He sighed, his eyes burning and heavy, and realized the cruelest joke of all: now that the sun was up, he was finally starting to feel a little bit drowsy.
His phone sat on the charger, a glowing siren. He knew that if he picked it up, the blue light would finish off whatever remained of his melatonin, but the temptation was a physical ache. He reached out, his fingers hovering inches from the screen. 1. I Can't Go To Sleep
By the time he got to the second floor window frames, the gray light of dawn began to bleed through the curtains. The birds started their first, tentative chirps—a sound that usually signaled a fresh start, but to Elias, sounded like a finish line he had failed to cross. He sighed, his eyes burning and heavy, and
If he checked the time again, it would be 4:00 AM. And if it was 4:00 AM, he had already lost. He reached out, his fingers hovering inches from the screen
He shifted his weight, the cotton sheets feeling like sandpaper against his skin. Every fold in the fabric was a mountain range, every stray thread a needle. He closed his eyes, determined to force the darkness into a dream, but his brain had other plans. It was currently busy cataloging every awkward thing he had said since the third grade.