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The Girl Who Sees Skeletons

“Waaaaahhhhhh beep beep, Wahhhhhhh beep beep, Wahhhhhh bee-,” screamed the abrasive baby-blue alarm clock, that I slapped to the ground of my bedroom. I sluggishly shifted my body out of the bed and looked into my pearly white mirror “AHHHHHHHHH!” I yelped and fell to the floor. I was hideous...so much beige, too much skin...too much color… I looked like a blobfish. The real world was never dull enough for my sensitive eyes. My sweet blossomed mother, Clara, knew I was different from the start. Since I was always in the corner staring at the plain wall, covering my ears & rocking back and forth, terrified from the great wide world I was part of. Mother would always try to push me to be my best. “Brooklyn do this, Brooklyn look at that,” Clara(or as most would call mom) would say to me every time I got scared. She tried and tried again, yet it never worked. Every time someone would walk in the view of my eyes, I would rapidly close them. At the age of 5, I was diagnosed with dermatophobia. Which is the fear of skin… It wasn’t fixable. I’m 12 now. I've been told to have curly strawberry-blonde hair, blue eyes, a good body shape, and freckles. But the way I see myself is a pasty white, hollow, empty, and very thin, and I like it that way. I can’t even look at myself without my special equipment. My glasses(my equipment)erase the sight of skin. So I only see bones. Think of my glasses as a mini x-ray. The glasses are brood, dusky, and large. Most people at school think that it’s scary or weird...but it’s my happy place and makes me feel safe. “Mother Carollllll!” I yelled from my room, “Can you please make my breakfast!?”

“Yes, please be down here soon!” she also yelled(since she was downstairs).

Our luxury house is 3 whole stories. It is very beautiful, blue, black, & gray(at least from my view), with one tv room, a kitchen, a wobbly elevator, a mini theatre, a toy room, and an animal room. I have a dog to help me with my phobia, and his name is Adam. My mother likes to describe him to me, how he has an exquisite cinnamon coat, with brown fall-like eyes. His personality is just astonishing. Adam is the one friend I have that doesn’t judge me… I think it’s because he has a wise soul, he’s 70 in dog years after all. He goes with me everywhere; even at school. Speaking of which… I’M GONNA BE LATE! “Honey, let’s go, it's 8:22! School starts in 8 minutes!” mother said.

“Okay, let me grab Adam's walking collar/leash,” I said as I walked out of my beloved mansion. Twenty minutes later, I had entered the stuffy room that had gray/dark blue carpet that smelt like feet, walls filled with colorful prompts about learning, shiny glistening pearl white tables(made for Expo markers), neon green plastic chairs, and a very bright and short teacher, who always had a huge pearly smile and a welcoming heart; her name was Mrs. Powell.

“Goo000ood morning class!” she cheerfully said.

“GOooo000oood mooooooring!” the class repeated.

“Today I am assigning a group project and you need a group of 3,” Mrs. Powell said.

-I raised my hand- “Yes, Brooklyn?” she added.

