All my peers smiling and laughing next to me. They're doing their work. They're doing what they should. They're being good people. I'm writing this instead. A kid in front of me is playing Minecraft on the school iPad. The two next to me are doing their book report. At least I'm not alone in the 'not doing their work' club.
"I get that it's exciting for you all, but for the love of Shakespeare, please quiet down!" The overweight, bald English teacher desperately tried to get his class to do their work. Danny Phantom was fighting a ghost outside, and Mr. Lancer's students just wouldn't move from the window. They were practically mindless zombies when it came to the teen superhero. They all flinched at the same time when he got slammed into a wall, and cheered at the same time when he got a good shot on his opponent. Mr. Lancer had enough.
Bang!
He kicked the metal desk that was behind him with his foot, effectively making his students to look at him. Some kids had their hands on their ears, for a metal desk was loud when it was kicked.
"Go back to your seats, and either work on your book report or revise your essay."
Many kids complied, with one last look out of the window at the two fighting ghosts. Two kids looked longer than others, with matching concerned looks on their faces.
"Ms. Manson, Mr. Foley. To your seats."
They reluctantly went.
Danny Fenton rushed back to his classroom. 'Lancer's going to kill me completely!' He thought. His so-called bathroom break consisted of him fighting Skulker, and getting pretty beat up in the process. It would be a miracle to come up with an excuse for his teacher in the few seconds he had before reaching his classroom.
Spoiler alert: he didn't.
"Mr. Fenton, may I ask why you were so late?"
He didn't answer. He just kept his head down, and stared at his red shoes. He could practically feel Mr. Lancer's disappointed stare on his face. Danny mumbled something he thought sounded like an apology, and trudged back to his seat. Nobody noticed his slight limp. He went to go sit with his friends when Lancer stopped him.
"Mr. Fenton? Could you sit in the back please? I'm afraid you've missed too much class time and sitting by your friends could distract you."
He heard the snickers, felt the stares. Some were mocking, others filled with pity. He didn't care. He was used to it.
As he pulled out his device at his new seat in the back, he decided he didn't want to work. He wanted to cry, he wanted to escape. He opened a blank document, and started writing something instead.
To anyone just looking at him from the front, Danny looked like he was typing a book report or changing a few lines of his essay. In reality, he was observing. Each kid in his class had some notes, and what they were doing.
A certain jock was playing Minecraft in the direct line of the teacher's sight, while two people to his right were actually doing their book report.
Danny smiled softly to himself as the bell rung and everyone was leaving. He might not of gotten his schoolwork done, but he certainly did something useful to himself that he could be proud of.
After reuniting with his friends, he walked out of the classroom and back to his house.