Sleep and drowsiness clouded his vision as Eli realized the time visible on the clock in front of him. He bolted upright, stumbled out of bed, and began scrambling for clothes.

“I can’t be late, not again,” Eli muttered to himself as he stumbled out the door without grabbing a bite to eat.

Eli races down the street, having already missed the bus to his class, and worried that his professor would not let him into the classroom or, even worse, that he would mark off on his next essay which he had not even started yet. Despite his hoping and praying that some miracle, time machine, or apocalyptic event would allow him to be on time to class, Eli was still late.

He ran into class, gasping for breath as he spoke, “Excuse me professor, I’m sorry I’m late.”

The professor turned to face, donning a look of annoyance and frustration; however, upon seeing the state of this rundown student in front of him, he allowed him into the lecture hall.

Eli’s hair was messy, disheveled, and obviously unbrushed. His shirt was buttoned unevenly, wrinkled immensely, and spotted with week-old ketchup stains. With one complete scan of Eli, the professor took pity on the poor soul, assuming he has had an exceptionally rough morning.

The professor shuffled some papers on his desk and then spoke sternly to the class, “I hope you all have studied because the test today is certainly a challenge– even for me.”

Eli’s heart dropped in his chest, along with whatever books he grabbed while running out of the house. He frantically scrambled and collected his belongings while cursing himself for forgetting he had a test today. He knew that the test was worth 25 percent of his overall grade, yet he still forgot, did not study, and was probably going to fail miserably. Eli made his way to his desk and struggled to find a writing utensil as the test appeared in front of him.

He picked up the paper in defeat and looked at the first question. “Well, I’m dead.” This Friday was officially cursed.

When time was called to turn in the exams, Eli reluctantly submitted his paper, received a look of pity from his professor, and walked out. He knew there was no way of retaking that test and it would likely cost him his A in the class. Eli simply wanted to return home without a hitch, without any mishaps or mistakes, without any accidents or catastrophes, and he was determined he would not be walking.

He made his way to the bus stop to catch the bus he  missed earlier that morning. Eli stood expectantly at the curb, thinking out loud and naming all of the possible ways he might save his grade.

“Maybe I could ask about extra credit… or ask if I can make corrections to that test.”

Eventually Eli’s thoughts became more maniacal, “I could break into the professor’s office with my phone, quickly make all the corrections I need to, then put it back. Or I could burn everyone’s test so no one gets a grade. ” Eventually, his thoughts wandered to setting the college campus on fire to avoid ever seeing that Professor again, ensuring there would be no suspicions to his crime.

Lost in thought, Eli did not notice the majority of people standing beside him take a large step back until he felt a strong, cold, wet wave of water wash over him as a giant Hummer limo drove past.

“Oh c’mon!” He exclaimed out-loud, attracting the attention of many bystanders. Eli walked into the public bathroom, thinking there would be paper towels to dry himself off. But, there in the bathroom, was evidence that this Friday was cursed. The bathroom was littered with toilet paper, dirt, and human remains; however, was entirely lacking in paper towels.

Eli turned and walked outside to find a what seemed to be a monsoon. In the short time that he had spent in the bathroom, the entire street was drenched and starting to flood. Instantaneously, Eli was soaked head-to-toe and could feel water dripping all through his clothes, down his body, and into his shoes.

He walked forward, heading toward the bus stop, thinking to himself: “It’s okay. You are almost home. Just stay calm.” Eli paced onto the bus stop platform as the rain continued to pour, wondering why the bus had not arrived yet. Then, as his vision cleared, Eli realized two faint red lights driving away in the distance. The two lights belonged to none other than the back of the bus that he was supposed to be on.

Eli hung his head in frustration and defeat, “Seriously?” he thought to himself. He began walking back the same way he ran only a few hours earlier, utterly exhausted by the dreadful morning he had experienced. He pulled out his phone, attempting to shield it from the rain and maybe call a friend; however, he was not surprised to find it completely soaked and ruined from the rain.

Afraid the circuits would fry and he would catch himself on fire he threw his now useless phone into the street and continued walking.

Eli continued repeating to himself, “This is not happening. This is not happening. This is n-”

“Pull out your wallet and give me your money!” Just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, a hooded figure appeared before him as the rain continued to cascade around them.  “Hurry up, let’s go!”

Reluctantly, with little effort nor will to fight the mugger, Eli reached for his backpack to get out his wallet. He was beginning to unzip the front pocket of the bag when he remembered that, in the hurry he left this morning, he did not have his wallet.

He started to explain, “Umm… I don’t actually have my wa-”

“Give me your money!” he repeated aggressively. Suddenly, the mugger pulled a gun and violently waved it in front of Eli’s face.

Panic began rising in his voice as Eli pleaded with his assailant, “Please, I don’t have an-”

A loud noise stood out against the continuous pattering of the rain and Eli’s whole world turned dark.