“Can Adam be my partner?” I desperately asked.
“Wellll, I don’t see why not, but that’s only two of you...Brook dear, you are going to need 1 more person in your group….ummm let me see,” she said, “do we have any volunteers to be in Brooklyn and Adams group?” -crickets were heard throughout the classroom- “Um, okay then! I will call a random number and that person will join their group, the teacher dolefully said, “number 22,”. “Awww mann,” a boy whined, “why do I have to work with the freak?”. The boy was tan, had brunette hair, ocean blue eyes, tall as a giraffe, skinny, and sporty. That rude comment my new dramatic partner said, made me so sad I got up and kicked my cheaply made seat and ran to sit in the corner of the spirit-filled walls with my doggy, and cried. Adam licked me and I stopped after a while. I got off the tattered carpet, and finally got back in my seat as the alerted eyes in the class followed my every movement until I sat. The boy said, “See I told you she was weird...why torture me?”. Mrs. Powell got mad and croaked, “Zachary, come outside with me for a moment-”. “Fine lady,” he quickly said. As the two left the class I felt as if I was being stalked by every pair of eyes in the class because when I would look around the room, everyone would look away from me and pretend they were not staring. The next day came, and I had a feeling it would be much better than Tuesday... “So today we will be working with our partners, and do your best to finish the project by Friday, so we have two days” Mrs. Powell said. We all moved to sit with our partners(in my case skeletons), and we started working. “I’ll make a deal with you Brooke...I will try to be your friend if you stop acting like a baby,” Zachary frustratingly said. I displeasingly replied, “Gee thx, and I’ll do my best if you don't act like a bully,”. “Alright, shake on it?” he asked. “OK,” I said as we shook hands. In my head, I was thinking about what he had just said for the rest of the day… Did he actually mean it? Is he not as mean as he acts? Are we friends now? Thursday had come much quicker than I intended, and I was quite thankful for how it went because Zachary and I got along just fine. Yet all we did was work more on the school project(at school). “BRING, BRING, BRING-” the bell had rung. “Okay class, have a nice rest of the day,” Mrs. Powell chirped. As I walked home with Adam, we admired the view around us, the thick and sturdy trees including vivid green leaves, eye catching homes, rich grass, and last but least the wide ink-colored rode. I was in my large cozy home, and it was now around 9 pm. Adam had to go to his daily vet check-up every Thursday since he was super ancient... My mom slowly walked into the house, her eyelids all puffy and her whole face red and blotchy, with tears rushing down her face- “Hey mom! Are you ok? Wait, where’s Adam?” I said rushing the words out of my mouth. Mother Clara handed me Adams collar, and said “Keep it safe my dear,” “it was his last day this evening…” mom said. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN LAST DAY?.....Is he dead?” I sobbed. I had hoped it wouldn’t be true. I had required Adam with his kind old soul, his slimy licks, the fluffy therapy, my best friend...I needed my support dog! So I thought… “ “Waaaaahhhhhh beep beep, Wahhhhhhh beep bee-” I grabbed my alarm and chucked it at the wall. As I thought about last night, it reminded me of how much I hate school, and how much I hate Fridays...you know what? I just hate life! I got to school and was hiding in my hoodie, trying to cover my blotching face from the jet of tears. “Ok class, today is Project day! Everybody, meet up with your partner and get ready to present!” Zachary ran over to me, with his boney body almost perfectly structured, he glided through the room and seemed excited to see my soggy face. He finally realized something was wrong and said, “Are you okay Brooky?”. Omg, he gave me a nickname! It gave me a slight smile, but I still had to tell him, “Adam went a-away in t-th-the evening yes-yesterday, for a p-permanent v-va-v-vacation… And n-now my o-o-only frie-friend is g-gon-gone,” I said, spitting the words out of my mouth, trying to catch my breath. Zachary lightly put his hand on my shoulder, smiled at me, and said, “What are you talking about? You have me!”.

