You climb the fire escape and this time you are ready. No one is gonna push you off the roof. You get up there and find the teen. They’re smiling wide.
“You did it.”
You blink at them in confusion.
“I’m sorry what?”
“You did it. You saved Greg and helped Allie find Jewel and met Sawyer. You fixed everything.”
“How do you know all of that?”
“Because I set it in motion. I needed you to fix the timeline so I trapped you until you did.”
“By stealing my bag?”
“No, by slipping a loop initiator into your pocket.”
They dart forward and pull a small round device from your coat pocket.
“Stealing the bag was just to keep you from going to work. But it’s over now. So I’ll keep this, and you keep this.”
They hand you your bag.
“And you enjoy tomorrow and the rest of your life knowing you saved the world.”
“By rescuing a dog and stopping a guy from jumping and going on a date?”
“It’s really the little things that make all the difference isn’t it? Thanks again.”
The teen smirks again and takes a step back. Between one step and the next there is a shimmering haze and they vanish.
You aren’t sure how long you stay on that rooftop but it’s dark by the time you head back to your apartment and crawl into bed.
What do you do?
go to sleep