I wake up to the shrill blare of my alarm clock, the sound tearing through the haze of a sleepless night. My fingers fumble to silence it, and I glance at the time—7:30 AM. Damn it. Late again. I should feel the usual pang of anxiety, but all I can muster is a resigned sigh.

Rolling out of bed, I stumble over the pile of dirty laundry that’s become a permanent fixture in my room. My mother always said a tidy space equals a tidy mind, but right now, my mind is a tornado of chaos, and I can’t seem to find my socks. I throw on the first shirt I see—wrinkled and stained—and head to the bathroom.

As I brush my teeth, I catch my reflection in the mirror. The dark circles under my eyes tell the story of late nights spent binge-watching shows I’ll forget by next week. I’m a psychology student, for crying out loud. You’d think I’d have better self-control, but here I am, a lazy fool struggling to break free from the chains of procrastination.

By the time I stumble out the door, I’m already ten minutes behind schedule. I take a deep breath, reminding myself that I’m supposed to be an adult. But adulthood is hard, especially when all I want to do is crawl back into bed and drown my sorrows in another season of The Officemate. I quicken my pace, only to stop at the corner store for a sugary energy drink. What’s the harm in a little boost, right?

***

The first lecture of the day is a blur of theories and terminology that seem to float over my head like the dust motes dancing in the sunlight. I can’t help but glance at my phone every few minutes, a habit I’ve cultivated to avoid facing the daunting reality of my life. Each notification feels like a distraction, pulling me deeper into the abyss of digital escapism.

When class finally ends, I grab my bag and head home. The weight of my responsibilities sits heavy on my shoulders, but I shove it aside, just as I shove aside the growing pile of overdue assignments. Instead, I plop down on my couch, remote in hand, and lose myself in another episode, the world around me fading into a dull hum.

Hours pass, and I’m still glued to the screen, the flickering images a comforting distraction from my reality. I’m well aware that I’m wasting my time, but there’s a morbid thrill in the self-destruction. I can hear my mother’s voice in the back of my mind, reminding me of all the dreams I once had, the aspirations I’ve let slip through my fingers like sand.

“Alex!” My mother calls from the kitchen, breaking through my daze. “Could you please help me with dinner?”

I groan but push myself up. She shouldn’t have to manage everything alone. She’s been sick for too long, and I know she feels guilty for relying on me, but I wish she wouldn’t. I want to take care of her, yet I can’t even take care of myself.

I shuffle into the kitchen and find her, pale but smiling as she stirs a pot on the stove. My heart sinks at the sight of her frail frame, the illness that lingers over her like a storm cloud. “Hey, Mom,” I say, forcing a smile. “Need a hand?”

“Alright, just help me set the table. Thank you.” She doesn’t press me, which only makes the guilt worse. I set the table in silence, the clinking of dishes punctuating the tension between us.

“Did you finish your studies?” she asks casually, but I can hear the underlying worry in her voice.

I nod, but I know I’m lying. “Yeah, just a few more to go.” I can’t bring myself to tell her the truth. I want her to be proud of me, not worried about how I’ll pay for her surgery. Every day, I remind myself that I need to keep pushing forward, yet every day, I find new ways to delay my responsibilities.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

***

As we sit down to eat, I watch her pick at her food, and I can’t help but feel anger bubbling inside me—not at her, but at the circumstances that have brought us here. My mind drifts to the mounting medical bills, the countless nights spent researching treatments that could save her life but come at an unbearable cost. I want to scream, to shake off this apathy that clings to me like a second skin.

I finish my meal in silence, the taste bitter in my mouth. I know I need to change, but the thought of facing my demons is daunting. I’m caught in a cycle of laziness and guilt, and it’s suffocating.

After dinner, I retreat to my room, the familiar chaos wrapping around me like a comforting blanket. I know I need to study, to break these bad habits, but instead, I sink back into the couch, grabbing the remote. The screen lights up, and I lose myself in another episode.

I sit there, trapped in my own head, the desire to escape mingling with the knowledge that I’m running out of time. My mother’s life depends on me, yet I feel powerless to change my own. Each binge-watching session chips away at my resolve, a paradox of intelligence and apathy.