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Disease…

The year was 3122, and everything started to turn bad. A disease started to rise from the ground. It infected the crops, the houses, the cattle, and then soon…us. No one knew where the infection came from, or how it started. All we knew is that in a week’s time of having the disease, you’d be deader than the devil. Anyway, hi, I’m Analiese. I am a member of a 13 piece family. I got my mom, my dad, 7 sisters, 3 brothers, and me, obviously. We found out about the caticarkces(cat-eye-car-cuss) infection at the town council meeting. We have the meeting almost every Tuesday because the internet was demolished back in 2550. It was the year of the “homeless”. The homeless were people who lived above ground without access to or the need for technology. Once upon a time, there was a point in time when there was a Machine that controlled the whole world. Doesn’t that sound crazy? Well, the homeless(my ancestors) completely destroyed the machine and everybody underground in it. After nature became the new technology, the homeless repopulated and began to build. They built cities, towns(but mostly towns), stores, council meeting centers, and more. As life went on, our trail of life went from smooth to rigid in just a matter of time. We were the healthiest family on the block. So we thought we would be protected from the disease… First, it affected my ma. We thought it was just a cold at the start. Until the symptoms appeared. Ma’s hands and legs started to turn purple/black/yellow as if she had been bruised by being somehow run over by a bus. After that process was complete, she got shaky like a battery-powered back massager. Next, she couldn’t eat or drink because every time she tried, she’d regurgitate(throw up) it. Lastly, on her last night, her eyes began to bleed. The next morning, she was knocked out cold, a goner. Ma took care of us, loved us, she was our only hope of survival because little did you know, pop had the same exact thing happen to him 6 days later. If you ask me, I personally think it’s because he wasn’t a man of God. That’s when the devil took him. Then just as you probably guessed, we all turned into orphans before you could say lightning! A nice lady went to our house the next day to inform us that we would be taken to a new “home”, and had to pack one bag for each of our belongings. She allowed us to all choose one more activity in town before we left. Our family all chose to go to tomorrow’s town meeting because today was Monday… I took in the information, ate dinner with my siblings(the nice lady cooked it up), then went to bed. I slowly opened my eyes to the bright morning sun-”chhhhhhh”! The so-called nice lady smashed the blinds closed and said, “Time to get up now everyone…the town's meeting awaits us!”. We grabbed our stuff and headed to the meeting. Counselor Mandy started to speak… We found out that even though we didn’t get sick like our parents, we could still carry caticakcus!!! The lady rushed us to our supposedly new home. It looked more like a prison if you ask me. The walls and tile floor were gray, no windows, no beds, NO NOTHING. Just a room more empty than the grand canyon desert, but gray. The door was made out of steel iron…we were complete lab rats. I got bored of the empty room, just like the others. We had nothing to do but cry ourselves to sleep- UNTIL “BOOM!!!!”. I woke up. I could smell smoke. I saw a tangy orange light under the iron-sealed tight door. It grew larger and larger until the light turned into fire. OH NO, IT'S COMING TOWARDS US! I hugged my family quickly and said goodbye. The fire kept coming closer and closer till it reached my one brothers’ Antonio. He blew into flames. Then it hit the other two boys! They melted like the wicked witch of the west. Before you knew it, I was the last one lef-

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Metaverse begins to affect our brains/Propaganda in the Metaverse

There are many factors that contribute to the concept of losing or gaining features in a world dominated by technology. The machine stops, Ready Player One, and articles I read about the metaverse being a trend can agree with the fact that there are multiple pros and cons to technology. Technology has grown more and more over the years and has taught us to be so insufficient. Every time we need to get something done we go to the device that can get it done for us. This brings us to the fact that nature is better than technology.

The machine stops teaches us that technology is bad through the moral of the story. The Machine Stops is based off the future and is about a mother traveling underground to meet her son where all humans live, in a honeycomb sort of world. Once the machine stops working, the ground(the undergrounds ceiling) opens while the fresh air from up above comes through and kills all the humans underground. However, the reason they did not survive is stated in a file I read called “Machine Stops(1)”, its says, “But Humanity, in its desire for comfort, had over-reached itself. It had exploited the riches of nature too far,”(pg. 20). The only humans who survived when the machine stopped was the “homeless”. The homeless were so called “crazy” people who lived above ground with the wild, where they had no access to the machine. For example, “I have seen them, spoken to them, loved them. They are hiding in the mist and the ferns until our civilization stops. To-day they are the Homeless — to-morrow—” “Oh, to-morrow — some fool will start the Machine again, to-morrow.” “Never,” said Kuno, “never. Humanity has learned its lesson,”(pg. 25).

Another text that can prove that nature always wins is “Ready Player One”. This narrative is about a boy living in a virtual RV metaverse world. He trys out love but things don’t work out too well for him… I know this because in “Ready Player One, Excerpt 2”, it says, “I’m in love with you, Arty,”(Wade) .“You aren’t in love with me, Z,” she said. “You don’t even know me.”(Art2)(pg. 10). The reason she refuses him is because he doesn’t know who she really is, just who she wants people to see. Another example in the text, about broken love, says, “I think we should take a break. Stop spending so much time together.”(Art2) I felt like I’d been punched in the throat,”(Wade)(pg. 11). If they had been spending time together in person(AKA NATURE) instead of through the multiverse(AKA TECHNOLOGY), Art2 probably would not have told Wade she didn’t want to see him anymore, and he would have had a better chance of her liking him back.

