He sat there ticking his pencil. Up and down so the eraser would hit the table. No one around him heard it but he did and that was all that mattered. He was staring up at the clock. Ten minutes. He was going to be free, all he had to was sit there. The class was ending and the teacher was talking. Something about the homework. Homework was never on his mind,. He could see the sunshine. He could feel the grass under his feet. He wanted to be out there. His knees were aching and the walls looked as though they were melting. Why was the teacher still talking? Why can't we just go. We understand what to do. It will take me about five minutes before class tomorrow. Why is everyone else so stupid in the class? All he had to do was sit there.

He decided not to look at the clock and just wait and maybe if he closed his eyes then the next time he opened them he would be free. Free to yelp and run. Free to get home, shed his nice clothes and head to the woods. Mike will be waiting for him. I need to get to Mike, he thought, he can't hold them back for too long without me. Even if the teacher let them out right now he would still have to take the bus, but that was something that can't be changed. Mr. Johnson could shut up, and open the door. He closed his eyes. He tried to count the seconds but all he could hear was the tall bald man's voice. Yeah, yeah I understand, page thirty seven the even numbers. He thought. The odds' answers were in the back. How did Math become his last class of the day? Why did this happen? There he was everyday. His previous class was right across the hall, so he had nine minutes to stare at room 207 and wait for or will it to blow up. He thought if he looked at the numbers long enough the room would pop and everyone would be spared math class.

It never happened. The bell was about to ring and he slipped in the door, everyday. Often enough so that Mr. Johnson had asked him a few times what he would do out there before the bell rang. He never answered, he just slipped into his seat and did the homework, due in approximately seven minutes. At the beginning of the semester he calculated how long Mr. Johnson took to take roll. It averaged between three and a half minutes to sometimes even ten minutes.

Two twenty-nine. By god it worked. The tick has less that 20 seconds to tock. He saw Melissa gathering her things. He wasn't the only one to sweat and dread this class. He had already put his book in his bag. His jacket was on. His pencil was the only thing he had to put away. Now his foot was tapping. Three, Two, One..Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.