Every Day

Fiction | Novel | YA

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Chapters 28-30Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 28 Summary: “Day 6021”

Dana’s mother, wakes her up, berating her for her actions the night before. A tries to figure out what happened, but Dana is too hungover for A to access the memories. A’s memories are a blank, and A guiltily wonders if this is how Xavier feels when he thinks about yesterday. The mother is angry and sad: “After all we’ve been through the fact that you would pull such a stunt last night[…]it’s beyond words” (235). A tries to dress; s/he promised to meet with Rhiannon, but s/he is feeling so hungover and ill that s/he has no idea how s/he will do that.

Dr. P comes to talk to A/Dana at the parents’ request, trying to find out why Dana did what she did, but still, A has no idea what Dana has done. Dr. P fills in the forgotten memory—Dana snuck out to a party, got incredibly drunk, and then drove her father’s car, which she had stolen, despite all of her friends trying to stop her from driving. She crashed the car. Dr. P says, “What we want to know, Dana, is why you would do such a thing. After what happened with Anthony, why would you do this?” (238).

The memories come flooding back. Dana’s brother, Anthony, died because of Dana. Dana was driving drunk, Anthony was her passenger, and she was the cause of the accident that killed him. A is overcome with emotion at the memory and begins screaming. The doctor gives A/Dana sedatives.

The parents do not let A out of the room, and they watch over A’s shoulder when A/Dana uses the computer for homework. A is sick at what is happening with Dana and wants to know why she is doing what she is doing, but so much is blank inside of Dana. In addition, A is worried because s/he could not keep their promise to Rhiannon, a promise that s/he knows s/he never should have made because A doesn’t have a life in which they can promise anything about tomorrow.

Chapter 29 Summary: “Day 6022”

A finds out that Michael’s family is up at 5 am because they are about to go on vacation to Hawaii, for his sister’s wedding. A is terrified. If A goes to Hawaii, the only way to get back to Maryland is if A woke up in “the body of a 16-year-old who was heading home to Maryland that day” (243). A’s not sure when A would ever see Rhiannon again if that happened. A decides s/he will never get on that plane. Instead, A writes a note to his parents saying that he will not be going to Hawaii today with them, but s/he will be home later that night. A knows Michael will get into a lot of trouble for this, but sneaks out of the house anyway, to go see Rhiannon.

Even though it takes seven hours by bus, A finally gets to Rhiannon’s school and gets her attention during gym class. Rhiannon is angry. She tells A how she waited all day at the cabin, and some old hunters who were friends of her uncle showed up with dead deer, assuming she was a trespasser until she proved who she was. And she was stuck there with them, waiting for A to show up. To soothe her, A reaches for and holds her in his arms. Justin comes out, seeing them together, and he is livid. He begins punching and kicking Michael and calling Rhiannon a slut. A thinks, “I want to hit him, hurt him, but I honestly don’t know how” (247). A runs away.

Rhiannon agrees to meet at Starbucks, but she doesn’t show up until very late. Rhiannon informs A that yes, it’s now over between Justin and her, but it will take a long time before she feels free of Justin. Despite her frustration, Rhiannon reassures A that she is glad A did not go to Hawaii. Rhiannon asks A about Dana, and because of the sadness of that story, A changes the subject to tell her more stories about happier days, happier lives from the past. When Rhiannon drops A off at Michael’s home, things are still strained between them and there is no kiss. They don’t make any promises about tomorrow.

The father is angry but softens seeing Michael’s bruised face. A explains that there was a concert that s/he couldn’t miss, but A knows there will be lots of consequences for Michael because of this. However, at least the father was able to get flights for the next day.

Chapter 30 Summary: “Day 6023”

A likes Vic: “Biologically female, gendered male. Living within the definition of his own truth, just like me. He knows who he wants to be” (253). A understands the loneliness Vic has dealt with due to the feeling of “being born into the wrong body” (254). Luckily, Vic has supportive parents, although it was hard at first for the mother to give up her expectations of Vic as a girl. And Vic has supportive friends and a girlfriend, Dawn. His girlfriend’s attraction to Vic blurs boundaries in a way that is very familiar to A. Dawn sees Vic as Vic himself wants to be seen. This is what A wants from Rhiannon.

When Vic gets to Rhiannon’s school, she does not seem very happy to see him and seems to dismiss Vic’s appearance: “You, however, are something completely different. I don’t even know what I’m dealing with today” (257). Rhiannon seems to be uncomfortable with A’s transgender identity, or at least worried about the rumors that might be added to the already spreading gossip about her and Michael.

Rhiannon also raises the ethical question that maybe kidnapping his person and coming to see her is preventing fate in some way: “But what if something completely unexpected was supposed to happen today? What if her girlfriend is planning this huge surprise party for her? […] What if there’s this huge accident, and she’s supposed to be nearby to pull a baby to safety?” (259). She goes so far as to say A is the guest in the person’s body: shouldn’t the person’s life (the host) come before A’s priorities? Rhiannon then tries to soften her words, saying that she is having a hard time trying to understand their relationship, but she affirms that she loves A more than anyone else in the world. A reciprocates, stating that s/he loves her.

After lunch, they decide to give each other some space. Vic goes on her date with Dawn, and A looks forward to having the chance to have a date in a healthy, happy relationship. The date is perfect, ending with passionate kissing, and A wishes that A’s relationship with Rhiannon could be similar. When A gets home, there is an email from Rhiannon waiting for him/her, saying that even though today was awkward, she really wants their relationship to work out.

Chapters 28-30 Analysis

These chapters again show how far A is willing to go in taking over the lives of people in order to pursue Rhiannon. However, A has no power to take over Dana’s life, despite A’s earlier promise to Rhiannon that s/he would return to the cabin. The body is in control (as it was when A’s body was drug-addicted and as it was when A’s body was suicidal). The body won’t let A function the way s/he wants to. So, when A learns the next day that a current is going to Hawaii, s/he fights this person’s fate and runs away, taking seven hours to get to Rhiannon.

Rhiannon questions A about these actions, asking her if she thinks it’s fair to hijack their lives for A’s own desires. Rhiannon wonders about the ripple effect of A’s actions; that is, can A’s actions in the present somehow add up to larger consequences for the host (or others) in the future.

As Vic, A feels a special identification. Even though A goes to see Rhiannon instead of going to school as Vic would have done, A still follows through with their date with Dawn, and A really enjoys it. A wants that feeling of connection, especially in Vic’s body, a body that “feels wrong” and yet somehow is able to feel right with Dawn (254). A wants the same thing that Vic has, every day, not just one day, with Rhiannon.