The last evidence I can bring to the table to prove nature is better, compared to technology, is in multiple metaverse articles I read. Three out of the four articles I read says that the metaverse uses propaganda to make the kids think that technology pulls out the better in you by making you look/sound/be different. I agree with this statement because in an article I read called “This is Creating more Loneliness”, it says, “This is creating far more body image concerns [and] exposure to dangerous content that’s related to suicidality,”(pg. 2). People can begin to get suicidal thoughts when they start to think they aren’t good enough(the body specifically). Many other things can go wrong during your trip through the metaverse. For example, in an article I read, a guy named Ahmed makes a prediction by saying, “I think parents will be asking themselves: Do I feel safe knowing that Mark Zuckerberg is the guy in charge of deciding who influences my children, who might be able to bully them, and whether or not they’re safe in cyberspace?”(pg. 4). I still can predict that the VR’s will go south because of people who like nature/natural things, have protective parents, influencers, influenced by family & friends, and more.

The more technology grows, and the more insufficient we grow, will the metaverse become reality? There will be many arguments shined against the few positives of technology/metaverse. Just like “The Machine Stops”, “Ready Player One”, and other metaverse articles. And these are just a small percentage of the articles you can find that show the negatives of the metaverse. The battle will be soon to come, I can predict in the next few decades… Which side are you on, nature or technology?

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Dear Mr. President Roosevelt,

Hello, I am a Japanese AMERICAN fourteen year old girl that has 2 little brothers and a mom. My birth name is Yushi, yet my friends call me Sushi(cause it rhymes). We have a complaint. I like open fields, not fields with bars… I don’t think its’s right for you to lock up all these innocent Japanese Americans like me because of the Japanese bombs that went off in Pearl Harbor. I understand the reasons for this law to force us to live in internment camps, but I do not agree with these circumstances. In a poem I read, called “In Response”, it states how a Japanese American girl had a white American best friend named Denise. Denise stopped liking the Japanese American girl because she thought she was bad, talking to the enemies, and trying to start a war. Even though the Japanese girl did not do any of that and was completely innocent. She even acted just like her white American friend. Looks aren’t all that important you know. Us Japanese Americans want out of this unneeded cage. We aren’t animals! We are the victims here! I mean at least give us some real furniture. WE WANT FREEDOM!

Sincerely-one like you

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The Government uses Propaganda.

Did you know that during the times of Hitler and the Natzis, the government/main dude used propaganda to make everyone think the same? They still even do it today! Propagandas prime factor is public enlightenment. Once a person hears something so many times, it eventually can get stuck in their head. The main way propaganda is used by governments to create false ideas is by tricking people by using pieces of public enlightenment like advertisement and public speaking.

One way governments use propaganda is by over advertising one way of thinking. For example, “Films in particular played an important role in disseminating racial antisemitism, the superiority of German military power, and the intrinsic evil of the enemies as defined by Nazi ideology. Nazi films portrayed Jews as "subhuman" creatures infiltrating Aryan society,”(Holocaust Encyclopedia). A lot of people watch tv nowadays, and even so during the 1930s-40s. During the reign of Hitler, the only thing he would let people watch had to be either about how Jews are bad or how propaganda helped spread his point of view around. Another example in a text I read says, “After 1933, Nazis took control of the press. As a result, propagandists crafted messages to different audiences. They spread propaganda to Germans who were not even Nazis and who did not read the party papers. Posters, newspapers, films, and radio addresses publically displayed anti-Jewish propaganda,”(Twisted Tongues). Natzis used so much propaganda that most of the German citizens were barely able to think for themselves. Once the Natzis took over the press, they blamed Jews for all their problems. You would think this would be banned by the state, but no, it was encouraged! The government's main propaganda to go to is advertising, ALOT.

Another way governments use propaganda is by using public speakers as persuasion. For example, according to an article I read, “Propaganda also encouraged passivity and acceptance of the impending measures against Jews, as these appeared to depict the Nazi government as stepping in and “restoring order,”(Holocaust Encyclopedia). Almost everywhere the German citizens of the 1900s(during Hitlers’ reign) went, they would hear public speaking. Unless they were by themselves of course. Once people listen to things over and over again, it usually ends up sticking in their head. That’s one-way people get manipulated. Another example in a text I read says, “There was nothing but Nazi propaganda in the newspapers and on the radio,”(Twisted Tongues). This quote means that people controlled by the Natzis only had availability to information that was biased, one-sided, opinion by a specific group that is against an idea, specific person, or idea. The radio is like public speaking, except through technology. Strong minds rubbing off on weak ones(through speaking), is a use of propaganda.

