32. Erin
Erin
Erin was the last person to leave the Ideal Life offices, right around midnight.
She’d been working hard on the Gen Z social media campaign, revising the plan based on the marketing team’s feedback and putting together the list of creators they ought to target.
Her eyelids drooped as she walked over to her car.
Should I call an Uber?
But no, her dorm was only seven minutes away. She could make it that far. Besides, if Erin left her car here overnight, she’d have to walk back to get it tomorrow, and that would be a pain. It made way more sense to just drive back now.
She yawned as she started her car, forgetting to turn on her headlights because it was well lit downtown.
She cruised onto University Avenue, which soon crossed El Camino and into the palm tree–lined entrance to Stanford.
It was peaceful out (any parties going on this Friday night would be on the other side of campus on the Row), and Erin let her mind settle into autopilot.
At Campus Drive, she made a left. Her eyelids felt like they had anchors on them. Her head nodded, and she fell asleep for a split second, before jerking awake.
“Come on, Erin.” She slapped herself lightly on the cheek. “It’s just a few minutes now.”
Up ahead was the roundabout at Galvez Street. Erin yawned as she eased into the traffic circle.
Bam!
She’d hit something—someone!
Erin screamed and slammed on the brakes.