“It’s ’cause I hated the place so much. I wasn’t going to let it beat me. I figured, let it get me once and I’d be finished. I was scared I’d just keep slipping down and down. I’d crawl to school with a temperature of a hundred and three. The teacher would ask me if I was sick, but I’d say no. At graduation they gave me certificates for perfect attendance and perfect punctuality, plus a French dictionary. That’s why I’m taking German now. I didn’t want to owe this school anything. I’m not kidding.”