The government likes to use propaganda such as using Public Enlightenment to create false statements. Back then during Hitlers’ time he also used Propaganda/Public Enlightenment. The most used of Public Enlightenment are public speaking and advertisement. In conclusion, propaganda is used every day of your life, even if you can’t see it. So be mindful of your surroundings and keep your thoughts straight.

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Why we should discontinue animal testing...

Millions of animals die every year. You would think it was from natural causes but no, it’s from animal testing! Many people say animal testing is ethical, many people say it’s non ethical. Countless factors contribute to testing on animals. Animal testing is not ethical because of testing gone wrong, they’re too different from humans, and technology can be used as a substitute.

Animal testing is not ethical because of testing gone wrong. According to an article called “Animal research provides a flawed model, so why not stop?”, it says, “...late 1950s and early 1960s...Thalidomide had been tested on several animal species and found to be safe, even in large doses. Yet thousands of children worldwide were born with missing or shortened limbs after their mothers took the drug for morning sickness,”(Monika Merkes). Testing on animals might have gone right, yet all these people had bad effects. Testing should not be done on animals because doing experiments on them doesn’t mean that the same “good” effect will happen on us. In the article “Testing-Pro’s and Con’s”, it says, “Animal tests on the arthritis drug Vioxx showed that it had a protective effect on the hearts of mice, yet the drug went on to cause more than 27,000 heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths before being pulled from the market,”(ProCon.org). First of all, if you’re going to test products that are supposed to “help” humans on animals, you should do it on multiple species, not one organism. The text up above states that arthritis drugs were only tested on mice and did not help people. Instead, they gave heart attacks. Testing gone wrong happens too often to make animal testing ethical.

Another reason animal testing is not ethical, is because animals are too different from humans. According to “Animal research provides a flawed model so why not stop?”, it says, “The website of Humane Research Australia lists over 60 drugs, including thalidomide, that have been “successfully” tested on animals, but are toxic to humans. The site notes that the list is not exhaustive,”(Monika Merkes). Just because a drug works on an animal doesn’t mean it is going to work on us. Animals are just too different and don’t work the same way! According to “Animal testing- Pros and Cons”, it says, “The anatomic, metabolic, and cellular differences between animals and people make animals poor models for human beings,”(ProCon.org). Pretty much what the quote is saying is that animal organisms’ anatomy, stomach works, and cells are way too different from humans. Plus, animal cells have way fewer genomes in the cell than humans. Animals are not similar enough to us, to make testing on them ethical.

Some may say that animal testing is the only way to find solutions to humanity’s health. According to “Testing-Pro’s and Con’s, it says, “Chimpanzees share 99% of their DNA with humans, and mice are 98% genetically similar to humans. All mammals, including humans, are descended from common ancestors, and all have the same set of organs (heart, kidneys, lungs, etc.) that function in essentially the same way with the help of a bloodstream and central nervous system,”(ProCon.org). According to this quote, Chimpanzees are very close to humans. Animal testing is a way to make experiments that solve problems...or make them. Animal testing is not ethical because technology can be used as a substitute. In an article called “A.I. more accurate than animal testing for spotting toxic chemicals”, it says, “Using the properties of the neighboring chemicals, we can predict whether an untested chemical is hazardous. For example, for predicting whether a chemical will cause eye irritation, our computer program not only uses information from similar chemicals, which were tested on rabbit eyes, but also information for skin irritation,”(Thomas Hartung). Instead of using Chimpanzees, you can predict a situation by using chemicals. Plus, Chimpanzees might be close to humans but it doesn’t mean the other animals are. Animal testing can cause problems and a lot of death, so stick with me(not the ethical side) and don’t waste lives.

Animal testing is a way to make a difference, but not always the right choice. Since animal testing can go wrong, the animals they use are too different from humans, and technology can be used as a substitute, animal testing is not needed. In conclusion, there are multiple other solutions to using other substitutes, just like technology.

