Day 71

"Umm... Erin? Can we talk?" Gros said apprehensively, standing in the hall and peering into the living room where Erin sat on the couch hunched over her computer. Erin didn't look up, but grunted to indicate that she was listening.
"It's just that we're worried about you," said Beth, standing beside Grosland. Erin did not respond, but scowled slightly at her screen.
"Erin... you know what this is about... I -- I think you need some help. This is becoming a serious problem," Gros said, sounding very concerned and fiddling with the hem of her pajama pants. Erin bristled and turned to glare at her roommates.
"I do NOT have a problem!" she snarled. The dim light in the room caused the deep shadows under her eyes to become even more pronounced, giving her an almost corpse-like appearance.
"Please, Erin! You can't keep this up! This... addiction is tearing us apart!" Beth insisted.
"It's not an addiction. I can quit any time I want," Erin replied hastily, turning back to look at her computer.
"Can't you see that this is killing you?!" Gros cried, tears welling in her eyes. "You have to quit! You have to let us help you!"
"I can't!" Erin protested wildly,  even as her breathing lapsed and her hands shook. "You can't make me stop! I need it!"
"No, Erin! You need to listen to us! We're your friends! We care about you!" Gros knelt down by Erin's side and put a hand on her trembling shoulder.
"I can't... It's... I need..." Erin stuttered, eyes darting frantically around the room as though searching for something....
 "Oh, for Pete's sake, woman! Just go to bed! You've been up past 1 AM every night for three weeks!" Beth cried in exasperation, striding over to Erin and giving her a solid whack to the back of the head.
"Ow, hey!" Erin said indignantly.
"Seriously. I didn't even know it was POSSIBLE to be addicted to staying up late, but you, madame, have shown me the light!"
"It's not an addiction... I'm just too busy to go to bed, that's all..." Erin muttered sheepishly.
"No you're not." Beth replied sharply. "Now go to bed, doofus. You've got work in the morning. If you stay up one more night you're going to kill yourself." Beth nodded and Gros reached out and slammed Erin's laptop shut. Erin opened her mouth to protest, but then gave in.
"Fine... you win. I'll go to bed on time, for once..." she sighed, getting up from the couch. The other two smiled encouragingly at her as she took a step toward the hallway. Unfortunately, she didn't make it very far before she swayed, dropped to the ground, and fell dead asleep on the carpet.

And THAT, children, is why sleeping is important. Don't be an Erin. Get to bed on time!