Bister Kadas I need a new quiz Sal says holding the gooey paper Yes please throw that one away and come get a clean sheet Mr Karas tells him And please wash your hands Then he turns to me I’m in a good mood today Billy so I’m letting that little outburst slide without a warning he says Then he gives me his serious stare Sal blows a snot rocket out of his nose and I’M the one with the outburst I think to myself I look down at my desk and try to focus on the quiz Then I look up at the clock No time has passed Say what I raise my hand Mr Karas I think the clock is broken I say He looks up at the clock and then down at his watch Then he looks up at the clock again
It seems to be working just fine Billy Finish your quiz please I stare at the clock for ONE WHOLE MINUTE without blinking I want to make sure that the hands are actually moving Sixty seconds later the hand moves But I could swear it went backward Mr Karas I blurt out That’s it Billy Burger No more Mr Nice Teacher Mr Karas says with a frown I’m writing your name on the board That’s one strike against me Two more strikes and I get sent straight to Principal Crank’s office As the teacher writes my name I stare at the clock and curse it I hope you fall off the wall I whisper I return to my quiz and try not to think about lunch and playing on the playground I have learned that time at school actually passes faster when you’re focused on your work If you stare out
the window and daydream time stands still I tend to stare out the window and daydream A LOT It’s just that the playground is RIGHT THERE And I would rather be playing on it RIGHT NOW instead of being stuck inside doing schoolwork But no matter what we’re going to be stuck inside until Mr Karas lets us out for lunch What if I die of starvation before then
2 Lunch Rush Finally I finish my quiz and hand it in My classmates do the same one by one until Mr Karas says the magic words It’s lunchtime If it isn’t obvious I like food I really like it Just thinking about it makes me happy When I eat too much food my mom usually tells me to slow down But slowing down is SO hard It must be because I’m hitting a growth spurt every day Today’s lunch is a ham and cheese sandwich
