Opposite of Always

Jack and Kate’s second “first-time” meeting is slightly different from the first but very similar, including witty banter and bonding over shared awkwardness. Kate asks if she knows Jack from somewhere because, as she says, he looks at her as if he’s been doing it his whole life. She takes him to her favorite spot in the gorges that night, and he asks her to prom under the stars.

Early the next morning, Jack and Kate go to a grocery store and buy cartfuls of cereal, which they eat in Kate’s dorm room. Then they go door to door around the dorm, giving away the leftover boxes of cereal like they’re royalty, spreading riches among the peasants.

When Jack sees Jillian later that morning, she’s upset that he was missing in action all night. She’s even more upset when he tells her to drive home to Elytown without him so he can spend the day with Kate. Jack spends hours watching Kate study in the library. He probes for information about her illness, asking how she feels and saying it’s because she looks a little pale. She says she’s fine and just a little tired from all their adventures in the last 24 hours.

On his two-and-a-half-hour bus ride home, Jack wonders why he’s been sent back in time. His best guess is that he’s meant to keep Kate from dying since it happened right after her death. Jack writes a humorous email to Kate, telling her more about himself in hopes she’ll say yes to prom since she only said “maybe” when he asked her in the gorges.

By lunchtime on Monday, Jillian is still mad at Jack. He convinces her he’s done being an asshole, as she puts it, so she forgives him. She also tells him her power’s out at home due to unpaid bills, and her father left during some midlife crisis. Remembering details from the previous timeline, Jack mentions Jillian’s father being in Cote d’Ivoire. It arouses Jillian’s suspicions, but she doesn’t know what to make of it.

Kate emails back with a vulnerable list of her anxieties about going to prom, showing she’s insecure, just like Jack. However, she says she’ll go with him anyway. As the two email back and forth, Kate admits she still has complicated feelings for her ex. She mentions Jack’s complicated feelings for Jillian, but he says he’s over her now.

At school, Franny’s in a terrible mood. Jack knows from the previous timeline that Franny’s father is getting out of prison and coaxes Franny into admitting that’s the reason for his anger. Jack wonders if he came back in time to help Franny with his dad, in addition to saving Kate. He thinks maybe he can be there for everyone.

Jack spends as much time with Kate as possible. He watches her study, they talk in the gorge, and they have bad dance parties in her dorm room. The more he’s with her, the more he wants to be with her. She’s like an addiction to him.

Jack’s father points out how Jack has been forgetting his obligations to family and friends while spending so much time with Kate. Jack knows his father can’t understand why he’s so desperate not to miss a moment with Kate. He apologizes to his dad, Franny, and Jillian, explaining that he’s trying to find a new balance between friends and girlfriend. Despite this, Jack continues to flake on them, infuriating Jillian. Franny asks Jack to come for his dad’s homecoming dinner the next night, and Jack promises he’ll be there.

Kate tells Jack she needs to see him in person the next day. He feels like he can’t say no to her or Franny; he has to make both things work. He pretends to be sick so he can leave school early, hoping to see Kate in the afternoon and get back in time for dinner at Franny’s.

It turns out Kate only wanted to see Jack in person to give him a gift. It’s a digital photo frame with pictures of their time together. On his way to Franny’s, Jack hits bad traffic and then gets a flat tire in the pouring rain. His cell phone isn’t getting service, so he can’t text Franny. When he finally arrives 90 minutes late, Franny is furious. He’s also drunk. His father came, but Franny insisted they wait for Jack, so his father went to the store to buy ice cream and never came back. Franny found him being arrested outside a convenience store for allegedly trying to rob it—though later details reveal the store owner racially profiled him and called the police for no reason. Jack blames himself. Franny says Jack just saved him the trouble of waiting for his father to screw up because he was going to sooner or later. After this, Franny and Jillian stop talking to Jack.

Jack’s parents invite Franny and Jillian over for dinner to push the teens to resolve their conflict. Jack makes an eloquent, heartfelt apology, and his friends forgive him.

In this timeline, Kate does show up for prom. She and Jack bond over their hilariously terrible moves on the dance floor. It’s a wonderful night until the last slow song. Kate suddenly flees, saying this was a mistake, she can’t be with Jack, and he should forget about her. Jack tries to catch up to her, but she gets in a cab, and it drives off.

The driver doesn’t go far before coming back and telling Jack to call 911. Paramedics take Kate and Jack to the hospital, and Kate survives. She still won’t tell Jack what illness she has, however, and she says she can’t be in a relationship with him because she’s getting back together with her ex, Xander. Jack tries to argue, but Kate is insistent, and he finally leaves, heartbroken.

Jack leans into the melodrama of heartache, wearing the same shirt for days on end to show the world how much pain he’s in. Franny and Jillian beg him to stop moping and urge him to try to get Kate back, even driving him to Whittier since his car is in the shop. Xander answers the knock on her door and says Kate’s gone until Monday for a family situation. He gives Jack an envelope from Kate. It contains tickets for him, Franny, and Jillian to the Mighty Moat concert.

They have a great time at the concert. When Jack gets home, Kate’s waiting on his porch. She explains that she has sickle cell disease and is dying. She says everyone who knows acts differently around her, and she doesn’t want him to. She describes the physical symptoms and the emotional pain and mentions a doctor who’s developed a promising treatment but whose costs are too high for her family to afford. Later, Jack calls the doctor and makes an appointment for Kate the following month, though he’s unsure how to make it work.

Franny’s basketball team loses the playoff game in this timeline, too. Afterward, he tells Jack how life is easier with his father back in prison because he doesn’t have to wonder if his father will show up to his games or not. He feels stupid and ashamed of his emotions toward his dad.

Jillian, the class valedictorian, delivers a great speech at graduation. Kate attends the ceremony, and Jack is thrilled to be able to see her and kiss her afterward. It feels magical.

Kate hasn’t shown up to Jack’s parents’ anniversary party by the time JoyToy starts their performance, and Jack is terrified. However, he makes a moving toast in honor of his parents, and the band performs beautifully. Everything seems perfect until he gets “the call.”

Jack hurries to the hospital and spends hours by Kate’s bedside, where he falls asleep. In the middle of the night, he wakes up to find doctors rushing in because Kate is coding. Then, the sensations of time travel hit him.