Tick. Tock.

Matthew watched as the second hand crept slowly around the clock. Is the clock broken? Matt watches the clock everyday during math class, but as he watched it move in the 80+ degree weather, it's moving uncharacteristically slow. Maybe the weather affected the movement of the clock. Currently failing math class, Matt knew he should be paying attention to class.

"Now, when the equation is 3x-5x+17, that is known as a polynomial."

How slow can a clock move? Matt felt that he was about to find out. Matt leaned back in his chair and looked around to see if anyone else noticed the clock was broken. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face. It was so warm today. Matt could feel himself getting more and more tired. Matt looked back at the clock. 2:05, another half-an-hour? Matt groaned inwardly. He set his chair back on all fours and slumped over his desk. Maybe if he took a short power nap until the last period of school ends. Matt felt himself falling further and further into unconsciousness. Of course, as fate would have it, his phone decided to ring right then. Matt jerked up, and clumsily stopped his phone from ringing. The whole class was staring at him. Matt looked and around uneasily and said,

"Hey."

"So if you complete the square…" His teacher continued.

Matt looked at the clock hopefully. 2:08. Great. Maybe he could try a power nap again. He propped his elbow on his desk and leaned his head on it. Being snapped of his comfortably tired state made it a bit harder for him to get sleepy again. As he started to zone out, his phone rang again. He silenced his phone a bit quicker this time, grumbling and promising himself to throw his phone against a wall later. He looked around the room, and saw that the whole class was looking at him. Again.

"Hey." He said uncomfortably.

"Maybe you should turn your phone off." His teacher said smiling.

"y-Yeah. I was going to do that." He could feel himself getting red.

"Okay. So 36-14 is 22, giving you two answers. x = 22 and x = -12." The teacher looked at the clock. "Today your homework will be 20-53, due tomorrow."

The class groaned and got to work.

"Matthew, can I speak with you real quick?" His teacher asked.

"Sure."

Matt got out of his desk and walked over to his teacher. With a quick look at the clock, he saw that it was 2:15. That's it? Matt groaned.

"You do know that you're failing this class, right?" His teacher started to say.

"I am? I had no idea." Matt's voice had a sharp edge to it.

"Well, yes. I don't believe that it's much of a surprise to you, considering how you have yet to turn in a single assignment."

Of course teachers have to be polite. He had hoped that one of the cooler teachers in the school would actually teach math in a way where he would like the subject.

"Bête, I'm only telling you because I know you wouldn't want to go to summer school.

Trust me." His teacher told him.

"What is bête anyway?" Matt asked.

"Don't change the subject. How about this; you turn in the rest of the assignments of the school year. Don't give that look, it's only 3 weeks. Get a B or better on the Final, and get a C or better on an additional accumulative test. I'll pass you. I'll average the score you get on the homework, test, and Final and that will be you're final grade." He paused as the bell rang. "I'm not forcing you to do this. You have a choice. I just hope you'll make the right one."

Matt made a face as he walked out of the classroom. Matt checked his phone that gave him so much trouble today. He had received two text messages.

Matt! You'll never believe what I did today! It was his mother. She finally figured out how to text with her phone.

The second one was from his sister. Matt! You'll never guess what mom did today! Wow.

He replied with an I don't care! to both. As usual, his sister replied almost immediately.

No need to be such a dick about it. You should really hurry home. It's so awesome! She peaked his curiosity. What is it? He sent back to her. I'm not going to tell you. He received.

Ok.

As Matt got outside, he was ambushed by his girlfriend.

"Dara told me what happened in class today. In Math?" She paused, when he didn't start talking, she continued. "With the phone, from what she said, you were really embarrassed!"

"Yeah, it was embarrassing." Matt grimaced.

"Anyway, what did Mr. Bruler say?" Alexandra asked.

"He told me I was failing, and I have to do work, and tests and stuff to pass." Matt told her.

She paused. "You ARE going to do it all, right?"

"I don't know. What, with football coming up, I'm not sure I want to. I guess I'll just go to summer school." Matt said.

"You don't want to do work so much that you would go to summer school and not hang out with me?" Alexandra put on her best sad puppy face.

"I just think I'll be preoccupied with football. Tryouts do start tomorrow." Matt stated.

"Then you have no excuse for tonight. You better do you're homework tonight. Or else."

Alexandra made a threatening gesture which made Matt laugh.

It was too hot to walk home. Well, almost. Matt walked by the neighborhood junkyard, which was the favorite haunt of the neighborhood stray cats. He picked up a small rock and waited for a cat to show. He was about to leave when he saw an extremely fat cat stroll into plain site and rest on the abandoned tuck. Matt looked at the cat in disgust. Cats were probably the worst animal on the face of the planet. He aimed, and threw the rock at it. The cat saw the rock and tried got out of the way in time. The rock hit the cat, making the cat fly backwards.

"I am so trying out for quarterback tomorrow." He said to himself.

He stuck his hands in his pockets and continued walking. About half way between his house and the junkyard he was jumped on by a dog.

"Hey boy!" Matt said as his face got wet via dog tongue. "Do you want something to eat? You hungry boy?"

Matt got up and walked over to a hot dog stand. There was a short line.

"That will be 2 dollars ma'am." The lady who ordered the hot dog walked away.

The owner of the stand looked at him with a quick glance, "What do you want, boy?"

"I come to a hot dog stand. What do you think I want? A foot long sub?" Matt said, glaring at the man.

"Fine. 8 dollars boy." The owner said.

"What? You charged the lady 2 dollars, and you think I'll pay 8?" Matt thundered.

"The lady didn't piss me off. You did. 8 dollars." The owner spat.

"You can't charge a man because you have a grudge on him." Matt said.

The owner slapped a sticky note onto the menu. It had a lazy sentence scrawled on it: The owner has the right to charge whatever he wishes.

"Oh. Smart. Yeah, I can tell that's been there the whole time!" Matt stalked away from the stand.

"You are a worthless, inconsiderate, miserable young man! With no future!" the owner yelled after him.

"Said the owner of a hot dog stand." Matt shot.

"Said the owner of a very successful hot dog stand." The owner said, defensively.

"Whatever." Matt grumbled.

The dog followed him, wagging his tail until Matt hit his street.

"Ok boy. I have to go now. I'll see you tomorrow!"

The dog barked happily, turned around, and walked away. As he reached the driveway, his phone rang again. When he checked it, he had another text message.

That was RUDE. His mom replied a whole 15 minutes later. When he walked inside his house, he saw his mom and sister gathered around the kitchen table.

His sister turned around, saw that he was home and said "We adopted him! Well, actually Mom went out and got him, but I help her decide to pick a cat for a pet! Isn't he cute?"

As Matt got closer he saw it was a cat. The cat was sitting at the table studying his new family. Matt got even closer to study it.

It was a silver tabby.