But then I remembered that Rigmor wasn’t the only person at school. There were all the stares and the whispers and Lallie the braidiac saying she didn’t feel safe around me and Macii the whisperer researching my personal life.

Me: If I feel better. But I might still be sick.

Rigmor: Are you well enough to play V?

Me: Yes!

For the next hour, I played Villainous with her and I was Darth Vader and she was Bane and she beat me. Then I heard the timer go off for my pot pie, so I stopped playing while I ate. I was so busy playing and eating that when my dad called, I didn’t answer either time.

Hope you are good.

Rodney

18

Hey, Larry,

Okay, you are not going to believe this!

Even though I wanted to see Rigmor and Ben and Fisherman and some of the other people, I stayed home from school today again and the truancy officer actually showed up at the house! After he told me who he was, I asked him to put his ID under the door so I could inspect it.

“It doesn’t fit,” he said. “But you can call the school to confirm who I am.”

I was hiding from the school, so I didn’t want to call them. It was easier just to let him in. So I opened the door.

“Rodney?” he said. He was standing on the front step and he completely blocked out the sun.

I almost couldn’t answer because if he had lied and didn’t really work for the school district and was here to abduct me, I wouldn’t stand a chance. The guy looked like a major appliance. He could probably run right through the walls of this house, leaving behind the shape of a huge truancy officer carrying a stupid kid.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

I was staring at his arms. Each one was the same size as my body.

“I work out,” he said.

“A lot,” I said.

He laughed. “Yup. So, Rodney, I’m just checking on you.”

Even though he was massive, his face wasn’t mean.

“I’m sick?” I said.

“Are you?”

“Kind of.” I felt embarrassed for lying. I actually felt quite good from being well-rested and having so many snacks. I liked skipping school, even though I was also pretty bored already and it was only the second day.

“The thing is that the school called your mom again and then I called her. She says you’re not sick, you’re just refusing to go.”

I nodded. That was true.

“My sister’s not going either,” I said, like a tattling four-year-old.

He made a little face, and I could tell that argument wasn’t convincing him I should stay home from school.

“Your mom told me that.”

“My sister should really be at school,” I said.