To first address the obvious, yes the world ended and no, school will not be canceled.

For my credit I thought it was a viable excuse. But apparently the principal had a vacation to his Washington cabin scheduled the day after school ended, so as to not encroach on his non-refundable vacation time, school would not be pushed back due to the end of the world. Of course school should be closed but nobody seemed to agree. To recap: I’d actually have to take that vocab test today.

The world properly ended last tuesday at 6:32 pm, I was eating an enchilada and washing my clothes. I was clued into this fact that the world ended by the giant floating heads that texted me. They told me that they didn’t like the cut of my gib, and they meant to do something about it. They said to meet them in Oaks Bottom at dusk, ‘be there’ they texted. I was in a dilemma, I still had to wash my clothes and study for my vocab test, but those giant floating heads seemed pretty serious. I turned off my phone and threw it on my bed. I used my highly evolved brain to come to the decision to head down to Oaks Bottom.

Just past the homeless camp and lemonade stand were those heads, smoking cigarettes and tossing a pigskin. They stared down at me from over the trees when I approached them.

“I don’t like you.” The head nodded to another head, “he doesn’t like you either. In fact, nobody here likes you,” All the hobos shook their heads and spat, the lemonade stand girl flipped me off. “So I’m going to do something about it, make you into something that other people like, who wants me to turn him into a balloon?” Everyone gave a holler of consensus as the leader head started to breath in air, filling up his huge cheeks, ready to inflate me like a balloon.

“Can you not do that? I got an enchilada at home and I don’t think I have time for this.” Everyone in Oaks Bottom booed, they really wanted this giant floating head to turn me into a balloon. I didn’t want to be a party pooper, so I started thinking up a compromise. “You can like, do something that’s not that.” The head seemed to like this idea, he opened his mouth and a arm came out. It snapped it’s fingers and I felt something cold on my head.

“What do you guys think?” everyone in Oaks Bottom cheered for the head, the lemonade girl gave the head posse free lemonades. I kept feeling water trickle onto my head. I looked up and saw a little rain cloud precipitate onto my head and shoulders. It was maybe 6 inches above me, spanning about my shoulder’s length and body’s width. I sidestepped over out of the way of the cloud but it just followed me, but luckily I stepped right into a puddle. Great, my nice converse were soaked. The giant heads floated away into the distance. I walked back home, followed by the cloud.

The world ended but nobody really seemed too interested, when I got home my parents were watching MSNBC, so I got no sympathy from them.

“Hey, there's a magic rain cloud following my every move, I might get some water on the floor.” My dad pried his face from Chris Matthews to see what I was on about.

“Sure, whatever, just mop up when you get done sport.” He turned back around. Didn’t he hear what I said? I’d be pretty shocked, maybe take a picture at the least, maybe call Oprah. I restarted what I said before. My dad turned back around.

“What show is on right now?”

“Uh, news?” I figured this was a loaded question. I knew it before I said it, I knew it after, but somehow I still stepped right into it.

“It’s the news! And what is more important than the news? Nothing. Now go to your room and mop up.” I got a mop and headed up to my room.

That was about a week ago, since then almost nobody seemed to think the world had ended. They always thought that I was being melodramatic, and they thought I smelled like mold.

“Yeah, so I don’t know why you think school should be canceled, all your complaint forms were sopping wet, so I have no idea why you're even in here.” The principal sat at his desk, I sat in a plastic kindergarten chair across from him.

“But if I’m not mistaken then you’re failing all your classes except PE. What’s up bud? Everything good at home?” He had stood up and walked over to where I was sitting, he squatted down to my level, me sitting on the tiny chair, and held eye contact. He gave an expression of being ready to listen.

“To tell you the truth I’ve had a problem for a while. This giant floating head cursed me to have a magical rain cloud follow me and rain on all my things, that’s why I’m constantly wet.” The principal patted my shoulder and gave me an understanding smirk.

“Yeah, yeah, that sounds great bud, just keep up the good work and try not to fall behind, ‘kay?” The principal got a notification from his phone and walked over to the door.

“But sir, the rain—” The principal, who was halfway out the door paused me.

“Sir was my father’s name, call me Judd.”

“Judd, the rain cloud is seriously causing me distress.” He looked at me as he was about to leave. He looked at his watch and checked his phone.

“Look bud, the wife has a bottle of rosé and a bad temper, if I’m not at home in 30 then I’m toast.” he threw a wad of bills at me. “Get something to drink and take rest of the day off… take a shower, you smell like mold.” Judd walked out the door and left me in an empty office with a wad of damp bills. It was 10:03 in the morning so I elected to get some coffee.

Judd the principal threw about 2,000 pesos at me, so it was like 80 bucks US. When I got to the Dutch Bros the guy who always skips school was working the window.

“Sup man, can I get a mocha or something? Long day.” The guy who always skips school nodded his head in agreement before starting to make the coffee. When he was done he handed me a venti americano, and a glass of water.

“Thanks man, all I got is pesos, that cool with you?” I handed him 50. He seemed pretty stoked.

“Yeah man! Isn’t the exchange rate ridiculously high for dollars to pesos? I’m like rich now man, have a good day.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him that was the opposite of what he wanted. I decided to let things be. I took my drinks and started to head back home.

I waited at the bus stop for a while, slowly drinking my watery americano. Thankfully I had a surplus of water, my glass had overflowed since I got it from the guy who always skips school. The bus was pretty late today, probably because of the end of the world, but it could just be traffic, I don’t know. Some people passed me, some said hi, others ignored me. I told everyone that walked by that I had a magical rain cloud that followed my every move. Nobody cared but I still passed the time doing it, and soon the bus got to my stop.

