Although his story sounds good, you decide to follow the advice your mother gave you. “Don’t take rides from strangers!” she yelled as you left for school after last spring break.
Maybe this is all a bad dream and your ticket to Baja — the ticket to your happiness and your sanity — is still in your bag. You rifle through it one more time while those obnoxious protesters chant in the background.
No luck.The frustration is making your head spin. The best bet, you decide, is to go back home, retrace your steps and maybe call your sister for moral support.
On the long and dark walk home, you start to feel woozy and light-headed. What’s wrong with you? It could be the blow to the head you suffered earlier in the evening. It could be exhaustion from the endless nights of studying and chasing down that darn ticket. Or, it could be the drink you had at the rally. That Coke did taste a little funny.
At the door to your apartment, you feel just like you did that night that you and your sister went to the 400 Bar for a drink. It feels as though there’s an oversized football helmet on your head and you can barely keep your eyes from crossing.
Stumbling inside, you start to look through the mess of notes, books, empty Mountain Dew cans and cookie dough wrappers on your desk. “It’s gotta be here somewhere … how can I be so absent-minded?”
You’re about to give up when you see a red-and-white piece of paper peeking from under the pizza crumbs. “I found it!” you cry as you yank the paper out of the pile.
But, your heart sinks as you see it’s just another bill from the credit card company.
Frustrated and, frankly, a little buzzed, you lay down on the couch as your eyes start to drown in translucent colors. You can feel the blood swelling and pushing into your head. Your cat jumps on your chest with a hollow thud that presses you into a deeper state of the unknown.
Swoosh. Coosh. Swoosh. Coosh.
You never remember hearing your heart beat so vividly before. It’s so loud that you can almost see your chest vibrate with each compression. The beats are soothing and help you drift into a calm and relaxing dream of you on a sandy beach.
In your dream, you’re happy. Happy despite the fact that you just slept through the plane departure that would have taken you to Baja.
THEEND