Jake knew it from the start — this group project was going to be a trainwreck.

His team? Total opposites: the overachiever (Emily), the slacker (Raj), and the silent gamer kid (Leo).

“Let’s meet at 4 today,” Emily said.

“I’ll try,” Raj replied, already halfway out the door. Classic.

When they finally met up, no one had done anything.

Jake sighed. “Guys, we’re running out of time.”

Emily frowned. “No kidding. If we fail, I’m going to lose my mind.”

Raj just shrugged. “Relax. We’ll wing it.”

Jake and Emily stared at him.

“That’s your plan?” Jake said. “Fly by the seat of your pants?”

“Worked last time.”

They barely finished the presentation. Half the slides didn’t work, and Leo didn’t say a word.

After class, Jake groaned. “Well… that was a hot mess.”

Emily replied, “At least it’s over.”

Idioms Used in the Story

1. Running out of time

Meaning: Not having enough time left to do something.
Examples:

• We’re running out of time before the deadline.
• The team was running out of time to score.

2. Lose your mind

Meaning: Become very upset, angry, or stressed.
Examples:

• I’m going to lose my mind if I hear that song again.
• She lost her mind when she saw the mess.

3. Wing it

Meaning: Do something without planning or preparation.
Examples:

• I didn’t study, so I’ll just wing it.
• He forgot his speech and had to wing it on stage.

4. Fly by the seat of your pants

Meaning: To do something by instinct without planning.
Examples:

• We didn’t rehearse — we flew by the seat of our pants.
• She flew by the seat of her pants during the meeting.

5. Hot mess

Meaning: A situation that is very disorganized or chaotic.
Examples:

• That party was a hot mess — spilled drinks, loud fights, and no music.
• The presentation was a hot mess, but at least it was funny.