"Hello?" You tell them who you are and their voice takes on a less quizzical tone and turns friendly. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot I called you! Uh, I was just going to ask you if you wanted to come with me to this new play! My, um, friend kinda ditched me so, I was thinking we really hadn't met outside of work so maybe you wanted to go? Only if you wanted to of course!" They sounded pretty hopeful, but there was an undertone of an unidentified emotion, somewhat like...resignation. Well, what are you going to do?\n\n*[[refuse]]\n*[[accept]]\n

What are you even thinking?? Don't embarrass yourself any further by thinking, which you obviously cannot do.

You decide on the fair, choosing greasy, fast-food nourishment over the near-depleted stocks of ramen at the apartment. As you walk toward the park where the festivities are taking place, you see a man you recognize as a previous professor of yours lying in an alleyway, unconscious. He was a total ass, so you search his pockets, and you take:\n\n*[[gum]]\n*[[quarters]]\n*[[nothing]]

You decide your job is more important than getting into your apartment right now, as you may not be able to keep it if you lose your income source. Your coworker picks up and you nearly start crying from relief. Maybe the stress is really getting to you after [[all]].

Last night you stayed out late, wandering from seedy establishment to establishment, a parasite in search of enlightenment and more importantly, free wi-fi. Your [[roommate]] and their significant other were in your apartment, and you didn't care to stay in the same vicinity, in preservation of your own sanity. You are [[sleeping]] on a friend's couch while your ethereal soul traverses the metaphysical plane of reality.

You are a comforting genius!! They pause and don't answer after a while, leaving you to think maybe you shouldn't have said that. "Um, I don't know how to say this without coming off as really inane but, well, you know how I was dating Jamie for 3 years?" You nod, not really comfortable in the direction this was going. "Well, long story short, we broke up and it hit me really hard." You aren't sure of what to say. "I'm sorry." You punch yourself really hard on the [[inside]].

Your stomach grumbles, reminding you that you actually have internal organs and therefore must take care of them. Thankfully, you're almost to your shared apartment. As you walk up the second flight of stairs, you reach your apartment door and pause. You vapid fuck, you forgot your keys.\n\n*[[call your roommate]]\n*[[try to open the door]]

You can taste the fate of all living things. It's slightly [[sour]], bittersweet, like [[dark]] chocolate and orange rind.

You roll over in your sleep. A myriad of constellations and anthropomorphic wisdom turns to greet you. You [[wave]].

You continue down the winding alleyways and dark corners until you reach the first large clearing you've come across so far. It's the park! With your arrival, the smell of deep fried dough and

You buy the popcorn and enter the theatre with your friend, relaxing into the comfortable aura. Your companion is soon absorbed into the movie, their normally professional and reserved demeanor dissolving into whispered commentary and overly-animated movements. You tease them gently when the people behind you glare at them, earning you a badly-concealed smile. It was the best time you've had at a movie theatre in a [[while]].

You decide to leave. You've burdened your friend enough, and anyways, you should probably get some fresh air and eat something substantial. Maybe you could go back to your [[apartment]] or to the local [[fair]] going on.

Maybe one of you forgot to lock the door after leaving? Thinking you don't have much to lose, you try the doorknob. Miraculously, it's open! When you walk through the hallway, ready to heat up some prepackaged nutrition, you hear a soft sobbing. Puzzled to as what the noise could be coming from and slightly scared out of your mind, you walk toward the source of the [[noise]]. \n

The two of you walk down to the local diner. Living in a small town does have its benefits, one of them being the ability to walk or bike nearly everywhere important. Of course your financial situation limits your ability to do anything different, but it's a nice thought that you're just being quaint. You chat over breakfast, or they talk to you periodically while you respond around mouthfuls of pancake. You finish eating relatively quickly and you hold a more coherent conversation over coffee. It's comfortable but mildly surprising like a warm blanket straight out of the [[dryer]].

You walk back down the stairs and out onto your apartment complex's front pathway. When you pass by a coffee shop, your dutiful stomach reminds you of food and your lack of it. You manage to scrounge up some spare change and bite into an only somewhat stale croissant, your self-loathing from before lifting significantly as the morning air works its sorcery once [[again]].

You reach your friend's small villa and pause, almost embarrassed. After all, you just left and now you're back in the same day.

The water begins to turn cold and you step out of the shower, toweling off and starting to put on your clothes from yesterday. One arm and head in, you sniff them and wince, the smell of stale tobacco and artificial sweetener assaulting your nostrils. You wrap the towel around yourself and go to ask your friend for spare clothing. You tell them that you are going to [[leave]] and they quietly wish you farewell, agreeing that you can drop off the clothes tomorrow.

You both browse through the movies currently playing section in the newspaper. A stereotypical thriller with a lack of plot but a cast of b-rated actors and actresses sure to bring people in by droves? No. a Nicholas Sparks romantic comedy a.k.a white people in slight danger where the male lead magically seduces the female through borderline stalking? Definitely not. You both settle for an adaptation of a historical novel and set out to walk to the theatre on the [[corner]].

The humming increases in intensity and volume until you can feel it reverberating throughout your body. Your guide isn't looking at you anymore, you think, but rather floating closer. The metallic feeling escalates even further, the guide grows closer. They reach out to you. You feel impossible. You know the secrets of the universe. You turn toward your guide, smile, and they consume you in whole. You are everything and nothing and yourself still.

