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Akiva blinked. Was that the end of his pitch? He had cards in his pocket; he’d been practicing the whole flight here

I’m 16, not six. I can control myself, right? Pretend to be a nice person even if inside I know I’m a snob

My new goal for Ma’s class is to cover an entire loose-leaf page with tiny rosebuds. I begin in the left-hand corner. By the time the bell rings, I’ve done two whole lines

Hashem… You made Ma my teacher for a reason, so please please don’t let anything bad come from it

They all stop laughing and just stare at me until I throw up my hands. They’ve obviously planned for every scenario.

I’m lying here and not moving. Ever, maybe. Just let 11th grade begin without me. Who needs an education anyway, am I right?