I woke up with an extreme sense of awareness and excitement. I had received this game yesterday and there is no way I am going to school today. I could easily pass out from the lack of patience. So I think I'll trick my saint-of-a-mother into thinking I feel bad today. It wont be hard, Ive done this many times before. If anything I am a pro at this game. Ill wait until the second time she wakes me up (It does take 2 times to fully wake me up). I'll tell her I have a headache and my stomach is killing me. I ask for motrin and wala! She lets me stay in bed longer. I really hope the school will not be catching on to my charades, and I hope I don't get much homework today either. Oh well, ill just make it up some other time. Here she comes, play it cool!

“Wake up Ben its time for school!”

“Ughh, okay, okay,” I reply.
As she leaves the room I continue to sleep. Not five minutes later she shows up again.

“Ben! Get out of bed! You are going to be late!”

“I cant do it Mom, not today. My head is pounding and I feel like my stomach is about to erupt.”

“Are you serious, or are you playing games with me?”

“Games? I’m not playing any games mom.” (At Least not yet…)

“Okay, ill be right back with some motrin.”
Boom! That is when I know it has worked. If she doesn't believe it, its more anger and less sympathy towards my “headache.”

She’s comin up the stairs, I turn in my bed and pretend like I’m in a lot of discomfort. I’ve perfected the headache voice. It not normal sounding, but not ill sounding. It’s a combination of the two. An agitated, don't talk to me kind of sound. This has gotten me out of alot of sticky situations.

She hands me the miracle-drug known as motrin and says, “Here take this, ill wake you up in a couple hours to see how you feel.”

In my headache voice i reply, “Thanks mom, you are the best.”
I’ve learned that giving her a little praise makes the phone call to the school a little bit easier for her. She usually feels pretty bad about making those calls. I dont know why, but she has a tough time telling the attendance office i wont be in school. If it was me, it’s really easy, but she’s different. I call her saint kathleen, because in all reality, she is a saint.

I hear her talking to the office,

“Yea he is not feeling well today… I know, I know… Yes, Yes I will tell him.”
After three extra hours of sleep I wake up feeling super refreshed. In honesty they need to give us a lot more time in the morning. I’m a zombie at the beginning of every day. Half my absences are because of a lack of sleep. It is starting to get ridiculous.