trapped in time

2- repetition

Scott woke up the next morning, his head full of thoughts from the previous day.
He heard his phone buzz next to him. He groaned and turned over in bed.
He reached for his phone, and saw the time.
8:36 AM. He sighed. He had slept in, and would be late for work at the Starbucks near his house.

He glanced at the text he had received.
It was from Avi.
Hey man, you excited for today? It's gonna be great!

Scott frowned. He had absolutely no clue what Avi was talking about. They hadn't made any plans.
He took a quick glance at the date to make sure he hadn't slept until Tuesday, because he and Avi had made plans to go out.

Scott gasped. It was Sunday. Avi was talking about going to the theme park.
He dropped his phone and got out of bed.

He paced the floor, trying to come up with logical explanations for what had happened. His brain felt like it was gonna explode, and he couldn't think straight.

He got dressed quickly and ran outside.
He looked into his mailbox outside his apartment building. The Sunday paper.
He ran outside onto the busy street. People were looking at him strangely as he ran across the crosswalk, down sidewalks, and into the grass outside houses. He didn't know what he was even doing at this point.

As he ran down the sidewalk, he crashed into another man.
"Sorry!" Scott exclaimed as the man picked up his wallet as it had fallen out of his pocket. The man stood up.
They both gasped.
It was Kevin.
"Wait, you're never outside at this time! You're always still inside! What's wrong?!" Kevin exclaimed.

"What? What do you mean? Did you notice that it's Sunday again too?" Scott asked, hoping Kevin would know what he was talking about.

Kevin's eyes widened. He stood still, shocked for a few seconds. He then grabbed Scott's elbow and pulled him into an alley.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Scott asked.
"We need to talk, and nobody can see us right now."
"What?!"

Kevin ducked behind a garbage can. Scott did the same, despite his confusion and fear.

"Scott. For years, I have been trapped reliving this day, August 9th, 2018. It's always this day, a Sunday." Kevin told him with a strong urgency.

Scott exhaled, shocked. Was this what had happened to him? Was Kevin even telling the truth? Would he be able to see his family, or friends, or have a future?

He began to feel lightheaded. Kevin's face twirled and twisted in his eyes as he fell backwards.
"Scott!" He heard Kevin yell. "Scott!"

Scott woke up in an unfamiliar room. He looked at his phone. It was 6:32 AM on Sunday. He had fainted through the entire day, and woke up again on Sunday.

But he wasn't at home. He was somewhere else. He sat up in bed, and examined his surroundings.

The walls were a pale cream, and the ceilings were low. He was on a mustard colored couch, covered in a blanket with little fishes printed on it. The room he was in had a lamp, a small television and multiple video game boxes, and a large leafy green plant. The room was connected to a kitchen, with black tiled floor and light wooden cabinets. Everything was kind of small, and he could tell he was in an apartment of some kind.
Somebody knocked.

Scott turned and noticed a door next to him. He got up and opened it. Standing in the doorway was Kevin.

"Hey, you're awake. You had fainted." Kevin told him. Scott sat back down on the couch, and Kevin walked into the kitchen.

"I kinda remember what we were talking about, is it true you're living the 'Phil Connors' life?" Scott asked. Kevin hesitated.
"Is that a politician?" Kevin asked, confused where he had heard the name.
Scott chuckled. "No, it's the main character from 'Groundhog Day.' You're living his life."
Kevin grabbed a kettle and put water in it. Once he plugged it in, he turned around to face Scott.

"You're living it too, Scott. But don't worry. I'm here for you, and I'm so glad there's someone else. It's been years."