Paths To Forever

Song: Locha E Ulfat🎶

I'm running across campus like a woman on a mission-except, instead of saving the world, I'm just trying to get to class before Ms. Page starts her lecture. My tote bag is swinging so wildly it's probably threatening to punch me in the face, and my laptop is tucked under my arm like it's the last slice of pizza at a party.
My feet are moving at what I can only describe as "panic speed," which, fun fact, is about two times faster than my usual jog.

I blame Ella's Guide to Smooth and Soft Skin tutorial for this nightmare.
The tutorial promised glowing, radiant skin, but instead, I'm running across campus with zero glow and a heart rate that's probably in the "needs immediate medical attention" zone.
And don't even get me started on my friends-bless their souls- one of them hit snooze on the alarm about five times before they decided to wake me up.
Ulta chor kotwal ku dante! (I'll send them my bill for emotional trauma later.)

Just a few more feet, I dash through the garden road, feeling like a graceful gazelle when all of a sudden, SCREECH-I hear a screeching bike brake.
My heart leaps to my throat and BOOM-my laptop flies out of my hands as if it's auditioning for America's got talent. I scream as it spirals through the air, thinking of all the late-night study sessions and unbacked-up assignments about to meet their untimely end.

MY LAPTOP!! ITS gone............

I can't die like this. I was supposed to finish my research paper, and now I'm going to be remembered as "The Girl Who Got Run Over While Trying to Save Her GPA."
I brace for impact, this is it. I'm going to die here, and if I'm being honest, I've always imagined a more dramatic death. If this is the end, I'm at least going to be a little poetic about it.
Maybe my book could have a title like "The Girl Who Died Fighting for Wi-Fi" or "Death by Laptop".
You know, something that really resonates with the tragic, hopeless millennial in all of us.

I close my eyes, ready for the impact. If I die, at least I'll be reunited with Aaron, my one true love-well, my fictional love.
And Cardan... I hope you realize my worth now. I'm going to die remembering my book boyfriends and you'll never know what you missed!

Then... nothing. I open my eyes half-expecting to see a bike tire headed straight for my face.
But the guy riding the bike has somehow managed to stop in time-probably because he's an actual professional.*

But then, reality hits. My laptop is on the ground, looking like it came out of a warzone but at least it's mostly in one piece.
RIP, I think.
I can already hear the eulogy: "This laptop was a loyal companion, a tireless worker, and a key player in the protagonist's academic survival."

"Are you blind, or do you just think this is some kind of a game?" a voice says, laced with sarcasm so sharp it could cut through steel.

Wait-did that just sound like... God? Because if I'm dead, this is probably my afterlife.