The (Not so amazing) adventures of Max

Seventeenth Entry: Operation Skip School

Friday, September 1

Okay, so, you know how sometimes you just wake up and everything feels off? Like, you're already over the whole school thing, but then it hits you—you're just not in the mood to deal with it? Yeah, that was me this morning.

It's been a rough week, especially with Mr. Dreadmore keeping up his creepy, teacher-villain act. Honestly, I was so done. So, I came up with the most genius plan of all time. I was going to skip school.

Yes, you heard that right.

I know what you're thinking: "Max, you're an idiot." And yeah, I thought I was too. But it was a solid plan at first. I woke up and realized I had zero interest in sitting through seven periods of torture, so I just... didn't get out of bed. I pulled the classic "pretend to be sick" act, rolled over, and started acting like I had some kind of serious cold. Like, I'm talking full-on sniffles, coughing, dramatic groaning.

I even texted my mom, who definitely wasn't buying it (she's too smart for that). But she said she'd "let me rest" for a bit, which was way too easy. My luck was on point today.

For the next hour, I thought I was basically winning at life. No Mr. Dreadmore, no math tests, just me and my comfy bed. I even went so far as to pull up some random YouTube videos to pass the time. (You know, educational stuff... like conspiracy theories about why Spongebob is secretly a genius cartoon.)

I was starting to think this might actually work. And then, of course, the inevitable happened.

Around 10:00 a.m., I hear the doorbell. BAM.

I'm trying to stay still, hoping maybe it's some kind of random delivery or whatever, but then I hear my mom talking to someone at the door. And I'm just lying there like "No way, this isn't happening." Then I hear my mom say, "Oh, yeah, he's at home sick today. He wasn't feeling well this morning."

That's when I hear a voice I really didn't want to hear.

"Is Max okay? Can I go check on him?"

It was Mr. Dreadmore.

I literally panicked. I grabbed my phone, muting it, like some kind of spy thriller, as I heard the footsteps coming up the stairs. My heart was about to explode out of my chest. I pulled the covers over my head like I thought that would hide me. Spoiler alert: It did not.

Mr. Dreadmore knocks on my door and opens it with all the grace of a high school villain. "Max, how are you feeling?" he asks, looking like he knows exactly what's up.

"Uh, fine! I mean, I'm just really tired," I say, trying my best to sound like I didn't just get caught trying to skip school.

"I see," he says, slowly. "It's just that I got a call from the school saying you were marked absent. And your mom seemed concerned. Are you sure you're not feeling well enough to go to class?"

I wanted to sink into the floor. This is my life now. Being interrogated by Mr. Dreadmore about my sick day like I'm some kind of criminal.

"Yeah, I'm just—just really wiped out from, uh, the first week, you know?" I could tell I was sweating now.

"Hmm, well," he said, "I'd hate for you to fall behind, so I'll give you an excused absence today. But only this time. Don't make it a habit."

I nodded, still pretending to look sick, but inside I was just praying he would leave. Finally, he did. And once the door shut behind him, I collapsed back into my bed, trying to ignore how my life had just spiraled into complete chaos.

Moral of the story? I'm never skipping school again. Especially with Mr. Dreadmore lurking around.

Also, I'm probably grounded for life now. But, at least I got a day off school, even if it was a terrible idea.