Lost Between the Train Platform and High School

Lost Between the Train Platform and High School

I got off the commuter train at my usual stop, but the station exit led directly into the lobby of my old high school instead of the street. I was already late for work, so I rushed toward the front doors to get out, but my current manager was sitting behind the front desk with a woman who felt like my childhood neighbor and my sister at the same time. She looked up and said I was in the wrong year today. I pulled out my phone to check my schedule, but all the app icons were completely different, in a language that looked like English but made no sense when I tried reading it. The glass doors outside showed my neighborhood, but every house had an extra floor made of raw concrete, and people were walking past in winter coats even though I felt hot summer sun through the windows. I kept apologizing to my boss, frantically trying to find the turnstiles back to the platform, completely terrified I was going to miss my real life.