December 9, 2024

I woke up to the sound of my alarm and saw that I had overslept. I wasn’t going to make it to class on time even if I’d left for transit right out of bed. In addition, we were supposed to dress up for some kind of school event. I was trying to fashion an arm cannon out of black foam boards but I couldn’t fit my arm comfortably through the shoulder holes. My dad came into the room to check how things were going and I had to put some things embarrassing things away.

I gave up on the costume and got ready to head downstairs. My mom was still putting on her shoes by the door when I told her I was going to go on ahead first. In my half awake state I accidentally pushed the button to go up on the elevator and had to spend a few extra seconds trying to cancel it.

I could see the street down below from inside the elevator. It was raining outside. I tried to remember which classes were on my schedule for the day.

When I got to the bus stop I had to pause for a moment to figure out which one I was supposed to take. I knew that the absolute latest bus I could take and still get to class on time departed at 8:00. It was already 8:15.

As the bus went up the hill, I could feel my teeth expanding due to the change in air pressure. Eventually my molars started cracking from crushing up against each other. There was a sign in back of the bus recommending a glass of wine for this common ailment. Someone was trying to strike up a conservation with me but I was in no condition to talk.