July 14, 2026? God, this can't be real. Fired from that stupid coffee shop today—manager said I "don't vibe with the TikTok crowd" or whatever phony crap. Pocket's got like 20 bucks left, and rent's due. What the hell am I gonna do? Back home it'd be Blockbuster night, renting Scary Movie with the crew, blasting Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff" till Mom yelled. Now? Everything's apps and streams. No AIM beeps, no away messages. Just this glowing phone staring at me like a fake.
Chloe texted "You okay?" Outta nowhere. Chloe. That girl with the side ponytail and Jnco jeans? Or is she some 2026 clone? Hands are shaking—do I say yeah? Nah, that's phony. "Kinda lost in the future lol"? She'd think I'm a freak. Nobody gets it. I'm alone here, man. World moved on without me. Heart's pounding. Screw this.