at the party, and Char insists that they break up. J. T. convinces her, though, that they must act “normal,” however weird it is, so as not to alarm their friends.

Char is dismayed to see how lovesick she is at 30. Her office is liberally peppered with mementos and sappy photos of her and J. T. She takes comfort in her desk drawers full of great snacks. She counsels one boy about classes for next year and then spends some time on her phone, noting the many texts and emails from wedding vendors. One text is from Alexandra, her dad’s girlfriend, saying that they won’t make it to the party tonight because her daughters are ill, and this is how Char learns that she has two sisters now.

Afterward, Char goes to check on J. T., and he is having the best time teaching gym class. Her insides “flutter” when she sees how attractive he is. She compliments him, and he smiles flirtatiously. He gives one student some solid feedback and seems so happy. Char asks him to lunch in her office so that they can plan for tonight, but he says that he needs the time to prepare for his afternoon health class. The lesson plan indicates that he is to cover sexually transmitted diseases, and he has a big box of condoms and dental dams to pass out. Char is stunned by his commitment to doing a good job and his concern that he might not. She almost offers to help him until she remembers that this is not how they relate to one another; they are “enemies.” So, she pats him on the shoulder and tells him that he’ll be fine.

After school, Char and J. T. drive to Ollie’s, and J. T. is in a great mood after a successful health class. The gym was full of students all day, so they never got to try the ladder again. Char marvels at the way J. T. can pull things off, almost effortlessly, while she spends all her time studying. Ollie’s street is packed with cars, and J. T. is buzzing with excitement, like a “quintessential extrovert.” Char stops him to suggest that they figure out how to act like a couple, and J. T. nonchalantly asks what she means: Does she want to hold hands? Kiss? What kind of kiss? Char’s throat hitches at his casual mention of physical intimacy, and she insists that there will be no kissing. J. T. is enjoying himself, and Char recalls how much pleasure he takes in her embarrassment. She reaches for his hand, and he winces at her “iron grip,” readjusting their hands softly in a way that Char grudgingly enjoys.

Inside the beautiful and thoughtfully planned party, Nori is the first to greet them. Char sees her own mom and J. T.’s dad, both older and grayer. Ollie brings drinks, and Char thanks him for all the effort he put into the event. She is truly grateful and wonders if her youthful resentment of Ollie for monopolizing Kassie prevented them from developing a closer relationship. Nori privately tells Char that she and J. T. looked really in love when they came in, and she thought that maybe things had gone back to “normal.” The crowd goes quiet, and J. T. whispers to Char that they’ve been asked to speak. Char is horrified, but J. T. addresses the group with such ease and earnestness that she begins to relax. He jokes about how Char hated him in high school, especially since he won the election for student council president. Then he confesses that he was always in awe of her for being so beautiful, ambitious, and smart, saying that his younger self felt intimidated by her. They lock eyes, and Char’s head spins with an unfamiliar feeling as the crowd shouts, “Kiss her.” She is “entranced” by the scene and by J. T., so she kisses him.

Char crashes into J. T.’s face and pulls back in relief. He teases her that the kiss was worse than her hand holding, and then he kisses her, leaning in slowly and stroking her jaw. The kiss electrifies her, and yet it feels safe at the same time. It feels real, but then he whispers to her that they put on a “[n]ice show,” and she remembers that none of this is genuine.

For the next several hours, Char feels a new level of alertness to J. T.’s presence, and she catches him watching her, too. He is having a wonderful time until his mom arrives with her new boyfriend, looking very happy. Seeing them, J. T. pales, and Char fills with sympathy, following him into the kitchen; she can tell that he didn’t know about the boyfriend. He slumps over the sink, sadder than she’s ever seen. She describes how she felt when her parents split, prompting him to sympathize with her. She feels something new between them and realizes that it’s understanding. When Nori and Ollie’s fiancée enter the kitchen, J. T. heads back outside, and Char goes to the bathroom. Her mom follows her, and when Char drops hints about cold feet, her mom declares that she’s never seen Char happier than with J. T. Char is devastated to learn that she and Kassie “drifted apart” and haven’t spoken in years. She is crushed and wants to leave.

Char and J. T. are disappointed that Maplewood is locked after rushing there with “unspoken urgency.” J. T. resigns himself to coming back early tomorrow morning, but Char is desperate to get back to teenage life. She is upset about being 30 and marrying J. T., but she is despondent over the loss of her friendship with Kassie. In a moment of distraction, Char hurls a nearby rock at a window, setting off the alarm, and they both run, leaping into a hedge as a police cruiser rolls by. Char is irritable, and she tries to blame J. T. for their predicament. He asks if she wants him to drop her off somewhere, but she has nowhere to go and is bothered by his assumption that he gets to stay in their house while she leaves. He suggests that she go to Nori’s or Kassie’s, and Char tells him that she and Kassie aren’t friends anymore. J. T. is unsurprised by this news, which angers Char. She insists that he keep his judgments to himself, and he counters, saying that all Char does is judge, refusing to entertain others’ perspectives. She blames him for making student council hell for her, and he says that she’s done the same to him, though he’d hoped that they would work well together. Char knows that she’s crossed a line, but she’s defensive. J. T. speaks angrily too, but Char notes that his soft expression doesn’t match the anger in his words. Char tells him to sleep in the guest room and to go to hell.

Lying in bed, Char is exhausted. She can smell J. T. cooking something that smells wonderful and knows that he deserves an apology. A soft knock heralds J. T. with a peace offering of macaroni and cheese. She thanks him for the food and asks if he poisoned it. Char is weary of hating him, how good he is at everything, how wonderful his kiss was, and how he knows just how to push her buttons. He confesses that his dad always made his mom food when she was mad at him, though their split indicates that his strategy didn’t work in the long run. Char sympathizes with and validates J. T.’s feelings. He smiles when he says that they have now survived their first fight as a couple. She reminds him that they aren’t a couple and that they will be returning to 2024 tomorrow morning. He agrees and departs for the guest room.