The Do-Over

by Sharon M. Peterson

“Good story?” Huge dark eyes rose above the top of the book. “Uh-huh.” “What’s it called?” “The Complete Guide to Earthworms.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover. At least you know it’ll be better than the movie.” —MIMI

I’d always imagined a ceremony in a small church in the country. Instead of a fussy veil, I’d wear a flower crown

“The truth hurts, but it’ll heal. On the other hand, lies tend to cut to the white meat and leave a scar for life.” —MIMI

“Beauty’s only skin deep. So, make sure you pay attention to the stuff on the inside you can’t moisturize.” —MIMI

There was something sweet about the whole thing. Lilah’s bird obsession and quirky clothing made her stand out from the crowd, and kids like Caleb could see that and liked her for who she was. I’d spent my whole life trying to fix all the things I thought were wrong with me—my body, my ambitions, my failures—but what if I was doing this all wrong? What if I just needed to be happy with who I was and never mind what my mother or anyone else thought? What if slightly awkward, slightly chubby Perci with her loud fashion sense and emotional support fish was fine being exactly who she was? What if it took being New Perci to see that Old Perci was pretty okay being exactly who she already was?

“What’s wrong with you? You look like a vegetarian bear at a barbecue.”

Just because bad things happen, it doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path, it just means you can’t give up. You understand?”