Brilliant idea! You pat their back as nonchalantly as you can as you wait for them to compose themself. They take a deep breath and offer a weak smile." You must think I'm a pretty lousy fuck-up, huh?" You answer as honestly as you can in this case, treading on thin ice. "Um, not really, I think you're having a pretty normal emotional response." You pause for a few moments, and then get ready to ask the Big Question.\n\n*[[will you marry me?]]\n*[[what happened, anyways?]]\n

You thank your friend for allowing you to stay and ask if you can use their shower, knowing the answer is yes, as it always has been. As you watch the water slide in rivulets down the shower wall, you contemplate what to do next. \n\n*[[stay]] \n*[[go]]

Your friend pulses red, purple, blue as they fade in and out of focus, finally becoming fuzzy and disappearing completely into a black [[void]]. You probably should have eaten something in the past two days.

You take out your cell phone and two red 'missed call' notifications pop up. They're from the friend you just left and a friend from work, both relatively recent. Your battery is low since you haven't charged it since last night and you probably only have enough left to make one more call. What will you do?\n\n*[[call work friend]]\n*[[call roommate]]\n*[[call other friend]]

Reach

Entering the tiny living room, you happen upon your...roommate? Your roommate crying on the couch, to be specific. They look up and rub at their eyes furiously, trying to cover up the fact that they were bawling a moment earlier, and fail miserably. "Uh, hello." They wave at you sheepishly while you stand there, openmouthed and still in shock. You compose yourself and sit on the couch next to them. An awkward aura builds for a minute, then two, then ten. You turn to them and ask, "are you okay?" They turn away slightly and nod. "Seriously?" Their face crumples after a few moments as they dissolve into tears. You unbelievably dense gay baby, what are you going to fuck up now?\n*[[comfort them]]\n*[[piss your pants]]\n*[[die]]

You dial your roommate's number and are met with their answering machine. You curse your bad luck as your phone goes dead soon afterward. Things are going just wonderfully today, aren't they?\n\n*[[try to open the door]] now\n*[[walk back to your friend's house]]

You chat a bit with your friend about recent events and fond memories, a comfortable but slightly boring atmosphere permeating the air. They suggest going to see a [[movie]] or going to get [[breakfast]].

not written yet sorry :^)

You decide to stay with your friend for the day. Now that you think about it, you roommate did say that they were going to be at the local fair all day, and you forgot your [[keys]] to the apartment. Your friend seems more than a bit [[relieved]] when they hear you decide to stay.

Your friend turns on the light and quietly curses, apologizing for waking you. You mumble an "It's alright" in reply, still half asleep, and swing your legs off of the [[couch]].

Blood, organs, and viscera cover the shower walls, your vision tainted red. What have you done, you fool?

After a [[while]], you two decide to walk back to their apartment and you ask if you can use their couch again. Expecting a nonchalant yes, you are caught by surprise when they offer their own bed. You stifle a laugh unsuccessfully, knowing that from anyone else this would probably be blatant innuendo. They look blank for a moment then frown and color slightly, realizing what they said could be taken for. You look at them in what you hope is a comforting manner and accept, thanking them. Their kindness catches you off guard sometimes.

No matter how much you want to, this is not an option! Stay strong and try again.

You suddenly feel claustrophobic, like something is slowly closing in on you. Your fingertips go numb. You stumble into a trashcan, losing your balance as your ears begin to ring. You put your now limp hand to your ear and bring it away stained with blood. You think how ironic it was to not be able to eat after being killed by the very thing meant to stave off your hunger.

You decide to leave the poor man alone. Even if he was kind of a dick, he's passed out in an alleyway and you're not that heartless to rob an unconscious man of his gum and pocket [[change]].

You pocket the quarters. Everyone can use a little money, especially since you're headed to one of the events in the world that pilfers the most pocket change, only behind charity fundraisers and amusement [[parks]].

Your guide grins. They are not eyes, they are mouths. You cannot breathe you cannot think. You try to scream but your throat is gone. Death is too kind, as this is forever. The [[dark]]ness consumes you.

You don't think you're quite up to going somewhere right now with someone you hardly know. "Sorry, but I'm afraid I can't right now." They sound somewhat dejected but expecting this when they answer you, which makes it even worse. Shit. Well, you might as well say goodbye to them before your phone goes dead. "Well, I guess I'll see you at work tomorrow." Your phone shuts down. There isn't much more to do except trying to [[walk back to your friend's house]].

Somehow the taste disturbs you and you spit it out, unsettled. Maybe the professor left it by some chemicals or the gum spoiled. Can gum [[spoil]]?

Unless you want to upset your roommate even more and dissipate into thin air, that isn't going to be an option.

not written yet sorry :^)

You take the gum and unwrap it. Hey, you're pretty hungry and anything helps. It tastes like chocolate and something not quite sour and not quite bitter.\n\n*[[spit it out]]\n*[[keep chewing]]

You take the long way home, passing through the small town square instead of walking down the cramped alleyway routes you usually take. You breathe in the crisp morning air, feeling somewhat [[alive]].

Millions of eyes turn their gaze upon you. You commend their effort, as it is difficult to view something that, arguably, does not exist. Their stare feels like lukewarm, liquefied metal slowly encasing your body. It's slightly humming. This is a mixture of [[euphoric]] and [[irritating]].

You shrug and keep chewing it, nonplussed. The prof must have been into some weird flavors of gum or something. he must have [[spoil]]ed his meals like that, you muse.