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60: This is It!

Jeremy

One minute. We had exactly one minute until midnight. With Marvin's direction, I knew the exact speed this car needed in order to get to the wall on time. Rain against the windshield didn't help as the wipers were working as fast as they could. Just like Marvin, I could barely see anything from outside, but this could be blamed on the rain. I couldn't imagine how Marvin would've felt if he was the one driving in this rain. It would be a double whammy.

The engine roared with my foot against the gas. With the speed of this car, it felt like being on a rollercoaster. Wind against my face. My skin felt a buzz. Was this what Emma was hoping for once we finished the car? Maybe someday she would be able to experience all of this. And maybe next time, we could install cruise control as well. Hopefully, there is a next time.

How much time was left? It felt like a lot of time had gone by. At the same time, it also felt like not enough time had gone by. This would be the longest minute of my life. In a strange turn of events, the rain stopped. Pure black surrounded the car with flashes of white lights. Zoom! Right beside the car, was a zooming body. Lightning came out of the body. Whoever this was, they seemed to be going as fast as I was. It was pretty odd that Marvin had no reaction to this.

"Jeremy!" shouted the voice that sounded like me. It was the voice that I had heard earlier. "Jeremy!"

"Who the hell are you?" My heart pounded in anticipation of an answer.

"Jeremy," was the voice's response. "I'm Jeremy."

With the flashes of light growing stronger, the running man found his way in the car. He sat right next to me on the passenger side. How did this happen? How did he get in this car?

"Hello," the man greeted. "I'm Jeremy."

With my sight off the road, I took a glance only to realize something big. This guy was me. An older me. Was this the future Jeremy? Was he disrupting the time force?

"You're Jeremy from the future?" I asked. Why wasn't Marvin talking?

"Yes, I'm Jeremy from the future."

For a moment, the passengers vanished. My whole body grew numb and my stomach grew sick. What the heck was going on? At this point, would we actually make it to the clock tower? Was this somehow all a trap? If it were a trap, I'd never see Hailey again.

"Save the future," he commanded. "Save the past." Why was this future me so calm?

"What the heck? What do you mean?" Sadly, I couldn't stay calm. "That's what I'm doing. I'm saving the future."

"Yes, but you must save the past." In that very moment, he opened up his hand to show me a tattoo. It was the exact same tattoo that I had. The only difference was that this future tattoo was bigger and brighter. "This is all in your hands. Midnight is coming."

In a strange turn of events, both our tattooed hands met and he quickly vanished. Of course, he hadn't completely vanished as he was back to running at the speed of light. Just a short moment later, everything was back to normal. The clock tower was in clear view. The running man that was my future self continued to stay by our side.

"Ten seconds!" the man yelled from outside.

Was I the only one who noticed this? Could a future Emma potentially be out and about? If that were the case, was Emma the only one who could see it? Right now, it didn't matter. Five seconds were left. Clunk. What was that noise? Did something fall off the car? Clunk. Crap, we had to make it. What was it like to actually crash? Closing my eyes, I held in my breath. Crash! With the car actually crashing into the wall, lightning struck just in time. For a brief second, my body burned in great pain. It felt like I was about to die.

Emma

That was it. The car crashed into the wall right on time. The lightning strike made the car completely disappear. It was as if the car were never here in the first place. We all just stood there in the hard cold rain not sure of what to expect next.

"Do you think Jeremy is okay?" asked Hailey.

"I'm sure he's doing fine," responded Butts who kicked a small rock.

About thirty seconds later, the rain slowed down and it went back to sprinkling. Part of the clock tower had caught fire, but the pouring rain appeared to do its job against the fire. Another few seconds later, we heard a loud explosion. My ear drums were in pain.

Vroom! In the heat of the moment, the racecar returned. My heart jumped with joy. Coming to a quick stop, the tires screeched. Somehow, the car looked better than ever. With the door opening, Jeremy stood out. We cheered for joy and rushed to give him a hug. After we finished hugging, Hailey was the last to hug him and she made sure to give him the biggest kiss he ever received. Once they finished, we all looked at Jeremy.

"Well," begun Butts. "Everything good?"

"Everything is good," he replied. "Marvin and Melissa are safe and sound and McButters is safe from the terrorists."

Everyone cheered once more as we all headed to the bus. We all wanted to celebrate. Jeremy didn't seem to be in the celebrating mood. As we all made our way to the bus, he stood next to the car looking at the ground. Something was bothering him. In response, I stayed behind with him.

"You alright?" I asked.

Before the boy responded, he tapped on the window. "I'm not sure." He took a moment to think about what to say next. "You know, it actually took a year for me to return." This news completely caught me off guard. It took him a year? "It was honestly the hardest year of my life. There were times when I felt like I'd never return and I had to be patient. There were things I wished I hadn't seen."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, not really. I'll be fine," the boy chuckled. "I'll be fine." He took a moment for a pause before his sight was put on me. "You know, I've never felt more grateful for our friendship. And you know, whatever happens, you'll know I'll always have you by my side. And you'll be there when I have Marvin and you have Melissa."

"We're going to make some pretty awesome parents." My own statement had me smiling beyond belief.

"Can't argue with that." He returned the smile. "What do you say we take a ride in the car?"

"Can I drive?"

"Definitely."

Not without another second wasted, we both hopped in the car. It felt amazing to put the keys in the ignition and speed off. Where would we go? It didn't matter. The night belonged to us. Tonight, would be an adventure. Our adventure. Tonight, I would forget about the past. Jeremy would forget about the future. Tonight, would be just about tonight. Whatever tomorrow held could wait.

Whatever happened between now and graduation could wait. That's all in the future. And whatever happens in the future, I'm looking forward to it. Today is a gift and it should be cherished. Take nothing for granted. Cherish everything. Everything!

There you have it! Hope you enjoyed the story. Don't forget to comment and vote. Be sure to also share this story with a friend.

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