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In chapter XXlll, Anderson chose a primary source about slavery to start off the chapter that connects to Isabell and the treatment she will soon endure. The first piece of evidence is the primary source on pg. 146. Quoted by a black slave, “I also have been whipped many a time on my naked skin, and sometimes till the blood has run down over my waistband; But the greatest grief I then had was to see them whip my mother, and to hear her, on her knees begging for mercy…-Rev. David George, on his childhood as a slave”. A sad man is watching his mom getting beaten and could not do anything about it. This quote was really said by an actual slave. It describes the details of living the life of a slave. The second piece of evidence is the part when Isabell gets branded. Outside of the Jail, a touturess event waits for her, “The man with the leather apron pinned my head against the wood...I tried to pull away, but my hands and head were locked fast...The glowing iron streaked in front of my face like a comet. The crowd roared. The man pushed the hot metal against my cheek...They cooked me.”(152) This quote is connected to the primary source because they are both about the unfair treatment of slavery. I think the author added that specific quote for the primary source because he wanted to tell us in a way that a lot of slaves were being treated unfairly and being beaten/tortured at the time. Slaves were treated  like work animals in the 1700’s. Adersons primary source connects to chapter XXlll while both quotes represent harsh treatment(slavery).

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I am from San Juan’s unsanitary, warn out, & cozy stables

(the place the horses and my heart revolve around…)

a place where I have to control 1,000-pound animals with trust,

a partner that could kill me with just a buck.

I am a girl that gets told her life is not a sport,

by few who have not experienced the pain,

by few who have not experienced the work.

I am from a large tidied-up couch, that is so clean it still looks like it hasn’t been touched,

so brand-spankin’ new that it isn’t even part of the family yet.

I am from the house where a nice, amusing, loving mother raised me,

with challenges around each corner part of the way…

(It was just the two of us for a little while)

I am from the rusty, broken-down car that drives me between two parents every few weekends,

waiting for their daughter to come back to each of their astonishing homes,

as she lives her double life in various ways.

I am from the tasty delights of Panera Bread,

where I go so much that I pretty much live there.

I am a tall Sunflower, bright and pretty with many uses,

can stand alone or with others depending on where I’m planted,

anxious for the abruptly fresh sunlight to come back in the early morning.

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“Ring Ring RING!!!” yelled my anxious phone, waiting for my attention, “RINGGGGG!”

“OK, OK, I’m up, I’m up!” I yelled back to the clock as it settled down, “Come on, I was just in the middle of a great dream.” I looked over at Mr. Spaz, to see the time, and realized I was late...I have finals TODAY! I jumped out of bed and ran past the beautiful old fashioned baby blue walls of my overly fancied farm house. Trust me, if you only saw the inside, you would not believe that I lived on a ranch. I finally reached the bottom of the stairs to find my mom waiting by the door.

“Could you go any slower?”

“Sorry mom, I forgot about daylight savings...and I have finals today,”

“YOU WHAT?” mom said, looking about ready to blow her head off.

` “Well, don’t just stand there in awe, let's get in the car!” I said.

After driving for almost 30 mins, I threw my body out of the rosey red car and ran with all my strength towards my first class and-

“THUMP!”

“OOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!”

I ran into the same dang brick seat that always seems to be in MY WAY EVERY STINKING TIME I AM IN A HURRY. I took a quick glance at my left leg, which was scarcely covered in blood. Oh come on man! Why me? Why now? Could anything get worse? Na, nothing could possibly make this day get worse...

“Click-Clomp. Click-Clomp. Click-Clomp-Click-Clomp-Click-Clom-Cli-Clo-”

“MS. MCKINNON!?”

I slowly turned my head to the left to find Mrs. Vega staring down on me as if I were a diseased turkey missing my head.

` “Get up now, you’ll survive,” the scary lady quickly said.

As I was on the ground, I said, “Wait, do you even care if I’m hurt and bleeding?”

“Nope, now get up and come with me to the office,”

“Too get me cleaned up and to my next class?”

“Of course...not.”

I moaped my way into the office, following the erupting volcano. I swear I could see lava oozing from her head.

“Now wait here while I call your mother and let her know you were trying to skip finals,” Mrs. Vega said, not even looking at me, not even knowing if I was still there.

“WHAT? SKIP FINALS? I FELL AND RAN INTO THE STUPID BRICK CHAIRS!”