As the credits roll, I glance at my phone. It’s time to do something, Alex. But I ignore the thought, burying it deep under layers of procrastination. Tomorrow, I promise myself. Tomorrow, I’ll start fresh. But tomorrow becomes another cycle of excuses.

And deep down, I know that every day I waste brings me one step closer to losing everything.

The following week, I found myself walking into the lecture hall, the usual buzz of excitement replaced by a heavy sense of dread. We were about to receive our mid-term grades, and I felt a knot tightening in my stomach. I had poured hours into studying—but I knew deep down that I hadn’t truly committed.

When Professor Anderson handed back our papers, I braced myself for the worst. I opened mine, and there it was—a glaring D. My heart sank, and the room spun slightly. “This isn’t me,” I thought, a voice echoing in the back of my mind, but it felt like a stranger.

I glanced around the room, watching my classmates celebrate their A's and B's, their laughter cutting into my soul. I couldn’t shake off the feeling of inadequacy. I was just a lazy fool masquerading as a student, and every other person here seemed to be thriving. The walls felt like they were closing in, and all I wanted was to escape.

As I made my way out, I collided with Jenna, a fellow psychology major who often sat in front of me. She turned, her brow furrowed with concern. “Hey, Alex! I saw your grade. Are you okay?”

Her genuine tone hit me like a splash of cold water. For a moment, I hesitated, fighting the instinct to brush it off. “Yeah, just... you know, not my best day.”

“Come on,” she insisted. “I can help you study. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

I shook my head, trying to brush off the concern. “No thanks. I’ll figure it out.” But deep down, I craved the connection, the feeling of not being so utterly alone in this mess.

As I walked away, her worried eyes lingered in my mind, a reminder that maybe I wasn’t as invisible as I thought. Maybe I should change. After all, I couldn’t keep living this way. I promised myself that today would mark the beginning of a new chapter.

For the next four days, I forced myself to break the cycle. I swapped late-night binges for early morning runs and traded junk food for salads that I would prepare with my mom’s help. I even tried studying at the library instead of succumbing to the siren call of the couch and my ever-tempting phone.

At first, it felt good. I was proud of myself, feeling a spark of hope that maybe this time, I’d stick with it. I started to think that perhaps I was capable of more than my current existence.

But, as they say, all good things come to an end. By the fifth day, the routines I had painstakingly built began to unravel. The allure of watchflix was simply too strong, and the temptation to reach for a bag of chips instead of a balanced meal was a siren call I couldn’t resist. One night turned into two, and soon I was knee-deep in the familiar haze of apathy again.

I could feel the despair creeping back, the nagging guilt clawing at my insides. The healthy habits faded, replaced by the comforting embrace of my old routines. I drowned myself in episodes of whatever series was trending, my phone buzzing with notifications that I’d ignore, feeling the numbness wash over me like a warm blanket.

The cycle was complete, and with each passing day, my self-destruction grew more profound, more consuming. I couldn’t shake the overwhelming sense of hopelessness.

It was one of those nights when I realized I needed junk food to accompany my binge-watching. The thought of walking to the convenience store felt like a monumental task, but the cravings were too strong to ignore. I threw on a hoodie and left my dim apartment, the cold night air slapping me awake.

As I walked, I tried to shake off the clouds of despair hanging over me. “Just a little treat,” I thought, hoping it would lift my spirits. My mind drifted back to my mother, who had promised me she would get better. I couldn’t let her down. But as I reached the store, my thoughts spiraled once again, tumbling deeper into self-pity and despair.

I grabbed a few bags of chips and a couple of sodas, shoving them into my hoodie pocket. As I turned to leave, the sudden darkness enveloped me. A van pulled up beside me, and before I could process what was happening, a figure stepped out, masked and intimidating.

“Get in the van,” they growled, voice distorted. My heart raced, and all thoughts of chips and laziness evaporated in an instant.

“Wait—what?!” I stammered, backing away instinctively. But they moved quickly, grabbing my arm and dragging me toward the van.

I fought, thrashing against the grip that tightened around my wrist, but it was no use. In the blink of an eye, I was thrown into the dark interior of the vehicle. The door slammed shut behind me, sealing my fate.

The last thing I heard before the engine roared to life was my own desperate thoughts screaming in my head: This is it. This is how it ends.