[ WP ] You go for a quick run to a convenience store and upon returning home you realize you 've been gone for a week .

Caffeine, that's what I need. 
 
 Standing and stretching, you remind yourself that it's only three more weeks - three more weeks, a few Ds, and you'll have your degree in hand and be on your way to a new job, someplace you'll at least get *paid* to drive yourself into the ground. 
 
 Swiping wildly at the counter, you manage to hook the lanyard of your keys as you stumble out the door. *Sherlock Holmes would conclude I'm a habitual drunk* you think as you finally get the key into the lock and turn it. 
 
 Now that you think about it, maybe it was a good thing your over-worked coffee pot finally gave out last week. You have n't seen the stars this often since the wild nights of freshman year, and they're particularly pretty tonight. 
 
 In contrast, the glaring lights of 7-11 promise to give you a headache if you stare at them too long. Fortunately that should n't happen, since the store was just as empty as it had been the previous few nights. Carelessly dumping the armful of energy drinks on the counter and digging out your wallet, you swear you can see the grease dripping down Mike's hair ( *Does he ever shower? * ) towards his dull eyes. You complete the transaction, both numbed by your work and completely uninterested in the other's life, then it's back under the stars. 
 
 You're halfway into reminiscing about that night at summer camp when you find yourself once again at your door. *Well, back to work. * 
 
 Enveloped in the haze of sleep deprivation, you bang out more work, slowly but methodically creating one piece after anothe- 
 
 `` Hey, you're back!'' It's Raj, one of your housemates, coming back from what looks like another long night on the town. Sometimes you have an almost overwhelming urge to rampage through the Forestry building screaming at the students to get a real major. `` Usually it's only the last week you disappear like that. Well, study hard and then you can come party hard with us!'' He disappears into his room, and you can hear the almost-instance snoring. 
 
 You're only part-way through comprehending what he said when your thought process is interrupted by a buzz on your phone. It's a text from a friend, and there are dozens more from her and other classmates. `` Hey, are you ok? ``, `` We ended up doing your portion of the project ourselves. If you're not dead, fuck you.''... You check the date. 
 
 Oh shit. 
 
 Oh shit oh shit oh shit fuck fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckingfuckfuck. How is it the fucking third? 
 
 This paper was due five days ago. That physics project was due four days ago. And your paper on the metaphysics of... of... whatever, it does n't even matter because it was due yesterday and now you'll fail that class oh god not graduating the company shit their offer was based on graduation no not getting stuck in this hellhole any longer fuck fuck fuck breathe. 
 
 Breath. Fuck. Breathe. Shit. Breathe. Dammit. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. 
 
 You reach out for a grasp of sanity. Nope, Google and the Xed-off JGL calendar on the wall agree with your phone - this week - *last* week - is gone. You suck in a few quick breaths, trying to stave off the panic. 
 
 There has to be an explanation. There *has* to be an explanation. Fresh air, that will help you think. 
 
 The brisk night breeze brushes against your cheek, seemingly taking the panic with it. There's something about absurd circumstances that forces one to change their perspective; after all, is n't **this** absurd, this life of constant toil? Why would you take ears off your life in the pursuit of a dead-end career of dead-end jobs? Only a crazy person would do that, and maybe losing a week here and there is just part of life when you're crazy. 
 
 Fuck it. If you're crazy, you might as well have all the fun crazy people are supposed to have. Is it crazy to withdraw what remains of your savings and book the first flight to Peru? Yes, but you're crazy now, so you just about *have* to do it. 
 
 As you gently place your phone next to the sleeping bum camped out at 4th and South, a smile creeps over your face. This is going to be fun.