I handed the driver 20 pesos, he seemed to want more though, so I showed him my bus pass. The front of the bus had a few elderly folks on it, but other than that it was almost completely empty. There was some guy in back smoking a cigarette, but that was it. I went and took my seat, next to a window in the far back. The man scooted over next to me.

“Hey, what are you doing out of school? You sick or something? Is it the rain cloud that followed you in here?” I gave him a funny look, he was the first person to comment on the rain cloud.

“Yeah it is. The world ended last week and nobody seemed to care. I got cursed to have a magical rain cloud follow me and ruin everything. I decided to go home and wait this whole thing out. I thought I could just go to my room and wait for the rain to stop falling. Maybe get some cheez-its or something to snack on.”

He dragged his cigarette and got comfortable on the plastic bus seat.

“Can you smoke on this bus? I’m pretty sure that’s not allowed” He just exhaled and flicked the cigarette on the floor.

“I got cursed too, I always have a cigarette in my hand, no matter what, I can flick them away but another one just appears.” He held up his hand, holding a freshly lit cigarette. “Nobody seems to mind, they just get annoyed. Your curse seems to suck though, I could smell the mold growing off you when you first got the bus, and you’re completely soaked.” I just leaned back, my head resting on the back wall of the bus.

“I got used to it, kinda. I’m failing all my classes, my papers all disintegrate after I get done writing them. My phone and computer broke, it sucks pretty hard.” The man patted me on the shoulder and gave me a understanding smirk.

“Hang in there bro.” He gave me a kiss on the cheek before he pulled the cord and got off the bus. I waited for my stop, I sat in my personal puddle for 15 minutes before it came. I got off and thanked the driver. He told me to take a shower.

I walked over to the Ralph’s for some cheez-its or something. They were two bucks, I just gave the cashier the rest of my pesos. She thanked me as I walked out with the cheez-its. I strolled down the street, a trail of wet concrete followed me. I ate the cheese crackers, but soon the box and the crackers were soggy and disintegrated.

I kept walking, eating the mush as I went on. I came to intersection, the don’t walk sign was on so I pressed the button and waited. There was some girl was on the other side of the street, some girl with incredibly long brown hair. I threw my soggy cheez-its into a dumpster, the girl looked at me with an upset face. I think she wanted some cheez-its. The sign changed to walk and she jogged across the street. Her short blonde hair bounced as she crossed. Wait, her hair was dyed purple just a minute ago, wasn’t it? No it was definitely shoulder length and black.

“Why did you throw away the cheez-its? I was just about to ask you if I could have some.” Her sentence ended sorrowfully, she looked down, exposing her braided brown hair.

“They were soggy, you wouldn’t like them anyway.” She looked up, her eyes shining through her emo bangs.

“I can see why, your rain cloud is probably pretty annoying, I’d imagine.” She also noticed the rain cloud. Two people in one day, when it rains it pours.

“Yeah that’s true, it sucks. Do you have a curse too? I can’t tell what color your hair is.” She smiled and ran her fingers through her afro.

“Uh huh, for about a month now, it’s been constantly changing. Nobody seems to mind, they just comment on how I’ve changed my style and move on. Does anyone react to the rain cloud?”

“Not really, though I get everything wet, I’m failing all my classes, and I smell like mold.” The girl nodded her head, her rust colored hair bounced a little bit.

“I didn’t want to say anything but you definitely smell like an old bathroom curtain. But I can understand … ” The girl looked around and scraped the ground with her foot.

“Do you want to walk around or something? I got the day off from school.” I liked the idea so I said yes.

I told her about my principal, about the giant heads, and about my parents. She told me about what’s happening with her. Her parents constantly ask her where she got the money to buy hair dye, her friends always comment about her hair, so she decided to take the day off and roam around, pretty much what I’m doing. We walked through the main street, the sidestreets, down alleys and over bridges, until we came to Oaks Bottom. She hadn’t been there before. I just told her it was just a bunch of hiking trails and homeless shanty towns.

“The world seems off doesn’t it? Like everyone just stopped caring about the rules and just let everything move at it’s own pace. I haven't had to pay for anything all day. I just talk to the cashiers and they just nod their heads in agreement. People smoke on the bus and kiss strangers. My principal threw 80 bucks in pesos at me this morning. My dad just watched the news as I flooded the living room with rainwater. The world ended last tuesday. For me at least that seems like a big deal.”

She agreed with me. Her world ended last month, she had ever changing hair and nobody seemed to take anything seriously. The world itself was on an extended lunch break.

I felt pretty fortunate to have someone who understood my concern with the end of the world. And as we stood there in Oaks Bottom I felt the rain cloud drop a little less rain on my head. The girl’s hair stayed the same color for longer. Right now it was pale red.

“Don’t worry. I’ve been in this for a month. You get used to the end of the world. It might seem wrong at first, but nothing ever happens. The world might end but that doesn’t mean the world has to be sad about it. Just bask in the sereneness of it all. And maybe you’ll lighten up.”

She gave me a pat on the shoulder and walked back out of Oaks Bottom. I stayed there among the trees and hiking trails for a while. I thought about how how the world seemed slower here and now. Like how school is after all the students leave. The rain on my head gave way to mist, and I walked out of Oaks Bottom. I went back home to take a shower. As I walked back I thought about that vocab test. I probably would never take it, none of my teachers could read the drenched paper anyway.

To first address the obvious, yes the world has ended and no, it won’t matter.